Cheesecake Cupcakes

My ideal cupcake.

Hot take: I don’t really like cupcakes.

There’s nothing necessarily “bad” about them — it’s just not my preferred dessert, especially in mini form. With a full-sized cake, you at least have the volume to play around with interesting fillings, add a little acidity, maybe even include some fruit. Cupcakes, though? They’re just boring.

Cheesecake cupcakes are the easiest cupcakes ever — but are way more impressive than Funfetti ones.

These cheesecake cupcakes though? These are the cupcakes I would make whenever I wanted to bake “cupcakes” in high school. I would bring them in for friend’s birthdays. I’m pretty sure I made multiple batches during senior year to sell at the football game’s concession stand, which was our fundraiser for… prom? Senior trip? I can’t remember.

All I know is, this recipe of my grandmother’s is pure genius.

Grandma’s cheesecake cupcake recipe.

There’s no precarious water bath needed for these, they bake in under 15 minutes, and require exactly zero cake-decorating skills. (Like I mentioned in my pignoli recipe, I don’t have the patience for that.) Plus, they rely on a few store-bought shortcuts, making them especially easy.

Oh, and did I mention you use cupcake liners when you bake them, along with just one prep bowl?

Needless to say, my dishwasher husband loves these too. (Mark asked me to make sure he had at least six of them put aside for himself.)

My new go-to cherry pie filling.

The only change I’ve added below is a chill time, which I’m sure my grandmother does (she bakes most things in advance) but didn’t explicitly write out in her original recipe. She’s made them in recent memory for family gatherings, but said she doesn’t make them as often as she used to, because cream cheese, like so many groceries, is just “so expensive” now. (I saved a bit by buying the bulk package from Costco, as this recipe calls for three 8-ounce packages.)

As for the store bought shortcuts, her recipe calls for vanilla wafers, which act as the “crust” of the cheesecakes, and cherry pie filling, which takes the place of traditional icing. I was especially excited to make these when I learned that Bonne Maman, my favorite French jam brand, actually makes a cherry pie filling — and it’s just as delicious as its preserves. You could even make your own “pie filling” or fruit preserves if you’re feeling ambitious.

You could easily experiment with both the “crust” and topping if you wish — a lemon curd topping would work, as would something chocolatey. A graham cracker or gingersnap could take the place of the vanilla wafer. Who doesn’t love a baked good recipe with some flexibility?

Cheesecake Cupcakes

Makes ~30 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Vanilla wafers, for cupcake crusts
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, slightly softened
1 ½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 21-ounce can or jar of cherry pie filling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Place a vanilla wafer in each liner.

3. In an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Let mix until the batter is smooth. (You can also use a handheld electric mixer, but this takes a few minutes.)

4. Spoon or pour the batter into the lined cupcake pan, filling each about ⅔ of the way up.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheesecakes are firm.

6. Let cool completely, then top each with ~1 tablespoon of cherry pie filling.

7. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours, but ideally overnight.