Mini Samoa Cheesecakes for HHM's Birthday

Tweet

Pin It

This weekend, close friends joined us for a cozy dinner at home to celebrate HHM's birthday.  HHM always requests beef stroganoff and cheesecake for his birthday dinner.  The stroganoff recipe always stays the same but I like to experiment with the cheesecake recipe each year. I have a variety of recipes on my Pinterest cheesecake board. This year I combined several different recipes to create these mini Samoa Cheesecakes.                                                                                                               

These  adorable pedestal domes were purchased at Pottery Barn
several years ago.  I have used them in decorating in the past but 
doesn't the mini cheesecake look sweet on it?

For the crust I used the directions that came with the mini cheesecake pan, purchased from Williams Sonoma several years ago.  It is no longer on their website but is similar to this one from Amazon.  The pan provides the perfect portion size for this rich dessert.  In addition to cheesecake, these pans are perfect for individual bread puddings or cheese strata.

The filling was adapted from Glorious Treats' mini Kahlua cheesecake recipe.  I substituted a hazelnut liquor for the Kahlua to pair better with the Samoa topping. Apparently, I let my chocolate cool a little too long before adding it to the cream cheese mixture. The mixture was flecked with chocolate rather than spread throughout.  This small error did not effect the flavor.  I was nervous when I mixed the filling, it was much thinner than other cheesecake fillings I have made.  Not to worry, it baked up beautifully.

The fabulous Samoa topping recipe comes from Gimme Some Oven. The topping couldn't have been easier.  Simply toast the coconut in the oven and stir into caramel dip.  Done.  Gimme Some Oven also offers a recipe for homemade caramel sauce but I was running short on time.  HHM loves caramel and cheesecake so this was the perfect combination for him.

Mini Samoa Cheesecakes

Crust:

1 cup crushed oreos (approximately 12)

2 Tablespoons melted butter

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray mini cheesecake pan with with nonstick cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients and press into bottom of mini muffin pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Place on rack to cool.  

Filling:

2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

12 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup Frangilico

Melt chocolate in a small bowl and set aside.  Blend cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar and incorporate.  Add egg and vanilla; continue to mix.  Add melted chocolate and blend.  Stir in Frangilico and bend until combined.

Reduce oven temperature to 250.  Fill wells in cheesecake pan approximately 3/4 full.  Bake until set, 22 -25 minutes.  Cool on rack to room temperature and then chill in refrigerator for several hours.  

Topping:

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

1 3/4 cups caramel dip or sauce (you can either buy the 16-ounce store-bought tubs of caramel dip, or use 1 3/4 cups homemade caramel sauce)

4 ounces dark chocolate 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown coconut on a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 10 minutes.  Stir half way through.  Pour into bowl and add 1 cup caramel sauce.  Stir to combine.  

Place approximately 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce on each cheesecake.  Top with coconut caramel mixture.  Melt dark chocolate and drizzle over top.
Happy Birthday HHM!