Cake

Small Cheesecake

9/01/2020 10:12:00 AM

Small cheesecake! The perfect classic cheesecake, in small! Crunchy biscuit base, dense and creamy vanilla and lemon scented filling. It's everything you love in a cheesecake, in a sensible small size.

Cheesecake Slice
Small Cheesecake


So... Melbourne lockdown 2.0 is still going. I told you at the end of July that we had to move back to Stage Three restrictions. Well, during that time, numbers remained stubbornly high, and, it was determined that stronger measures were needed. So, we've moved to Stage Four restrictions - for at least six weeks or until numbers come down. (We're about four weeks into this new enhanced lockdown). In addition to all previous rules, now it's no visitors to your home except for caring or emergencies; we're only allowed one hour a day outdoors for fresh air and exercise in groups of two maximum; only one person per household is allowed to go shopping for essentials once per day; some industries are closed (retail, gyms, hairdressers) or have output dramatically reduced (meat processing); masks are mandatory whenever outside; and crucially, we have a curfew from 8pm to 5am (except for essential workers or emergencies).

I'll reiterate that I'm very lucky that we're ok in this lockdown - I'm still working from home, we do most of our shopping online, and a daily walk is achievable for us. And with our baby, I honestly can't remember the last time I was out past eight in the evening! But gosh, it's a long slog. It's hard being patient and just anxiously waiting for the numbers to come out each morning. The daily Daniel Andrews press conference has become essential viewing every day in this household. (It's the best place to get the latest information, but I must say I find the aggressive questioning from certain journalists to be quite stressful). It looks like the overall numbers are finally moving in the right direction, so I'm hopeful we'll all keep doing our part, that numbers will continue to decrease, and that soon restrictions will be able to be cautiously and slowly lifted. We can do it.

I suppose this is all old news for you readers who are from Melbourne, but perhaps some interstate / overseas readers will be interested. Also, these paragraphs are selfishly for myself. I'll be glad to have a record of this time period, if and when I look back on this post from a (hopefully) brighter future.

You know what else makes things brighter? CHEESECAKE! (Awkward segue alert!) I was craving cheesecake the other day, and happened to have all the ingredients at home. My usual cheesecake (aptly titled "Sarah's Favourite Cheesecake") is absolutely delicious, but perhaps too large to be responsibly consumed between two people. So, I made a lockdown-appropriate small cheesecake by reducing the quantities by two thirds, and using a smaller eighteen centimetre tin. It worked beautifully!

Small Cheesecake
Small Cheesecake

This is my favourite cheesecake, so much so that I never even bother with new and exciting cheesecake recipes. This is it. It's all I want in a cheesecake. We have a digestive biscuit base, with a little hint of cinnamon to make it extra inviting. The filling has both cream cheese and sour cream (double dairy!), with egg to help it set, and sugar for (duh) sweetness. It's flavoured with a little lemon zest and vanilla - the lemon zest cuts through the richness and the vanilla gives it that wonderful welcoming aroma. It's creamy, it's rich, it's dense - it's everything you want in a cheesecake, with no extra fussiness to get in the way of the pure deliciousness.

Cheesecake Biscuit Base
Biscuit base

When making it in these dimensions, the cheesecake was quite a bit shallower than normal, but I liked that because it meant a higher biscuit-to-filling ratio. When eaten warm it was light and fluffy (much like a Sara Lee cheesecake; another lockdown treat we enjoyed recently), but once refrigerated it really comes into its own. That's when you get the dense rich creaminess.

Small Cheesecake
Small cheesecake

And also, I wrote about a smaller cheesecake being more responsible for a small household in lockdown... well, I baked the cheesecake on a Sunday afternoon. It came out of the oven around two o'clock... and by ten o'clock that night it was all gone. WHOOPS.

I hope you enjoy this cheesecake as much as we do! (I don't know if this is humanly possible, but I am damn sure you'll love it!)

Small Cheesecake
A recipe by Sarah Cooks

Ingredients
85 grams digestive biscuits
40 grams unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of cinnamon
150 grams cream cheese, softened
1 egg
75 grams caster sugar
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
175 grams sour cream

Method
Preheat the oven to 160C. Spray the inside of an 18-cm springform tin with oil spray (or brush lightly with extra melted butter) and line the base and sides. Cover the outside of the tin with a layer of clingfilm and then foil. (Double layer if you're worried about leakage).
Crush the biscuits in a food processor. Add the melted butter and cinnamon and whizz to combine. Press the mixture into the base of the prepared tin. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer, or a (clean) food processor. Beat until smooth.
Add the egg and caster sugar and beat until smooth.
Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract and sour cream, and beat until smooth.
Place the prepared cake tin into a larger roasting tin. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the tin. Pour hot water from a recently-boiled kettle into the roasting tin, so that it comes approximately halfway up the side of the tin.
Place in the oven, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cheesecake is just set - jiggly but not with obvious liquid underneath.
Remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Gently remove the foil and clingfilm, and place the cheesecake on a rack to cool completely. Chill until completely cold.
Makes 1 x 18cm cheesecake.
Serves 2-4

Have you made this recipe? Leave a comment below! Tag me on Instagram @sarahcooksblog and hashtag #sarahcooksblog

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3 comments

  1. That cheesecake is a great size for two! We see the numbers here and they are going in the right direction but it feels like not quickly enough (for you guys at least, I'm sure you're waiting for it to go down faster). Glad to hear that you're doing well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. > But gosh, it's a long slog. It's hard being patient and just anxiously waiting for the numbers to come out each morning. The daily Daniel Andrews press conference has become essential viewing every day in this household. (It's the best place to get the latest information, but I must say I find the aggressive questioning from certain journalists to be quite stressful).

    Same boat. 100% agree. Looking forward to making tiny cheesecake at some point though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *Hugs*

      I do hope you like the cheesecake!! :) xox

      Delete

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