Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes Recipe

By
María del Mar Cuadra
A headshot of Maria del Mar Cuadra, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
María del Mar Cuadra
María del Mar Cuadra is a food stylist, recipe developer, and art director. She has written three cookbooks and worked for America's Test Kitchen.
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Updated August 30, 2018
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Don't be afraid of the dark . chocolate

These spider web-decorated cupcakes with a chocolate cheesecake base are the perfect sweet for a Halloween party.

Notes:

  • To melt chocolate: Place chocolate in small bowl and microwave until smooth and melted, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping microwave to stir chocolate every 30 seconds.
  • Using a liquid measuring cup makes easy and neat work of filling the cupcake tins.

Recipe Details

Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes Recipe

Active 60 mins
Total 2 hrs
Makes 12 mini-cheesecakes

Ingredients

  • For the Crust:
  • 3/4 cup crumbled vanilla wafers (about 30 wafers)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • For the Cheesecake Filling:
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled (see notes)
  • For the Glazes:
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon corn syrup
  • 3 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

  1. For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with paper liners. In food processor, pulse wafers until they turn into fine crumbs. Add butter, sugar, and salt and pulse just to combine. Use fingertips or a 1/4-cup measure to press 1 tablespoon cookie mixture into bottom of each cup. Bake just until set, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer tin to cooling rack. Decrease oven temperature to 300°F.

  2. For the Cheesecake Filling: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in sour cream, then eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and salt. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Decrease mixer speed to low and add chocolate. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes.

  3. Divide batter equally among muffin cups (see note) and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes, then refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

  4. For the Glazes: Bring 1/3 cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat or in bowl in microwave. Place bittersweet chocolate and corn syrup in small bowl. Pour cream over chocolate and stir until smooth. Spoon glaze over cupcakes, smoothing with back of spoon. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

  5. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon cream and white chocolate in small bowl and microwave 30 to 60 seconds, pausing microwave every 20 seconds to stir, until smooth and melted. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small tip with white chocolate and create spiral pattern over chocolate. Drag a toothpick, starting at the middle, to the edges of the cupcake to make a spider web pattern. Serve.

Special equipment

12-cup standard muffin tin, 12 cupcake liners, food processor, cooling rack, electric mixer, rubber spatula, pastry bag or zipper-lock bag, small pastry tip

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