Papaya Cardamom Pecan Individual Cheese Cakes Recipes

UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR CARDAMOM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Make caramelized pears:
• Peel pears, then halve lengthwise and core. Spread sugar on a plate, then press cut sides of pear halves into sugar to coat, reserving remaining sugar.
• Melt butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Reduce heat to low and arrange pears, cut sides down, decoratively in skillet. Sprinkle reserved sugar all around pears. Cook pears over moderately low heat until sugar begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes, and remove skillet from heat.
• Make cake batter:
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined.
• Spoon batter over pears in skillet, gently spreading evenly and being careful not to disturb pears (batter will not cover tops of all pears). Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool cake in skillet on a rack 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge and invert a plate over skillet. Invert cake onto plate (wearing oven mitts), keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Replace any fruit stuck to bottom of skillet if necessary.
• Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

MINI PECAN PIE CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Grease a 12-cup muffin tin generously with melted butter, including the entire top of the pan.
• Dust a flat work surface with flour. Unroll 1 pie crust at a time, refrigerating the other while you work. Cut into 4 circles using a 4-inch round cookie cutter. Roll dough scraps into a ball; roll out and cut out 1 more circle. Repeat with the remaining crust to yield 10 circles total.
• Place dough circles into the muffin cups, working quickly, by pressing down centers and ensuring dough is in full contact with the sides. Smooth down the top edges so the mini pie shells are uniform and even with the top of each cup. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon bourbon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt in a bowl using an electric mixer until cheesecake mixture is well combined and no lumps remain, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Whisk corn syrup, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon bourbon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt together in a separate bowl to make the pecan pie filling.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Move oven rack to the lowest part of the oven.
• Fill the chilled crusts 2/3-full with the cheesecake mixture using an ice cream scoop with a lever. Knock the bottom of the muffin tin onto the counter to expel air bubbles. Top each pie with 1 tablespoon chopped pecans; fill to the top with pecan pie filling. Garnish the center of each pie with a pecan half.
• Bake on the lowest rack in the preheated oven until puffed and golden, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours.

MINI CHEESECAKES FROM PHILADELPHIA®

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Mix graham crumbs, 2 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottoms of 18 paper-lined muffin pan cups.
• Beat cream cheese, remaining 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crusts.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until centers are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 2 hours.
• Beat whipping cream with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; spread gently onto cheesecakes. Top with blueberries and lemon zest.