These mini cheesecake tarts are so incredibly light and fluffy with so much vanilla flavor. They are based off this Taste of Home recipe my family has been making my entire life, but made even more delicious with a few tweaks and by making them small. You can make these for all seasons, and for Easter, I placed a few Cadbury eggs on top.
why you’ll love mini light and airy cheesecakes
- This cheesecake is so much lighter and airier than a typical cheesecake, which is very dense. This one has a creamy, mousse-like texture with a delicious whipped sour cream topping.
- These cheesecakes are a little time consuming, but they’re not difficult. It’s a fun little project that has a wow factor that’s perfect for hosting or bringing to a party.
- This recipe can be easily doubled to make a dozen cheesecakes.
Here’s what they look like on the inside!
ingredients in mini light and airy cheesecakes
- graham crackers– for the classic graham cracker crust
- granulated sugar– to sweeten all three parts of this recipe- the crust, the filling, and the topping
- butter– to make the buttery graham cracker crust
- cream cheese– for the cheesecake filling
- vanilla– Vanilla is for flavor in this recipe, and I recommend using vanilla bean paste instead of or along with extract if you can. I love to use vanilla bean paste because the flavor is more intense, but vanilla extract is great as well. This is the vanilla extract I used from The Spice House. (You can use my code EMILYLOGGANS for 10% off at The Spice House.) Nielsen-Massey is my favorite vanilla bean paste. (Make sure to check your local Costco store for big jars of Nielsen-Massey at an amazing price!)
- salt– Diamond Crystal kosher salt is the best for baking, so I recommend grabbing a box if you can. It will last you for a long time if you just use it for baking! If you don’t have this type of salt, swap for regular table salt and use half the amount called for.
- eggs– For this cheesecake, we’ll be dividing the egg yolks from the whites, so don’t forget that when making the cheesecakes!
- heavy hipping cream– for the whipped sour cream topping (as well as the optional whipped cream topping)
- powdered sugar- to sweeten the whipped sour cream topping (as well as the optional whipped cream topping)
- sour cream– for the whipped sour cream topping
*You can use my code EMILYLOGGANS for 10% off at The Spice House. I love to get my vanilla extract, almond extract, kosher salt, and spices from there!
supplies you’ll need for mini light and airy cheesecakes
- kitchen scale– This one from Amazon is not very expensive, is very reliable, and comes in a bunch of fun colors. I promise that a kitchen scale will make your life so much easier (who has time to wash all those cups?) and your bakes will be much more consistent.
- 4″ tart pans– You’ll need six of these (or twelve if you’re doubling). Mine are Wilton, but I found these similar ones on Amazon.
- baking sheet– You’ll need a baking sheet to hold the tarts. One pan will hold six tarts, so if you’re doubling, you’ll need two baking sheets.
- hand mixer or stand mixer– to mix the filling, egg whites, and whipped cream (if using)
- wire whisk
watch how to make mini light and airy cheesecakes
mini light and airy cheesecakes
These mini cheesecake tarts are so incredibly light and fluffy with so much vanilla flavor. They are based off this Taste of Home recipe my family has been making my entire life, but made even more delicious with a few tweaks and by making them small. You can make these for all seasons, and for Easter, I placed a few Cadbury eggs on top.
- Yield: 6 mini cheesecakes 1x
Ingredients
the crust
215g (1 ¼ cups or 20 crackers) crushed graham crackers
50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
6 Tbsp unsalted or salted butter, melted
the filling
12 oz. (1 ½ packages) cream cheese, room temp
150g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ⅛ tsp table salt)
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
2 egg yolks (keep separated from the whites)
2 egg whites (keep separated from the yolks)
the topping
120g (½ cup) heavy whipping cream
7g (1 Tbsp) powdered sugar
120g (½ cup) sour cream
25g (2 Tbsp) granulated sugar
¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ⅛ tsp table salt)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
the whipped cream
240g (1 cup) heavy whipping cream
30g (¼ cup) powdered sugar
¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ⅛ tsp table salt)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C).
Stir together the crushed graham crackers, granulated sugar, and melted butter until it is fully combined and resembles moist sand.
Place six 4″ tart pans with removable bottoms on a baking sheet. Press the crumbs into the tart pans using a ¼″ measuring cup to press into the sides and bottoms firmly. Make sure the crumbs are as tightly pressed as possible.
Bake the tart shells for 6-7 minutes.
Cool the shells on the baking sheet before filling. Lower the oven temp to 325 F (163 C).
While the shells are cooling down, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until it is smooth. Add the sugar and salt and continue mixing until combined. Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix just until combined and finish off with a spatula to make sure everything is evenly combined. (You don’t want to over mix at this stage or the egg yolks will gain volume and cause cracking in the final cheesecakes.)
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. (Not stiff peaks.) Add the beaten egg whites to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold in until combined. (Be careful not to over fold and cause the egg whites to deflate.)
Evenly scoop the cheesecake filling into the graham cracker tart shells and gently smooth out the surfaces. A cookie scoop is a really helpful tool with scooping the filling, and an offset spatula is helpful for smoothing them out.
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 325 F (163 C) until set but jiggly. They will deflate as they cool and look slightly wrinkly on top.
Cool the cheesecakes at room temperature for about an hour before topping them with the whipped sour cream topping.
To make the topping, whisk together the sour cream, granulated sugar, kosher salt, and vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar until it reaches stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the sour cream mixture until combined, but don’t over mix.
Smooth the whipped sour cream topping over the tops of the cooled cheesecakes. Cover and refrigerate overnight to fully set.
When ready to serve, remove the cheesecakes from the tart pans. Be very delicate, because the graham cracker crumb crust is barely being held together. If you’d like, make the whipped cream. Combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, kosher salt, and vanilla and beat with a hand mixer (or whisk) until you reach stiff peaks. Place the whipped cream into a piping bag with whatever fancy tip you’d like to use and pipe onto the cheesecakes any way you’d like. I like to do one dollop in the middle or a bunch all around the edge of the cheesecake.
Notes
- I recommend using the weight measurements rather than the volume if you can because it is a significantly more accurate (and easier) way to measure. If you prefer the volume measurements, I have added them for you, but I do recommend you try a scale. You may love it.
- You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe, and honestly I would prefer salted.
- Feel free to use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, but know that vanilla bean paste has a much stronger vanilla flavor and also adds the pretty speckles.
- Table salt and Diamond Crystal kosher salt are not interchangeable as a 1:1 swap. If you’re going to use table salt, use half the amount called for of Diamond Crystal. I definitely recommend buying a big box of Diamond Crystal because it will last you a while and is the best salt for baking.
- Make sure to check that your oven temp is accurate! You may be surprised by how off it can really be, and an oven thermometer is a cheap little tool that may save you a big headache.
- This recipe makes 6 individual cheesecakes, but it can easily be doubled to make 12 cheesecakes. You will need 12 tart pans.
- I use the Wilton 4″ mini tart pans with removable bottoms.
- This recipe is adapted from Taste of Home’s Light and Airy Cheesecake that my family made so so many times while I was growing up.
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