Lime cheesecake in muffin format is our quickest dessert solution when guests arrive. We have been baking these mini cheesecakes for years because they turn out creamy without needing a water bath or a springform tin. The trick is in the pulverised sugar: 10 seconds at speed 10 turns regular sugar into the finest icing sugar, which dissolves completely in the cream cheese mixture. With coarse sugar the mixture stays crystalline and turns grainy instead of creamy.
The lime provides the sharp freshness that stops the mixture from becoming too sweet. 20 g of lime juice to 500 g of cream cheese is all it takes. For a stronger lime flavour, grate the zest of an organic lime in with the sugar while pulverising. The essential oils from the zest bind to the icing sugar and spread evenly through the batter.
Mini Lime Cheesecakes with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 8 ✓
- 120 g sugar
- 500 g full-fat cream cheese (double cream grade)
- 180 g double cream
- 2 eggs
- 20 g lime juice
- 1 sachet vanilla blancmange powder
- 6 tbsp lime syrup
- 12 small mint leaves
Instructions 0 / 6
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1
Pulverise the sugar.
Place the sugar in the mixing bowl and pulverise for 10 sec / speed 10, then set aside.
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2
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan 150°C).
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3
Mix the batter.
Place 90 g of the icing sugar, cream cheese, double cream, eggs, lime juice and blancmange powder in the mixing bowl and mix for 40 sec / speed 3.
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4
Bake the cheesecakes.
Distribute the batter evenly into muffin cases and bake on the middle shelf for 40 to 45 minutes. Test with a skewer.
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5
Glaze.
Leave the cheesecakes to cool for 2 minutes, then brush with lime syrup.
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6
Serve dusted with the remaining icing sugar and decorated with mint leaves.
Tip: Make a light buttercream with lime syrup and turn your cheesecakes into cupcakes.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why full-fat cream cheese is the base
Regular cream cheese has 20 to 30 % fat. Full-fat cream cheese (double cream grade) sits at 60 to 85 % fat in the dry matter. That sounds like a lot, but it is exactly why the cheesecakes turn out creamy rather than crumbly. Fat binds the moisture from the eggs and the cream. With lower-fat cream cheese the mixture splits during baking because the missing fat cannot hold the emulsion together.
We always use 500 g of full-fat cream cheese plus 180 g of double cream. The cream makes the mixture smoother without us needing to add any flour or starch. The blancmange powder (1 sachet) only stabilises the set during baking and does not replace the role of the cream.
170°C top and bottom heat keeps the centre creamy
40 to 45 minutes at 170°C (fan 150°C) is the proven baking time. At a higher temperature the edges firm up too much while the centre is still wobbly. At a lower temperature it takes too long and the mixture dries out. We do the skewer test after 40 minutes: if the skewer comes out clean, the cheesecakes are done. If wet batter clings to it, bake for another 5 minutes.
Important: the cheesecakes firm up further as they cool. Straight from the oven the centres will be slightly wobbly, and that is correct. After 2 minutes of cooling we brush the surface with lime syrup, which soaks in as it cools and keeps the top layer moist.
When the surface cracks
Cracks appear when the mixture cools too quickly or stays in the oven too long. The surface contracts while the centre is still warm. This cannot always be prevented, but it is not a mistake. The lime syrup glaze covers small cracks completely. For larger cracks, a thin layer of whipped cream or blended fruit as a topping works well.
If the cheesecakes brown on top before they are done in the middle, we cover them with foil and bake for another 5 minutes. The foil stops the surface from burning while the heat finishes cooking the centre through.
How lime syrup enhances the freshness
6 tbsp of lime syrup for 12 cheesecakes: we brush it on straight after baking with a pastry brush. The syrup soaks into the still-warm surface and forms a glossy coating. This not only looks better but also adds a second lime note alongside the juice in the batter. Without the syrup the cheesecakes taste milder, but still very good.
Lemon syrup or orange syrup work just as well as alternatives. The character changes completely: lemon is sharper, orange sweeter and fruitier. The base mixture stays the same, only the syrup glaze varies the flavour.
Leftovers the next day
The cheesecakes keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We leave them to cool completely before stacking. Add the mint leaves just before serving, otherwise they will wilt. Freezing works too: freeze without the syrup and mint, then garnish freshly after thawing.
For parties we prepare the cheesecakes the day before. The next day we take them out of the fridge, leave them for 10 minutes, brush with syrup and add the mint. They taste more intense when cold than at room temperature.
More cakes with the Thermomix®: Lava Cake from the Varoma with a molten centre, Desserts with the Thermomix®.
Goes well with: Donauwelle Thermomix®.
