Lemon-Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

By krystallondon

Concentrated strawberry flavour is just a jam jar away! Here, extra fruit helps to preserve colour and add fl avour to these cupcakes, while lemon adds a tart dimension. Our tart and buttery homemade lemon curd is best (recipe follows), though E.D. Smith does make a lemon spread found in the jam section of the supermarket that can be substituted. Sometimes jars of lemon curd can also be found in specialty shops.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 ½ oz (75 g) lemon social tea biscuits (¼ pkg)
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 pkgs (250 g each) regular cream cheese,
• softened
• ½ cup (125 mL) extra fruit strawberry jam
• ¼ cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
• ¾ to 1 cup (175 to 250 mL) lemon curd,
• homemade or purchased
• 6 perfect fresh strawberries

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Line muffin cups with papers or silicone cups. Place eggs in a small bowl; cover with hot tap water to temper. Set aside.

3. Whirl biscuits in food processor until fine crumbs, makes about 1 cup (250 mL). Whirl in melted butter until evenly coated. Dividing equally, fi rmly press crumbs into bottoms of cups.

4. Wipe out food processor bowl. Add cream cheese, eggs, jam, sugar and vanilla; whirl until combined. Spoon into cups; level tops by tapping muffin tin on countertop a few times. Bake 20 minutes or until just set and small cracks are visible in some cakes. Cool on a rack. Then cover and refrigerate until chilled or up to 2 days.

5. When ready to serve, top each cupcake with a dollop of lemon curd. Leaving green top intact, cut each berry in half lengthwise. Arrange decoratively on curd.


Lemon Curd

Using 3 to 4 large lemons, squeeze ¾ cup (175 mL) juice. Stir 3 eggs with 1 cup (250 mL) sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk in juice; add ¼ cup (50 mL) softened butter. Whisk constantly over medium to mediumlow heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture darkens and thickens. Do not boil! Remove from heat; place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface of curd. Cool until barely warm. Leftover curd keeps well, covered and refrigerated for a week or more, and can be frozen for months.


Makes 2 cups (500 mL)