Lime Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate Crust
Finish out your fiesta with a dessert that complements all those Mexican flavors! These Lime Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate Cookie Crust are cute as can be, and perfect for your party!
So, somehow over the weekend something crazy happened and now it’s May. Um, where did April go? I think I must have blinked and missed it. Oh well.
There’s lots of fun stuff that happens in May and it all starts with Cinco de Mayo. Which, if you read between the lines of my previous paragraph there, totally snuck up on me. I had a really fun idea planned but time just wasn’t cooperating. So, stay tuned. ‘Til next year. If you can hang in for that long!
In the meantime, I think these little cuties can fill in just fine.
When you’re stuffing your face with chips and salsa and tacos and enchiladas, it’s nice to end the fiesta with a refreshing dessert that compliments all those Mexican flavors. These mini lime cheesecakes fit the bill just perfectly. And the individual portions make them great for a party!
I sat mine on a crunchy Oreo crust, but they’d work equally well with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or shortbread cookies. But try the Oreos! It might sound a little different but I’ve been wanting to try this combo for years, literally. I remember seeing it on Nigella over a decade ago, and it’s stuck in my head all this time. Yes I am a freak, but Nigella was right! Chocolate and lime go great together!
The cheesecake itself is super creamy and dense, as any good cheesecake should be, with a subtle hint of citrus that comes from fresh lime juice and lime zest. And we are topping that with a little dollop of lime curd! That really brings the tart, tangy flavor to the forefront. Just use my favorite lemon curd recipe, subbing lime for lemon in equal measure. If you want to amp up the green color a little bit, just the eensiest, weensiest speck of Leaf Green gel paste will get you there. Don’t overdo it, or you’ll end up in Halloween green slime territory real quick.
A little soft whipped cream and a thin slice of lime, for garnish, and there you have it! A great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or any other day of the year. I hope you enjoy!
And if you’re looking for more great Cinco de Mayo dessert recipes, here are a handful of fun ideas:
- Ultimate Coconut Cake
- Cookies & Cream Baked Churros
- Mango Chile Flan
- Homemade Cajeta and Baked Churros
- Mexican Chocolate Cake
- Coconut Horchata Iced Latte
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Lime Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate Crust
Ingredients
For the crust
- 10 Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) unsalted butter,, melted
For the cheesecake
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) cream cheese, (11/2 blocks), softened
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lime zest, (zest of 1 lime)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, (juice of 1 lime)
For the toppings
- 3/4 cup (177.44 g) lime curd*, (approx.)
- 1/2 cup (119 ml) heavy cream,, whipped softly with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 6 thin slices of fresh lime,, cut in half
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Lightly mist a mini-cheesecake pan with non-stick spray.
- Place the Oreos in a food processor or mini-chopper, and process until fine.
- Stir in the melted butter, and divide the mixture equally between all 12 wells of the prepared pan.
To make the cheesecake:
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
- Place the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium-low speed until smooth.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, and add one egg. Stir until combined.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again, then add the second egg.
- Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and bake for 22-28 minutes or until the sides of the mini-cheesecakes are set but the centers are still slightly jiggly.
- Cool completely at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before unmolding.**
To garnish:
- Spread about a tablespoon of lime curd on the top of each mini cheesecake.
- Top with whipped cream.
- Garnish with a thin slice of lime.
Do these need to keep cooled. Transferring for a wedding.
What do you consider mini? Size of cups?
They can keep at room temp for a few hours. There is a link to the pan I used in the recipe card.
Can you freeze the key lime mini cheesecakes?
Absolutely!
Just need some clarification on the amount of cream cheese…12 oz is quantity listed in recipe. I assume 11/2 is meant to be one 8 oz block and half of another 8 oz block which would be 4 oz, equaling 12 oz or 1-1/2 blocks total. Is that correct?
Yes, 1 1/2 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese is equal to 12 ounces total. Enjoy!
Can u use a mini cupcake pan for the mini lime cheesecakes instead of a mini cheesecake pan ?
Hey Terry! I think that would probably work- I’m just not exactly sure if you’d end up with the same yield or if the bake time might need to adjust at all. I’d keep an eye on that! You’ll know they’re done when they’re set around the edges but still soft towards the middle. Good luck and enjoy!
Could you use a silicon cupcake pan?
Hi Lydia! You could, but I think that the wells of a cupcake pan are larger than those of a mini cheesecake pan. So that might throw off the yield as well as the bake time. Just keep an eye on them and you’ll know they’re done baking when the edges are set but the centers are still a bit wobbly. Good luck and enjoy!
Looking for something unique for Super Bowl party with Mexican theme. These look delicious. Never heard of a mini cheesecake pan, however.,,could you use a mini muffin pan instead?
You could, however the sizes might be a little different. You could come out with fewer servings and the bake times might need to be adjusted. There’s a link to purchase a mini cheesecake pan within the recipe, here it is again in case you missed it: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mini+cheesecake+pan&linkCode=sl2&tag=yinmomyangmom-20&linkId=e61a66d3b1ae956a5d938eea5d2d61bc
These look amazing! Love that you paired the lime cheesecake with a chocolate crust!
Thanks Sabrina! I’m really glad I did too- it was different but sooo good!
Hi, Allie
I always enjoy your recipes, and lemon has always been my favorite! one question: if I want to use this recipe in 8″ spring form pan , should I change the oven temperature? or just keep it in 275F ? and how’s the baking time? Thank you for your time!
Hey Veronica! I’m so sorry for the late reply. If you’re looking to make an 8-inch cheesecake as opposed to the minis I’ve shared here, I’d refer you to this recipe. It’s basically the same but doubled, and as you can see the bake times and temps are a little different because the cake is so much bigger and thicker. I hope that helps! Good luck and enjoy!
That oreo crust is calling my name!
Thanks Roxana! The oreo crust was everything!
I haven’t tried lime with chocolate and it sounds so interesting! I also thought April was a whur and I forgot all about Cinco de Mayo. Sometimes there are too many holidays to keep up with!! 🙂
So true! April was totally a whir and there are too many holidays and too many recipes to make! Honestly the first time I heard of chocolate and lime together I thought it sounded odd but I’m glad I tried it- it totally works! Thanks so much Malinda and I hope things slow down for you a bit in May 🙂
That chocolate crust looks to die for! These cheesecakes are so cute 🙂
Thanks Medha! I really loved how crunchy the crust was 🙂
Okay I completely love that you used a chocolate cookie crust! I love chocolate and lime together so these sound fantastic!!
Do you?! I’m so glad to hear that! The first time I heard of it, I thought it sounded like a strange combo but when I tried it I really loved it! Thank you so much Ashley!
Hi,, i do enjoy following your recipes… i post many of them on my leading social media accounts. wish you happy day and nice cooking time.
Fiorino
Hi Zouhair! I’m so happy you are enjoying! Thank you so much for sharing with your followers on social media. Wishing you all the best as well!
They are sooo cute! Love the lime curd topping!
Thanks Julia! The lime curd was definitely my favorite part!
These are so cute and they look so uniform! I love these so much.
Mini cheesecakes mean that you can sneak a couple without people knowing how many you’ve had.
Oh totally. And everyone knows mini-desserts have no calories, right? Lol! Thanks Angela!