Cheesecake is such a great dessert, there are so many flavor combinations you can try between the crust, filling, and toppings. It can be made for a casual event like an office party or cookout, or it can be elevated for a special event. This cheesecake recipe is no different, though with the pomegranate caviar people will think you are a baking genius no matter what the occasion!
This cheesecake has a crunchy hazelnut crust and the filling has a slight hint of almond, making these easy single portion cheesecake bites irresistible! Now add the cream cheese whipped cream and pomegranate caviar and you have something really special! This recipe looks like it’s complex and very time consuming but it’s not. It will come together quickly, the key is to pull all the room temperature ingredients out of the refrigerator at the beginning so the cream cheese and eggs are ready when the crust is cooled out of the oven.
These cheesecake bites can be made a day ahead of time and still hold up well. The cream cheese in the whipped cream stabilizes it, making it hold better than traditional whipped cream. To make it even easier, here is a list of materials we used in our kitchen to make this recipe a breeze:
Servings: 60 Bites
Calories: 130kcal
Ingredients
Crust
- 4½ oz chopped hazelnuts 2 small bags
- 1⅓ cup flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp pomegranate juice
Pomegranate Caviar
- 1 .25 unflavored gelatin packet
- 4 oz Pomegranate Juice
- 1 cup vegetable oil well chilled
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (this is going to be the same temperature for the crust and filling). Put hazelnuts on a single layer on baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes, until nuts are lightly toasted. Let cool. While that is cooling, line your mini muffin tins with liners.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt. Once nuts have cooled, blend them until they are a finely chopped. The nuts need to be cold for this or you will end up making hazelnut butter. Add to flour mixture and mix well.
- Make sure butter is cold for this step. Cut into 1/4" cubes and add to bowl. I like to add a little at a time and lightly toss them in the bowl to coat them with flour. This helps prevent them from sticking together. Once all the butter is cut, mix well, then using your hands gently incorporate the butter with the flour mixture. I like to pinch the mixture together until it has the same consistency as sand. This is similar to making pie dough, you want to butter incorporated but you don't want it melted.
- Add 7 grams of crust to each liner. Its about a teaspoon if you don't have a scale. This will result in crust that is about 1/4" thick, giving you a nice support but don't dominate the entire dessert. Once you have all the liners filled, take a flat bottomed shot glass and press down. This gave me the best results when trying to compact the crust. If the butter starts to stick, just wipe it down with a paper towel and keep going. Bake for 7-8 minutes and let cool on cooling rack.
Filling:
- In KitchenAid mixing bowl and whisk attachment (or if hand whisking a medium sized bowl), add cream cheese and sugar and beat well. Mix in flour. Once mixed, add one egg at a time, only adding the next one when the previous egg is fully incorporated. Add heavy whipping cream, vanilla and almond extracts. Make sure to be scraping the bottom of the bowl while whisking, otherwise you will get lumps in the batter.
- Portion filling on room temperature crust, about 1 oz each. I like to use a pancake batter dispenser to make this fast and reduce the mess that a ladle or spoon would cause. Bake at 350°F for 15-16 minutes, until the center is firm when the pan is shaken gently. Let cool, then chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Whipped Cream:
- Chill mixing bowl and whisk. Add heavy whipping cream and whisk until it forms stiff peaks. If you are using a KitchenAid this is important to do first since the fat in the cream cheese will make it difficult to get the whipping cream to stiffen properly. Put in refrigerator until next step is completed so it retains it's form.
- Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Once well mixed add in vanilla extract and pomegranate juice. Mix well. Fold cream cheese mixture into whipping cream until well incorporated. Refrigerate in a covered metal bowl until ready to use.
Pomegranate Caviar
- Place vegetable oil in freezer a few hours prior to starting caviar.
- Mix gelatin packet and 1.5 tbsp cold pomegranate juice together until gelatin is well combined.
Microwave 2.5 tbsp pomegranate juice for 30 seconds. Add to gelatin and mix well until all the gelatin is dissolved. Set aside for about 5 minutes, until mixture cools down (about room temperature). - Now you need two containers, one larger than the other to make an ice bath. Metal works best for this since it will cool better and faster. In the larger container add ice cubes, salt, and cold water and mix. Place smaller container in ice bath and add vegetable oil.
- Using a pipette, drop gelatin mixture into vegetable oil. Do this slowly, about 4-5 drops per caviar. You will know it’s done because it will start to sink. Make sure to spread out where you are making the caviar because if the sphere are too close together and haven’t set they will combine together.
- After the caviar has set for 2-3 minutes you can remove it from the oil. Strain caviar and rinse with cold water to remove any extra vegetable oil. If you have any extra, you can put it in an airtight container, covered with vegetable oil.
Assembly
- Remove cheesecake from mini muffin tin and put in either a large container with a lid if storing overnight or on serving tray.
- Fill piping bag with whipped cream. The easiest way to do this is to set the piping bag with tip in a pint glass, folding the top of the pastry bag over the glass rim. This will give you a big opening for the whipped cream without a huge mess.
- Pipe about a tbsp onto each cheesecake bite. Using the baking tweezers, add 5-6 pieces of pomegranate caviar on top of whipping cream, spread out. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
If you aren’t a fan of pomegranates or you don’t have time to make the caviar, these cheesecake bites are delicious with blueberries. Simple add 3-4 blueberries to each liner before adding the cheesecake filling. Omit pomegranate juice from whipping cream and substitute the vanilla extract for almond extract and you are good to go!
Want to see a video on how to make the pomegranate caviar? Just click here for our Pomegranate Caviar recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1each | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
