Mini Cheesecake for Two

By srumbel

This cute little Mini Cheesecake is just perfect for you and your date . . . or if you don’t have a date for Valentine’s Day, just eat the whole thing yourself, and I won’t tell!
from wineandglue.com

Ingredients

• For the Cheesecake
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature (see note)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• For the Cherry Sauce
• 1/2 cup water (see note)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 TBSP corn starch
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup frozen cherries, thawed

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the brick of cream cheese until it is smooth. Scrape down the sides, and beat for another 30 seconds. Beat in the sugar, then the vanilla, and then the egg.
Pour into 4 inch springform pan . Bake for 22 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the middle still has a wiggle to it. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in with the door closed for a half hour. Take the cheesecake out and leave it on the counter 10 minutes. Before putting it in the refrigerator, gently run a thin knife between the edges of the pan and the cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.
Before serving the cheesecake, combine the water, sugar, and corn starch, and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Stir continuously until fully combined.
Add the almond extract and cherries. Continue to cook, breaking up the cherries slightly until the the sauce is a deep dark red color.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before topping the cheesecake and serving.

Notes

Make sure that your brick cream cheese is brand name, full fat, and completely room temperature. It takes about 4 hours in my house of it sitting on the counter.

The cherry sauce can also be made with juice instead of water, and it will be slightly sweeter. For me, water made it perfectly sweet enough to top the cheesecake, but if you like things sweeter, go with juice.