• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Decorated Treats

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Cake Recipes
    • Cookies Recipes
    • Brownies & Bars
    • Bread & Pastry Recipes
    • Sweets & Candies Recipes
    • Jellies, Mousses and Puddings
    • Frosting and Icing Recipes
  • Designs & Tutorials
  • Tips & Techniques
    • Preparing Cakes for Decoration
    • Fondant Decorating
    • Piping Techniques for Cake Decorating
    • Gum Paste Flowers - How to Make
    • Decorating with Chocolate
    • Other Techniques
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Techniques
  • About Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Tutorials
    • Techniques
    • About Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Decorated Treats » Recipes » Cheesecake Recipes

    Mini Christmas Cheesecake (Perfect Festive Treats)

    Published: Dec 21, 2020 · Modified: Jun 20, 2023 by Priya Maha

    Jump to Recipe

    These mini Christmas cheesecake treats are a perfect way to spread the joy of holiday season. Baked with swirled red and green creamy cheesecake filling on decadent Oreo cookie crust, these little delights are topped with a fluffy cloud of luscious whipped cream and adorned with pretty sprinkles in merry colors, making them a perfect addition to your holiday dessert table.

    Mini marbled cupcakes topped with whipped cream and Christmas sprinkles.
    Pretty & Festive Mini Christmas Cheesecake

    These pretty festive treats are adapted from my New York Cheesecake recipe and baked in cupcake casings instead of a large springform pan.

    I gave these pretty cheesecakes a chocolate Oreo crust and filled them with marbled red and green cheesecake batter. Once done, I peeled off the cupcake casings and topped each mini Christmas cheesecake with a generous topping of whipped cream and decorated them with festive colored sprinkles. 

    If you like, you can even make this cheesecake into a single large cake in a 7 inches round springform pan. 

    Jump to:
    • ❤️Why you will love this recipe
    • 📋Ingredients
    • 🧾Substitution and Variations
    • 👩‍🍳How to Make
    • 🍽️Serving & storage
    • 💡Expert Tips
    • 💭FAQs
    • ❤️More Recipes You Will Love
    • 📖Recipe

    ❤️Why you will love this recipe

    • Baked in mini sizes, these mini Christmas cheesecakes make perfect bite-sized treat for the holiday party. They are easy to serve and no hassle or mess of having to cut a large cake.
    • These are baked cheesecakes, which means no need to use gelatine or other gelling agents to set them.
    • The recipe makes irresistibly decadent cheesecake with creamy cheesecake filling in bright festive colors and holiday flavor, perfect for the holiday table. 
    • These bite-sized treats make great idea for gifts during the holiday season.

    📋Ingredients

    Mini cheesecakes take a slightly longer time to prepare than a full, larger cheesecake. This is mainly because the crust has to be individually prepared for each mini cake and the batter divided into many smaller casings. The plus point though, is that mini cheesecakes are in individual serving sizes which means there is less hassle of having to cut the cake. 

    Cheesecake Crust

    • Oreo cookies - Use whole cookies, including the filling.
    • Butter - I use salted butter. Unsalted butter will work just fine.

    Cheesecake Batter

    • Cream cheese - use the block cheese and not the spreadable ones. I use Philadelphia cream cheese. Make sure the cheese is at room temperature.
    • Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - fine sugar works best as it dissolves well in the batter as compared to coarse sugar.
    • All purpose flour - best to be sifted before using to break any lumps.
    • Vanilla extract - adds flavor and aroma to the mini cheesecakes.
    • Lemon zest - adds a lovely tangy taste to the filling, almost like lemon cheesecake.
    • Heavy cream - the is to be added in liquid form, so no need to whip it first.
    • Eggs - use large eggs (large sized)
    • Red & green food coloring - to color the batter.

    Topping & Garnish

    • Whipped cream - use dairy whipping cream with at least 35% fat for best taste.
    • Sprinkles - choose a combination of Christmas colors.

    *Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*

    🧾Substitution and Variations

    • Oreo cookies crust can be replaced with the traditional graham cracker crust. You can also use nilla wafer cookies. I did not add any sugar in my Oreo crust because the cookie filling was sufficiently sweet. If you are using graham crackers, process them into fine crumbs and add 15g of granulated sugar to it.
    • Heavy cream in the cheesecake batter can be replaced with sour cream. Use exact same quantity as the heavy cream.
    • To make mini orange Christmas cheesecakes, replace the lemon rind with add one tablespoon of grated orange zest. Add to the cheesecake batter after adding the cream. Mix well and bake as usual.
    • Instead of the sprinkles topping, you can use chopped fresh strawberries or homemade strawberry filling on the whipped cream. Other options include crushed candy cane, chopped peppermint bark, mini marshmallows or chocolate chips. Top these with a generous drizzle of caramel sauce and add a mini gingerbread man cookie (use a mini gingerbread man cookie cutter) on each cheesecake for cute and adorable mini cheesecakes.
    • If you wish to make a full large cheesecake (full-size cheesecake) instead of mini cheesecakes, this recipe can be prepared in a 7 inches round springform pan. Line the pan with parchment paper. Bake cheesecake for 55 to 60 minutes. For 9 inches round cheesecake, double the recipe and increase the time to about 65 to 70 minutes until the sides are firm and the center still wobbly.

    This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!

    👩‍🍳How to Make

    Making the crust

    A poster of 4 images showing oreo cookie crust in a steel bowl, the crumbs in cupcake casings, using a small rolling pin to press the crumbs and casings with prepared Oreo crust.
    1. To begin making the mini Christmas cheesecakes, start by preparing the crust. I used Oreo cookies and melted butter. Since the cookies were processed (in a food processor) along with their filling, there is no need for additional sugar in the crust. Mix the crumbs and melted butter until the crumbs are thoroughly moistened.
    2. Divide the crumbs equally into 12 cupcake liners. I used about one tablespoon of crumbs in each of the paper liners.
    3. Press the cookie crumbs down firmly with the sides of a small rolling pin. You can use any other tool that is small and flat to press the crumbs down into an even layer.
    4. Set aside.

    Making the cheesecake filling

    A poster of 6 images showing how to mix cheesecake batter and color some of it into green and red.
    1. Next is the filling for the mini Christmas cheesecakes. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft (about 30 to 60 seconds the most), scraping the sides of the bowl constantly.
    2. Add the sugar, flour, lemon zest, and salt all together at once into the cheese and beat again for another 20 seconds, scraping the bowl at every 10 seconds interval. 
    3. Add both the eggs and vanilla extract and beat again for 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds until the mixture is all smooth. Tiny specks of cheese in the mini Christmas cheesecake batter at this point is fine. Do not over mix to avoid air bubbles in the batter. 
    4. Fold in the heavy cream with a spatula.
    5. Transfer one-third of the batter into 2 bowls. Mix red food color into one bowl. I used Americolor Crimson for the red.
    6. Add green food coloring into the other bowl. I used Americolor Forest Green for the green.

    The marbled effect

    A poster of 6 images showing the step by step method of creating marbled cheesecake batter in yellow, red and green.
    1. Spoon the batter into the prepared crusts, starting with the plain batter and then a scoop of green batter.
    2. Add the red batter.
    3. Top with plain batter.
    4. Continue with the final scoops of red and green batter.
    5. And finally, top with the remaining plain batter.
    6. Fill each casing until they are almost full. Use a skewer to cut through the batter in a circular motion, carefully avoiding cutting through the cookie crust at the bottom. 

    Decorating the festive cheesecakes

    A poster of 4 images showing, red and green marbled cheesecake cupcakes, the cupcakes with the wrappers removed, topped with whipped cream and pretty red, green and gold sprinkles.
    1. Bake the mini Christmas cheesecake at 150 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Once done, let them rest in the oven for about 10 minutes before removing them. Let them cool to room temperature. Chill the cheesecakes for at least 4 hours (overnight is preferred) before peeling the cupcake casings off. 
    2. When peeling the casings, do it slowly by pulling the sides away all-around before attempting to remove the bottom. 
    3. Top each of the mini Christmas cheesecake with piped whipped cream (whip until stiff peaks form). I used tip 1M for the swirls.
    4. Add the sprinkles just before serving. My sprinkles were from Fancy Sprinkles.
    Mini marbled cupcakes topped with whipped cream and Christmas sprinkles.
    Mini Christmas Cheesecake

    🍽️Serving & storage

    • These cheesecakes are best decorated right before serving. While it is still ok to have the whipped cream on slightly early (keep the cakes refrigerated), the sprinkles tend to bleed when you leave them too long on the whipped cream. Hence they are best put on right before serving.
    • Keep the cheesecakes refrigerated all the time in an airtight container. They are best consumed within 5 days of baking.

    💡Expert Tips

    Use a slightly reduced baking temperature

    • The rule of thumb when baking cheesecakes is to reduce the temperature by at least 10 degrees of your normal cake baking temperature. I always use 160 to 170 degrees Celsius for normal cakes and cheesecakes are therefore baked at 150 degrees. Low temperature ensures the cakes do not crack.

    Do not overmix the batter

    • Over mixing causes too much air to be incorporated into the batter. While this is good for normal cakes, it is not preferred for cheesecakes. Too many air bubbles in the batter will leave your mini Christmas cheesecakes with an unsightly bubbly surface.

    Place the cake on the lowest rack in the oven when baking

    • This helps prevent cracks in the mini cheesecakes due to close proximity to the heat. It also helps to make sure the top of the cheesecakes does not get over browned.

    Do not use the 'fan' function in your oven

    • While the 'fan' function works best for normal cakes, it is the contrary for cheesecakes. For best results, disable the fan function to prevent cracks in your cheesecakes.

    Water bath

    • Bake the cheesecakes in a water bath. A water bath or bain-marie is a baking method where a dish of water is placed in the oven while baking. The water helps keep the interior of the oven moist and for cheesecakes, this moisture helps prevent cracks in the cake.
    • For a typical 7 inches or 9 inches round cake, you can wrap the sides of your tin in foil and place it in a baking dish filled with water. Or you can place your springform pan in a slightly larger, empty baking tin and place both the tins in a water-filled baking dish.
    • For these mini Christmas cheesecake, you can simply place a water-filled baking dish on the oven floor without having to wrap each individually with foil and placing them directly in the water.

    Do not over bake the cakes

    • Over baked cheesecakes have the tendency to crack and the texture turning rubbery. Always keep to the baking time indicated in the recipe. These mini Christmas cheesecakes are done as soon as the sides are firm to the touch. The center can still be wobbly.
    • Since these Christmas cheesecakes are small, the center cooks pretty quickly too so it is important to keep a tab of the baking time.

    💭FAQs

    Why does the cheesecakes fall?

    These mini cheesecakes will puff slightly as they bake. If they are removed from the oven underbaked, the center of the cakes will fall.

    To avoid this from happening, check that the sides of the cakes is firm. You can do this by shaking the tray slightly. If the sides are firm but the centers wobbly, you can stop the baking. If the sides are also wobbly, let the cakes bake further.

    Can you freeze the cheesecakes?

    Yes, you can. However, it can only be done without the whipped cream topping. Pack the cakes in a ziplock bag or airtight freezer safe container and freeze them for up to 1 month.

    To serve, thaw them in the refrigerator. If you are in a hurry, you can thaw them at room temperature, but do note that the cheesecakes are best served slightly chill.

    A cut mini cheesecake showing the marbled interior.
    Mini Christmas Cheesecake

    ❤️More Recipes You Will Love

    • A group of cornflake cookies decorated with red, green and gold sprinkles.
      Christmas Sprinkle Cookies (Easy Holiday Cookies)
    • Christmas wreath sugar cookies decorated with fondant.
      Christmas Wreath Sugar Cookies
    • Blue and white snowflake cookies decorated in gold.
      Snowflake Cookies
    • A round cake decorated with holly garland and fondant baubles.
      Easy Christmas Cake Decoration

    Do you like this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐rating in the recipe card below and consider a review further down this page. I would love to hear from you. Thank you!

    📖Recipe

    Mini marbled cupcakes topped with whipped cream and Christmas sprinkles.

    Mini Christmas Cheesecake

    These delectable mini Christmas cheesecakes come in cupcake sizes. They are easy to put together and make gorgeous treats for Christmas too!
    4.75 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Chilling Time: 4 hours hours
    Total Time: 4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
    Yield: 12 mini cheesecakes
    Author: Priya Maha
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Metric - US Customary

    For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.

    Ingredients

    Cheesecake Crust

    • 100 g Oreo Cookies Crushed with the filling
    • 30 g butter melted

    Cheesecake Batter

    • 450 g cream cheese
    • 150 g granulated sugar
    • 20 g all purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 60 g heavy cream
    • 2 eggs
    • red & green food coloring

    Topping & Garnish

    • Whipped cream
    • Sprinkles
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 150°Celsius. Place cupcake casings into a cupcake tray.
    • Process the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs together with the filling in a food processor or by pressing them with a rolling pin (in a zip lock bag). Transfer the cookie crumbs into a bowl. Add melted butter and mix until the crumbs are all moistened with the butter.
    • Place one tablespoon cookie crumbs into each cupcake casing. Use the sides of a small rolling pin to pack the crumbs down firmly. Set aside.
    • In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth for approximately 30 to 60 seconds, scraping the bowl often.
    • Add the sugar, flour, and lemon zest and beat again for 20 seconds.
    • Scrape the bowl. Add both eggs at once and the vanilla extract. Beat for about 10 seconds until the eggs are well combined. Scrape the bowl and continue beating for another 10 seconds until the batter is all smooth and creamy. Do not overbeat to avoid the batter from incorporating too much air.
    • Fold in the heavy cream.
    • Transfer out ⅓ of the batter into 2 smaller bowls. Add some green food coloring into one bowl and red coloring into the other bowl. Mix well.
    • Pour the batter into prepared cupcake casings, starting with the plain batter and alternating between the green and red batter. Use a skewer to cut through the batter in a circular motion to create a marbled pattern in the batter. Make sure the skewer does not touch the crust.
    • Bake the mini cheesecakes at 150°Celsius for 20 minutes. Place a baking dish filled with water in the oven to keep the oven interior moist while baking.
    • Once baked, leave the cakes in the oven for another 5 minutes.
    • Remove from oven and let them cool for another 15 minutes.
    • Place the cakes in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Once the cakes are thoroughly chilled, carefully peel the cupcakes casings off.
    • Top the cheesecakes with whipped cream and sprinkles before serving.
    • Keep leftovers refrigerated.

    Notes

    • For a full large cake, prepare the above and pour into a 7 inches round cake tin. Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes.
    • For a 9 inches round cake, double the recipe above and bake for about 65 to 70 minutes until the sides are firm and the center still wobbly.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 679IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @decorated_treats or tag #decoratedtreats!

    Reader Interactions

    4.75 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi there!

    I'm Priya, and I'm so excited that you dropped by 🙂 Welcome to DECORATED TREATS, a place where I share all my cake decorating ideas & true and tried recipes for all things sweet.

    More about me →


    Currently Trending:

    • Light fruit cake cut into slices on a green plate.
      Moist Light Fruit Cake (the Best Ever)!
    • 3 dessert bowls of pink jelly with gold flake decoration.
      Agar Agar Jelly Recipe (How to Make)
    • Pink bars of coconut candy stacked on a plate.
      Coconut Candy Recipe (How to Make)
    • A stack of 4 green tea bars.
      Matcha Blondies (Perfectly Fudgy Green Tea Blondies)
    • A round cake on a cake board.
      Why is My Cake Wet In the Middle (and How to Avoid It)
    • A glass of milk on a brown tray with cookies on the side
      How to Make Milk with Milk Powder

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    SUBSCRIBE TO DECORATED TREATS

    Sign up for latest recipes and tutorials!


    Thank you for joining!

    Keep watch for my latest updates in your email.

    .

    About

    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimer

    Resources

    • Conversion Chart
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Me

    Decorated Treats is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Decorated Treats also contains other affiliate links, which if you purchase from may earn me a small commission. The full disclosure policy can be found here.

    Copyright © 2024 Decorated Treats

    Mini marbled cupcakes topped with whipped cream and Christmas sprinkles.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.