Categories: Recipes

Recipe: Hot Chocolate Mini Cheesecake Cute Cups

This easy to bake hot chocolate mini cheesecake recipe makes desserts that look like little cups of hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows on top.

Are you looking for a simple cheesecake recipe? Well, you’ve found it. Not only is this an easy cheesecake recipe to follow, but the result is also delicious too. Yes, I know these cute mini cheesecake bites look too pretty to eat, but once you taste one you won’t be able to stop.

The Oreo cheesecake base is crunchy and buttery, the chocolate filling is rich and silky and the whipped cream topping adds airiness and flavour, not to mention visual appeal. Topped off with the chewy marshmallow, this cheesecake dessert really has it all.

Over the festive period, Avonmore asked me to collaborate with them to come up with a recipe using its Baileys Whipped Cream. I have collaborated with Avonmore before when creating my pumpkin soup recipe. I actually used Avonmore products in my first ever blog post for baked chicken and mango curry. So, I was delighted to work with Avonmore again on its Christmas recipe campaign. Click here to see my #splashofmagic campaign post over on Instagram (psst, whilst you are there, please give me a follow. Thank you).

This hot chocolate mini cheesecake recipe isn’t sponsored but I thought the recipe was too gorgeous not to put on my blog. So here it is:

Hot chocolate mini cheesecake recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 20 – 30 minutes

Yield: 12 hot chocolate mini cheesecakes

Ingredients

230 grams (about one and a half packs) of Oreo biscuits (or other chocolate sandwich cookies – Fox’s Double Choc Crunch Creams are delicious), finely crushed in a food processor or in a bag using a rolling pin

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

360 grams of full-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature

115 grams of Demerara sugar (use granulated if you don’t have Demerara)

55 grams of cocoa powder ( I used ISWARI raw cacao powder but you can use any. Here’s a handy blog explaining the difference between natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder and which one you should use)

2 large eggs, bring to room temperature if they have been in the fridge

For the chocolate handles

50 – 100 grams of chocolate, melted (the measure depends on how good you are at piping melted chocolate. I used a lot!).

For the topping

300 grams (about half a tub) Avonmore Baileys Freshly Whipped cream (or any type of whipped cream you like)

Mini marshmallows

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder or hot chocolate power

Prep

Pre-heat oven to 160°C / 140°C fan assisted / 325°F / gas mark 3.

Line a muffin/cupcake/fairycake tin with paper baking cases.

Instructions

Firstly, you make the cheesecake biscuit base.

Taste test one of the cookies for quality control purposes.

Put the cookies in a food processor or Nutribullet and crush until they look fine crumbs. If you are going this by hand, put the cookies in a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling-pin or wooden spoon.

Mix the melted butter in with the cookie crumbs.

Take the same amount of mixture for each baking case and press into the baking cases. Make sure you press it right into the ridges so you get those nice lines when you remove the paper.

Put the tray in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Next, start making the chocolate cheesecake filling.

Set up a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or just use an electric hand mixer and beat until blended the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa powder.

Add the eggs, one at a time and mix on low-speed. You do not want to over mix. You just want to blend the ingredients together.

Pour the chocolate filling evenly over the cheesecake bases.

Put the tray in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the centres are almost set. Do not over bake them.

Place on a rack and cool completely.

When cool, refrigerate for two hours until set or longer if you are making them ahead.

To make the chocolate handles that go on the side of the hot chocolate mini cheesecakes

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Break the chocolate up into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave. Use 30-second intervals and stir after each interval.

When the chocolate is melted, spoon it into a resealable sandwich bag. Cut a very small piece off one bottom corner of the bag. Carefully pipe the chocolate on to the lined baking sheet into small ‘C’ shapes or some sort of shape that resembling cup handles.

If you can do that you are a better baker than I am.

Here’s the idiot’s guide that I had to do. I measured the height of the cheesecakes and tried to create shapes that I thought would fit i.e. would sit on top of the cakes and go down the side and look a bit like cup handles.

Then, on the back of the parchment paper, I used a Sharpie marker to draw the cup handle shape. You want to make a ‘C’ shape with a bit of a dot at each end. I ended up making 31 squiggles of different shapes and sizes.

Flip the paper over so the ink is on the other side. I sellotaped the parchment paper to the back of a baking tray so the paper wouldn’t slip.

Take another piece of parchment paper and roll it into a cone and cut a bit off the end. Watch how the expert does it in this YouTube video.

Then pipe the shapes as best you can but don’t stress it as nobody will be looking at them too closely.

When you are done piping and have at least 12 that you are happy with, place the tray in the fridge until they are solid. Leave in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

If the tray doesn’t fit in the fridge, place the shapes somewhere cool until they firm up.

Assembling the hot chocolate mini cheesecake recipe

Prepare the whipped cream – either open the tub of pre-whipped cream or whip up your own.

Take the cakes out of the fridge and remove the paper cases.

Top each hot chocolate mini cheesecake with whipped cream.

Place some mini marshmallows on top of the cream.

Dust the marshmallows with the remaining cocoa or hot chocolate powder.

Take the chocolate handles out of the fridge. Place one on each cheesecake. You can stick the bottom of the handle into the chocolate filling and top into the cream. If they don’t fit, just shove the handles on the side any way you can. Be grand!

Storing the hot chocolate mini cheesecakes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. If you are using fresh whipped cream, keep them for about two days. Otherwise, the actual cheesecakes themselves will keep in the airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days.

So, what do you think of my Hot Chocolate Mini Cheesecake Recipe? Did you try it out? Did you like it? What improvements would you make? Share a photo of your own attempt at this recipe or leave any feedback and comments below, I’d love to hear from you.