Junior's Cheesecake - Raspberry Swirl "Little Fellas"

Happy Canada Day! These treats fit Canada's colors perfectly. It was really weird having a day off in the middle of the week. I kept thinking it was Saturday or Sunday. I can't believe 1/2 the year has gone by already. 2009 is halfway gone!

As promised, here is the recipe for the very easy and soooo yummy Junior's Cheesecake little fellas. There are also other variations in the Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook. Basically the cheesecake part is the same, only the swirl part is different. You could do strawberry, mocha, chocolate or whatever other creative swirl you can think up. These baked up perfectly, probably because of the water bath under the muffin tins (genius!) However, I was disappointed that they didn't have any kind of crust. I love graham cracker crusts and next time I think I might sprinkle some graham crumbs or put a Nilla wafer at the bottom of each little fella, for tradition's sake.

Raspberry Swirl "Little Fellas"

Raspberry Filling

1 1/2 cups raspberries
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

Combine all filling ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. You may have some leftover filling which you can use to drizzle on top later on.
Alternatively, you could just use raspberry jam although it will be a lot sweeter and thicker.

Cheesecake:

2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with liners. You might need a 13th cup depending on the size of your muffin tins (use a custard cup if needed).

2. Put one package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl a few times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Beat in the cream just until it's completely blended. Be careful not to be overmix.

3. Divide the batter among the muffin cups(fill each one almost up to the top). Drop a heaping teaspoon of the raspberry puree in the center of each, pushing each down slightly. Using a small knife or skewer, cut through the batter until raspberry swirls appear. Do not mix in the puree completely or the cakes will turn pink and the swirls will disappear.

4. Place the muffin tin in a large shallow pan and add hot water until it comes about 1 inch up the sides of the tin. Bake the cakes until set and slightly puffy, about 30-45 minutes. Remove the cakes from the water bath, transfer the tin to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours. Transfer the cakes to a container and chill for at least 4 hours. (I chilled min quickly in the freezer still in the muffin tins and they were fully chilled in 2 hours)

5. Top with fresh raspberries and drizzle with white chocolate just before serving if you wish. If there are any leftovers, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.