Blueberry Lemon Cheesecakes

I'm pretty sure I'm alone in thinking this, but I always feel like a large slice of cheesecake is slightly daunting. With a great white wedge on my plate, it's like a bad day out at a theme park — it's going to be a mission to get through it all, and I'll feel slightly ill at the end of it.

So why not make the whole experience a little more fun-sized? With this mini blueberry lemon cheesecake, you get the full gamut of flavour in every bite — a crunchy biscuit and pecan crust topped with a luscious and creamy filling that's shot through with zesty lemon and sweet, syrupy blueberries. What's more, they look amazing, and take way under half the baking time of a regular cheesecake!

Assembling a mini cheesecake is kinda easy, but it's best to start making it a day before you plan to serve it, just so it gets a good amount of rest and set time. Try to have your eggs and cream cheese at room temperature when you make the filling. This will help you attain a smoother and creamier cheesecake.

Don't sweat about what kind of cookies to use for the base. As long as they're plain and sweet, they should do the trick. Also, blueberries can sometimes be a little hard to come by, so frozen is fine — just don't thaw them out.

If you can, try to keep a consistent pace and direction when mixing the cheesecake batter. If you go too hard or fast, you'll introduce too much air into the batter, and this can lead to a sunken or cracked cheesecake. Leaving the cake to cool in the oven will also help minimise surface cracking, while the gradual drop in temperature keeps the cheesecake creamy on the inside, completing the cooking process without overcooking.

To make for an easy removal from the tin, you can either bake your mini-cakes in cupcake liners or if you don't want to serve them up with ridged sides, lay a thin strip of baking/parchment paper across each row of the tray. Take the edges of the strip then gently pull the paper up from the base of the hole in the tray, and you can lever your cheesecake out in one smooth motion.

If your cheesecakes end up looking a little less than perfect, never fear! They're still going to taste great. A little icing sugar, some extra blueberries or a hit of whipped cream on top, and no one will be any the wiser.