Mini Chocolate Basque Cheesecake

 This cheesecake from Joy the Baker is perfect in so many ways:

1. I typically have all the ingredients on hand. (OK, it does help that I have the bakery because I can borrow espresso powder from there, but that's the only specialty ingredient.)
2. It's easy. It's about 30 minutes of hands on time ... if that. (OK, I'm illustrating this in the point above and the next 2 points.)
3. There's no crust to pre-bake, so you mix everything together and pop it into the oven.
4. No water bath, plus a high temperature means it's done baking in less than 30 minutes, with only 15 minutes to cool before refrigerating. I can't tell you the number of times that someone is up way too late in our household to finish baking and cooling cheesecake before it can be refrigerated. 
5. It's mini. Normally this wouldn't be a plus for me, but it's the perfect size for this cheesecake especially if you don't want a ton of leftovers.
6. It's so rich and decadent that a small slice is satisfying. Honestly, cutting this into 8 slices is darn near perfect portions despite the smaller size, which says a lot coming from me. But I still douse it with whipped topping and ideally fresh raspberries.
7. It feels fancy, and cheesecake is impressive. And delicious.

So, I made it for New Year's Eve ... and I made it again tonight. Twice in one week. Maybe I really did want more leftovers of it. ;-)

Mini Chocolate Basque Cheesecake

200 grams dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

16 oz. cream cheese softened

100 grams sugar

1 Tbsp. dark cocoa powder

1 tsp. espresso powder

Pinch of sea salt

3 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup heavy cream

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 450°.  Prepare a 6-inch cake pan by lining it with parchment paper, including going up the sides.

Beat cream cheese until smooth, several minutes. Then beat in sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in cocoa powder, espresso and sea salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping sides of bowl between eggs. (Do this often to ensure everything is evenly mixed with no clumps.)

Beat in vanilla and then heavy cream, adding 1/2 cup of cream at a time. Scrape into prepared pan, and bake 25 to 28 minutes until the cheesecake is slightly burnt looking on top and jiggles in the center only with the edges set. Turn off the oven, and crack the door slightly. Let it remain in there another 15 to 20 minutes. Pull from the oven, and place immediately in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

To make the whipped cream, beat the heavy cream with a whisk until peaks start to form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Use to top the cheesecake, and add any berries, fruit or other desired toppings. Serves 8.