Mini Lavender Honey Cheesecake Recipe

First of all, this recipe isn't an original of mine. I've tweaked it, of course, but the credit and inspiration goes to David Hagedorn from the Washington Post: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2009/04/08/lavender-honey-cheesecake/

Second, a word of warning for those attempting a cheesecake for the first time: It's a 3 day process.

Day 1: Set all of the ingredients for the filling out to thaw to room temp (that's above 68 degrees). That wasn't too hard, was it? But it is important. The filling will NOT mix correctly if you have cold ingredients.

Day 2: Make the cheesecake. That's a little  more difficult, but this cheesecake is very simple and almost foolproof as far as cheesecake recipes go.

Day 3: Eat the cheesecake. Sounds easy, right? But the temptation to eat it fresh will be overwhelming! Cheesecake, like a few other desserts, needs a day to "cure" and for the flavors to mesh. If you eat a piece an hour from the oven, and then wait a day and eat a second piece, you'll see what I mean. Don't give in to temptation. Wait 24 hours to eat the cake.

Another small word of warning, after eating this yummy thing, I didn't eat anything else for 3 hours just to let the flavor linger a bit longer. If you at all like the taste of lavender, you will love this. A friend told me it was the best cheesecake she's ever had. Ever!

Now on to the recipe:

Mini Lavender Honey Cheesecakes Recipe
yields ~36 cupcake sized cakes.

Ingredients:
For the crust

• 2 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

•  1/2 cup vanilla wafers, crumbled (about 14)
• 3 tablespoons plus 2/3 cup good-quality honey (I buy local, and the darkest I can find)
• 2 (4-8 oz packages) pounds full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream (room temp)
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract

For the topping

• 1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I used Dole's frozen Wild Blueberries)
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 TBSP sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender - food grade (I buy mine in bulk at Herbalcom.com)
• 8 ounces (yes, 1 more package) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
• 1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt (or you can sub Yoplait's vanilla Custard Style, it does change the taste a bit though - just make sure it's thick)

For garnish

• Spray whipped cream
• Little royal icing flowers (optional)

Directions:
Position the oven racks in the middle of the oven and none on the bottom. You're going to keep all of the pans as close to the middle as possible.  Preheat to 350 degrees. Line 3 regular cupcake pans with cupcake papers.

For the crust:  

An easy way to make the vanilla wafers into crumbs is to use a rolling pin and a gallon zip bag. I don't remember where I read this, but it's a brilliant way to make crumbs for crust. Place a modest amount if cookies (or graham crackers) in the bag. Zip. Roll with the pin until it's crumby.  Don't be too frisky or the bag may pop.

Combine the wafer crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. While stirring, drizzle the melted butter onto mixture. It should be oily, but not saturated. Put 1 heaping TBSP of loose crust mix in each cupcake cup (or 1 level TBSP packed mix). Then using a glass that fits just nicely into the cupcake pan, press into the bottom.

For the filling: 

Combine the 1/2 cup of crumbled wafers and 3 tablespoons of the honey in a small bowl. Set aside.

Beat 2 lbs (4-8 oz packs) of cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer on medium speed for several minutes, until it is smooth and creamy.  Now you see why it's so important for the ingredients to be room temp. It will never get smooth and creamy if it's cold. It'll stay lumpy.

For the next few steps beat on low speed - otherwise the texture will be weird. Also stop often to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula. Add the remaining 2/3 cup of honey and beat until incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Next the vanilla extract. Finally the sour cream. Don't over beat it. Once each ingredient is incorporated, stop. I have over-beat it on the left. I know because it shouldn't have air bubbles. I'm so OCD when it comes to mixing the filling, and the over-beating warning is mostly for myself.

Next fold the wafer-honey mixture into the batter - that means stir with a spoon - DON'T MIX with an electric mixer! This step will add texture to the filling and is also what makes this cheesecake fool-proof. Even if you over-mix like I do, it'll still be fine because it's supposed to have a crumbly texture.

Now, pour the filling into each prepared cup. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup, about 2/3 full for each cup, and had plenty to go around. If you run out, just take a teaspoon from each one (starting with the most full) until you fill all of your cups. If you have extra, portion out an equal amount of the extra into each cup.  Mine looked like this.

Place the pans all as close to the middle of the oven as possible. I had to cook mine in 2 batches, since only 2 pans fit in my tiny oven at a time. So if you have to do that, that's fine. Bake for 30 minutes, until the filling is set but still slightly wobbly in the center. It will look like the picture on the right. It's okay if it cracks. That's what also makes this cheesecake foolproof. We're going to cover it up with a topping, so the cracks won't show!

While the cake is baking, prepare the topping: 
 Combine the blueberries and water in a blender. Blend until it's as smooth as you can get it.  Pour into medium saucepan. Add sugar. Over medium-high heat, cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the berries are very soft and everything is warm.

Add the lavender and remove from the heat. Let the mixture steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. I used a strainer over a coffee cup (pictured above), and when that wasn't fast enough (it drains slowly), I added my tea strainer to the process and another coffee cup. I strained it a couple of more times to make sure there's no solid lavender in the syrup. There should be about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lavender syrup; discard the solids.

Beat the last 8 oz of cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer on medium speed for several minutes, until it is smooth and creamy. Reduce the speed to low, then add the yogurt and the lavender syrup (pictured above). If needed, use a spatula to make sure the mixture is blended together completely.

Remove the pans from the oven; let it rest for 5 minutes, then spread the topping evenly over each mini cheesecake. Using the same method as with the filling, if you don't have enough to go around, take a teaspoon from each, until all are topped. Or if you have too much, evenly distribute it among all of them.  I filled a soup spoon for each cupcake.   If you're cooking them in 2 batches, wait until all are cooked before topping.

Cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Believe me, it's much better the next day.

When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pans (I used a fork to help pry them up). Spray a swirl of whipped cream on top. If you want to be really fancy, top with a small royal icing flower (I like my little violet!). Or you add a couple of fresh blueberries or a sprig of fresh mint leaves.

These came out so yummy! I could have eaten them all - seriously.