Ever since returning from Florida, I've had Key Lime on my mind. When I stumbled upon the idea of a Key Lime Cheesecake I was nervous. For some reason, cheesecake has always scared me. Such a shame, all those years of being scared when in reality these Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes couldn't have been any easier!
Before you even get into the the recipe... here are some important details.
First....the filling recipe below is doubled. When I made mine, I started with a single batch of filling and it was a sad amount of cheesecake. It was about the same amount of cheesecake as the crust, and to me that just wasn't going to cut it. I wanted my cheese cake to be twice the size of the crust! So... if you're on board with me...follow the recipe below. If you want a thinner cheesecake, feel free to un-double the filling.
Second... most traditional recipes call for whipped topping on the cheese cake. No offense, but... boring! So I decided to go with my own frosting which is something like a light & airy cream cheese frosting. It's the same frosting on the Dream Bars. So if you know, you know!
Ok... let's get to it.
Ingredients:
Crust:
3/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 12 squares)
1 1/2 T. Sugar
1/4 Stick of Butter (or, 2 T.), melted
Filling:
4 Egg Yolks, Beaden
2 14 oz. Cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk
2/3 C. Key Lime Juice (I used regular lime juice as that's all I could find)
6 T. Greek yogurt (I used a vanilla honey flavor for little twist)
*remember this is doubled for a bigger cheesecake, for a thin cheesecake un-double!
Frosting:
1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream, Whipped
8 Oz Cream Cheese, at room temp
2 Cup Powdered Sugar
Tsp. of Salt, I love pink Himalayan salt!
Pinch of Salt
Instructions:
Place crushed graham crackers in a bowl with sugar and butter.
Press 1 heaping Tablespoon of the crust mixture into the bottom of a cupcake liner.
Bake at 350 for 8 minutes
In a separate bowl, mix together egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and greek yogurt. Mix really well!
Evenly fill the cupcakes up! I love using a large scoop to do this!
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until cheesecake is set.
Allow to cool before you pull them out of the cupcake pan. If you don't let them cool, you will probably smoosh them up a little!
Once cooled enough to remove from the pan, allow to cool completely in fridge
With a mixer, mix together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, splash of vanilla and pinch of sea salt.
Once combined, gently fold in your whipped cream.
You can easily dollop on to cupcakes, or use a piping bag for a fancier look!
Lastly, sprinkle with a little lime zest!
Enjoy & Store in fridge
