Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes is my final selection for this seasons "Cake Slice" bakers. October is when were allowed to select any recipe from the current book to bake ending the season. The Southern Cake book from Southern Living was a pleasure to bake from this year. I had successful results each and every time I made a recipe.
Not having luck baking cheesecakes in the past, I decided to give this recipe a try. I'm glad I did. I loved this cheesecake recipe so much I made it three times! The second time I placed it in a water bath to bake. Giving me a beautiful result! I had no browned edges! I also chose a traditional graham cracker crust. Not having a food processor really makes it difficult to finely grind any ingredient. I hope the next time I make the recipe my food processor issue is resolved, I would love to try this recipe with the almond crust, I know it would be heavenly.
For the third bake I chose to swap the blueberries out for Oreo's! I used between 10 and 12 crushed Oreo cookies for the batter, I can't remember exactly. I also decreased the sugar in the batter to 3/4 cup. The cookies are sweet enough to make up for the sugar. The crust was also made of Oreo's. The lemon zest was omitted. I topped it with fresh whipped cream and crushed Oreo's. I strongly suggest you bake in a water bath. It makes all the difference.
May I just say that this Oreo cheesecake will leave you speechless. I made it for a dinner I was invited to and it was the star of the show! Everyone kept mumbling how good it turned out while they ate their slice. Really. Its heavenly. At home I keep getting request to make it again, and some have already requested it as their birthday cake!
Next month we will start baking from a new book. I look forward to baking and making new friendships with the new members that have jouned our group, and will miss those who have chosen to leave this season. Anne from "From my Sweet Heart" joined our group in 2012, Kim from "The Ninja Baker" and Sandra from "Sweet Sensations" both joined in 2013, they are leaving the group this season. Their bakes were always picture perfect, and a delight to read. I will miss them terribly, and hope that they return again to bake with us in the near future.
For those of you interested in joining the Cake Slice, a group of dedicated bakers, please contact Laura, our group administrator, with enquiries.
