This mini cheesecake is creamy, delicious and the perfect mini size to share for Valentine’s Day! This is an easy recipe that combines both cream cheese and ricotta for a creamy cheesecake! Top with fresh berries for a bright flavor or a spoonful of your favorite jam!
I developed this recipe as part of baking my way through the Bonne Maman Advent Calendar this past December. It was day 12 of the series and used the delicious Cherry & Christmas Spices jam as the topping. This is a perfect size for 1 or 2 people; it’s made in a mini 4 inch springform pan. You can eat this cheesecake plain, top it with your jam of choice or some fresh fruit like raspberries- all are delicious!
Like most cheesecakes, you do have to chill this recipe so it’s not quite as fast as some of my recipes. If you need the cheesecake flavor in a flash try my Easy Vanilla & Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes. Unlike a full sized cheesecake, you don’t need a waterbath to make this recipe- so that makes this easy to make.
Equipment Needed
- Mini Springform Pan: My mini springform pan is a 4in round springform pan from TJMaxx.
- Mixer: You need to beat the cream cheese, ricotta and sugar well so a hand mixer or stand mixer is highly recommended versus mixing my hand.
- Fridge: You will need to chill the cheesecake after baking to set the cheesecake.
Ingredients Needed:
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: You can buy pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs in a box which makes it super easy. Or put a few graham crackers into a plastic bag (close it tight!) and then pound with a rolling pin or a spoon.
- Unsalted Butter: I always bake with unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in my recipes.
- Cream Cheese: This is the classic American cheesecake ingredient. It gives a slightly tangy flavor. Use full fat cream cheese for the full flavor.
- Ricotta: This is a classic Italian cheesecake ingredient. Ricotta is a mild creamy Italian cheese. The combination of both ricotta and cream cheese makes a balanced flavor.
- Jam: You can use 1 oz of a jam of your choice as a topping to give the cheesecake a fruit flavor. I used the Bonne Maman Advent Calendar limited edition Cherry & Christmas Spices spread in December
- Fresh Fruit: You can top your cheesecake with a handful of fresh fruit instead of jam, try raspberries, strawberries or blackberries!
How to Make a Mini Cheesecake
- Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, stir together to create a damp sand consistency. Press into the bottom of the springform pan.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes at 325 F and let cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, ricotta and sugar. Beat well.
- Add egg – you need just 2 teaspoons of egg since this is such a mini recipe. Yes that is a tiny amount but small batch recipes are very impacted by the amount of egg in the recipe so this measurement is to make sure you don’t add too much egg! To measure the egg- crack the egg into a bowl, use a fork to scramble the yolk and white together, then use a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop up 2 teaspoons of a combination of yolk and white.
- Add vanilla extract and lemon juice. Both these ingredients add a pop of flavor to elevate the flavor of the cheesecake.
- Add milk.
- Mix to combine fully, pour the mixture on top of the pre-baked crust.
- Bake for 23 minutes until the edges are set and the center of the cheesecake is still a little wobbly.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- Optional- add 1 oz of jam to the top of the cheesecake to add a burst of fruit flavor!
Easy Mini Cheesecake for 2
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 Tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (melted)
Cheesecake
- 3 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
- 80 g Ricotta (softened)
- 22 g Granulated Sugar
- 5 g Egg (~2 teaspoons)
- ⅛ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ⅛ Teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 6 g Milk
Instructions
- Stir together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, press into the bottom of the springform pan.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes at 325 F and let cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, ricotta and sugar. Beat well.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and milk.
- Mix to combine fully, pour the mixture on top of the pre-baked crust.
- Bake for 23 minutes until the edges are set and the center of the cheesecake is still a little wobbly.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Optional- add 1 oz of jam or fresh fruit on top of the cheesecake to add a fruit flavor topping.
