Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes

These mini cheesecakes are so light and airy and will surely satisfy your sweet cravings in one go. They are also no-bake cheesecakes, so they are super easy to prepare.

To bring a rich chocolate flavour to our cheesecake, we have used the Kruger Pasta Nussa provided to us by one of our partners, STO (State Trading Organisation). This hazelnut cocoa spread needs no introduction to us Maldivians, as it is one of the most popular chocolate spreads here. It has a smooth and creamy texture that has a luscious chocolate flavour to it.

For making the different creams in this recipe, we have used the Russell Hobbs Desire Hand Mixer, also provided by STO.  It includes one pair of chrome plated beaters and a pair of chrome plated dough hooks with 5 speeds plus a turbo mode. One great thing we have noticed about this hand mixer is that it can beat really fast and well even at speed 1.

Serving size: 4

Ingredients:

For the cheesecake filling:

• 200g cream cheese
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 5 tbsp Kruger Pasta Nussa
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• ½ cup whipping cream

For the biscuit base:

• 100g Marie biscuits
• 2 tbsp melted butter    

For the topping:

• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp chocolate shavings

Instructions:

1. To start off, add 200g cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Then, using the Russell Hobbs Desire Hand Mixer, whip the cream cheese until it is soft and fluffy.
2. Add in 1/3 cup powdered sugar to the cream cheese and whip again just until mixed.
3. Then, add in 5 tbsp of the Kruger Pasta Nussa along with ½ tsp vanilla essence and continue mixing until everything is well combined. It should be soft and smooth, with no lumps when mixed. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator to chill while you complete the next step.      
4. Next, take a new bowl and add in the ½ cup whipping cream. Then, using the hand-held mixer, whip it until it reaches soft peaks. (Soft peaks mean when you take the beater out of the whipping cream, the beater should have peaks that barely hold their shape and flop easily. For us, it took about 8-9 minutes).
5. Take out the cream cheese-Kruger Pasta Nussa mixture from the refrigerator and add in the whipped cream to it. Fold and mix using a spatula until everything is just combined. Do not over mix as it would cause a less airy filling. Leave the mixture in the refrigerator again while continuing the upcoming steps. 
6. Next, to a blender, add in 100g Marie biscuits and blend until they become fine crumbs. This will take no longer than 1 minute of blending.
7. Then, add the biscuit crumbs to a bowl along with 2 tbsp melted butter. Using a spoon, combine the butter with the crumbs, until all the crumbs are slightly wet from the butter. By then, the colour of the biscuit crumbs will be darker and will stick together.
8. To assemble the cheesecake, first take around 2 ½ tbsp of the biscuit crumbs and add it to small dessert dishes (we have used 4 dishes that are 3-inch in diameter and 2-inches in depth).
9. Using a spoon, press the crumbs to the bottom of the dishes while smoothing out the top, to create a firm base.
10. Then, take out the cheesecake filling from the refrigerator and divide it into 4 equal parts. Fill the dessert dishes with the cheesecake filling and smooth the top with the spoon.
11. Lightly dust the cheesecakes with cocoa powder; to dust, you can use a teaspoon full of cocoa powder, and lightly dab on it to make the cocoa powder dust evenly.
12. Lastly, top them with the chocolate shavings. You can also use chopped chocolate bits or chocolate chips for this.
13. Before serving, leave the mini cheesecakes in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let them chill and set nicely.