Chocolate, caramel and mini cheesecakes - what else do you need?!
My go to cheesecake batter with chopped up rollos and chocolate and caramel sauce!
How to make chocolate whipped cream
There are many ways to create a delicious chocolate whipped cream. One of them requires you to melt chocolate in hot heavy cream, cool it over night and whip it up the next day. Even though this makes a really delicious chocolate frosting I prefer to go with a different method if I do not have much time.
All you need is cocoa powder and heavy cream. So make sure the heavy cream is really cold to whip up nicely. I usually use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment to make whipped cream. For that whip up very cold heavy cream with cocoa powder and some powdered sugar for sweetness and stability. First you want to whip it on the lowest setting and when everything is incorporated and thicker you can switch to a higher setting to whip it up quickly. Be careful not to over whip it or you end up with butter!
Read here how to get a perfectly smooth cheesecake!
How to make the best cheesecake batter
Many recipes just call for cream cheese, sugar and eggs to make mini cheesecakes but what if I tell you that there is a simple way to elevate these treats from mediocre to amazing with a few simple ingredients. First of all I always add sour cream to my cheesecake batter. It makes it creamy and adds a bit of tanginess. To support this flavor I like to add some freshly pressed lemon juice if I make fruity cheesecakes. For this caramel chocolate cheesecake I opt for homemade pure vanilla extract. It just enriches the flavor profile of the cheesecakes without overloading them. Vanilla is the quintessential flavor of all my baked goods!
These are the cheesecake pans that I always use in my recipe videos: Springform pan and Removable bottom pan
A 8 inch springform pan is the traditional choice to make most cheesecake recipes. I usually use it for no bake cheesecakes. For baked cheesecakes I prefer the removable bottom pan. It has the advantage of fitting a water bath snuggly around it.
To ensure a crack free cheesecake I recommend to read this cheesecake recipe
Mini Rollo Cheesecakes
Ingredients: for 12 mini cheesecakes
16 oz (454 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 tbsp flour, optional
1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
1 cup (215 g) chopped Rollos
For the OREO crust:
2 cups (260 g) OREO cookie crumbs
4 tbsp (62 g) melted butter
For the whipped cream:
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (30 g) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (33 g) powdered sugar
6 Rollos, cut in half
chocolate sauce
caramel sauce
Check out my New York Cheesecake tutorial while this one is in the making
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Crush up OREO cookies in a food processor or use a zip lock bag and a rolling pin to make cookie crumbs. Mix the fine crumbs with melted butter. Press the mixture in a 12 capacity lined cupcake pan and bake it for 5 minutes. Let it come to room temperature.
Step 2:
To make the cheesecake filling, start off with a large bowl or use a food processor. Add softened cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla and flour to a big mixing bowl and mix it until smooth for about 4 minutes. Scrape it down after each mixing to ensure no lumps are left. Add in sour cream and mix in eggs at last. Mix until smooth for about 2 minutes. Fold in 2/3 of the chopped rollos. Keep the rest to add to each cheesecake before baking.
Step 3:
Fill the cheesecake batter on top of the cookie crust and put the extra rollo pieces into the cheesecake batter. Place the cupcake tray inside a cookie sheet filled with hot water. Bake the cheesecakes in this water bath at 325 °F for about 25 minutes until the top turns golden brown. Turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven for about 10 minutes. Let it come to room temperature for another 30 minutes. Then let it cool for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
Step 4:
To decorate the mini cheesecakes make chocolate whipped cream. For that use a tall mixing bowl and a hand mixer with a whisk attachment. Mix together very cold heavy cream with powdered sugar and cocoa powder. When it has reached stiff peaks fill it into a piping bag with a big star tip (Wilton 1M). Step 5:
Decorate the cheesecakes immediately before serving because the chocolate sauce and caramel sauce tend to get rather liquid the longer they stay on the cheesecakes. You can pipe the whipped cream swirls already before serving and just fill it up with chocolate and caramel sauce and half a Rollo shortly before serving!
Enjoy!
Pro tips
use foil cupcake liners as paper ones get soaked up easily and make it difficult to remove.
Use Dark chocolate salted caramel Rollos for a less sweet treat!
