Mini Malteser Cheesecakes with Amaretti Biscuit base
Lynn Hill
There are occasions when self-indulgence is absolutely to be encouraged. This is where mini cheesecakes are a must.
Basically a no bake cheesecake, save for the fact that you pop them in the oven to firm up the biscuit base before adding the filling. After that, it should be plain sailing.
I’ve tried leaving the biscuit base to set in the fridge, like most no bake cheesecakes, but I’ve never had any success with it. The base is far too crumbly. That is until one day, I popped a biscuit base in the oven to bake it a little. My problem was solved. I’ve used this system ever since. Just make sure you blitzed the biscuits finely, to allow the butter to coat and soak into all those delicious crumbs.
50gramsvanilla flavoured icing sugar. I used flavoured icing sugar from 'Sugar and Crumbs'
50gramscaster sugar
100gramsmalteser's roughly blitzed
230gramsmaltesers to decorate. I used 8 Maltesers per cheesecake.
30gramsdark chocolate to drizzleoptional
Instructions
Make the biscuit base
Preheat the oven to 180deg fan assisted.
Have ready 12 – 14 baking cups on a flat baking tray. If you want a thicker biscuit base and a deeper depth of filling, go for 12 baking cups. They come in packs of 12 too. Do not use paper muffin cases, these are not ridged enough.
In a large pan, melt the butter over a low heat until completely melted. Take off the heat and stir in all the blitzed biscuits and mix until all the butter has evenly coated the biscuit crumbs.
Divide the biscuit mix evenly between each of the baking cups. This is approx. 2 level tablespoons per cup.
Using the base of a glass, flatten the biscuit base down evenly. Place in the oven for 5 mins, to bake a little. You may not see any difference in the colour of the crumb base, but baking helps to give a firm base. Take out of the oven and leave to cool completely.
Filling
Mix together the cream cheese and sugars until well combined. The mixture will become runny at this stage.
Add the mascarpone and double cream. Very carefully mix everything together until it is thick and creamy. This will only take a moment or two, so do not over mix. DO NOT USE AN ELECTRIC MIXER or it could become grainy.
Divide one half of the mixture into a piping bag with a half inch/1cm nozzle or snip the piping bag if it’s a disposable one. Place the other half of the mixture into a mixing bowl and add the blitzed maltesers. Mix until well combined. Place this mixture into a separate piping bag with a similar sized nozzle.
Pipe a layer of the malteser filling equally on top of each of the biscuit bases. Using the back of a small spoon gently level out the mixture.Pipe a layer of the plain filling equally on top of each of the malteser fillings. Using the back of a small spoon, gently level out the mixture.
Decorate each cheese cake with maltesers, as desired. I used 8 maltesers per cheesecake. Place in the fridge to set a little while you melt the chocolate to decorate.
Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water.Take off the heat and leave to cool a little. Take the cheesecakes out of the fridge and drizzle the chocolate over each cheesecake. This is done much easier if you place the chocolate in a piping bag with a tiny nozzle or hole snipped at the end.
Notes
Keep in the fridge. Please note, the chocolate may have a bloom in colour if left in the fridge for too long. This will not affect the taste.