Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel

Mini pumpkin cheesecakes with a graham cracker crust, pumpkin cheesecake, and salted caramel sauce. If you love cheesecake and pumpkin desserts, this is for you. It’s like seeing Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre in London. It’s more exciting and better than you ever imagined it could be.

You’ll take one bite, and you wonder where this cheesecake has been all your life. Seriously, it’s the best mini pumpkin cheesecake recipe. Read below for the recipe.

What’s in Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake? | Is Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Easy to Make? | Paper Cupcake Liners Vs. Foil Cupcake Liners | 3 Foolproof Tips for Making the Best Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

What’s in Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake?

This recipe consists of a graham cracker crust base, a layer of pumpkin cheesecake, and it’s topped with lightly salted caramel.

The cheesecake includes cream cheese, sour cream, pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, a handful of pumpkin pie spices, and vanilla.

You really could call this a mini pumpkin pie cheesecake filling, but it tastes slightly different from pumpkin pie. If you love pumpkin pie, however, you will still enjoy this dessert because it has the same warmth and creaminess.

Is Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Easy to Make?

Yes, this is an easy mini pumpkin cheesecake recipe! You only need a hand mixer for the cheesecake filling.

The graham cracker crust is super easy to make too. All you have to do is stir it and portion it with a tablespoon scoop.

The salted caramel is the most technical aspect of this dessert, but it’s fairly straightforward as it only contains 4 ingredients.

If you need a quick tutorial on how to make caramel, check out my story highlight on Instagram. It shows a slightly different method than the method in this recipe, but it will still give you a basic overview of how to make caramel.

Paper Cupcake Liners Vs Foil Cupcake Liners

When I made these mini cheesecakes, I tested two types of cupcake liners to see which worked best.

My conclusion was that the paper ones were fine but not the best. They were a little more fragile when I tried to remove the cheesecake cups from the pan.

The main problem was that the paper edges tore sometimes. When they tore, I had to grab another edge of the wrapper to pull the cheesecake out of the pan.

It wasn’t a huge deal, but it’s not great if you want to present the pumpkin cheesecake in the wrappers.

The foil cupcake liners, however, were the winner. They were much sturdier, never tore, and they held their shape beautifully.

3 Foolproof Tips for Making the Best Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Tip #1: Press the Crust

One of the most important parts of any cheesecake is the crust. When you unwrap a mini pumpkin cheesecake, the base needs to be firm and solid, not crumbly.

After adding the crust to each cupcake liner, use the back of a round 1/4 measuring cup to press the crust down into each cupcake well.

There may be some graham cracker crumbs coming up the sides of the liner after you press the crust down. To fix this, push the crumbs down so that you have a really clean and even crust.

Tip #2: Pipe the Pumpkin Cheesecake

Portioning the cheesecake into cupcake liners can get messy. To make this super easy (as promised), pour the pumpkin cheesecake filling into a gallon freezer bag.

Snip off a 1/2 inch opening on one corner of the bag, and pipe the filling into each cupcake liner. It makes the process super quick and easy, and it’s easy to see if all the liners are filled evenly.

Bonus: you won’t end up with cheesecake on the pan or edges of the liners!

Tip #3: Let the Cheesecake Cool

The cheesecake needs to cool for 1-2 hours before going into the fridge. Why? Because warm cheesecake creates condensation once placed in a storage container.

And we definitely don’t want condensation making the cheesecake watery and soggy!

Be sure to follow these 3 foolproof tips, and your mini cheesecakes with salted caramel will turn out beautifully!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups with Salted Caramel

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• Author: Camille
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Chill Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 23 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 53 minutes
• Yield: 12–15 1x
• Category: Cake
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

For the Graham Cracker Crust

• 180 g fine graham cracker crumbs
• 70 g unsalted butter, melted (5 Tbs)
• 10 g granulated sugar

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

• 339 g full-fat cream cheese, softened (12 oz)
• 120 g powdered sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 45 g egg white
• 45 g sour cream, not low-fat
• 170 g pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp Morton’s kosher salt (coarse)

For the Caramel Sauce

• 50 g granulated sugar
• 60 ml heavy cream, warmed
• 28 g (2 Tbs) unsalted butter, preferably European style (like Plugra)
• 1/4 tsp fleur de sel or fine sea salt

Whipped Cream (optional)

• 60 ml heavy cream
• 10 g granulated sugar

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Instructions

To Make the Graham Cracker Crust

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 C) and line a standard cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Combine graham cracker crust ingredients in a bowl and mix until graham cracker crumbs are moist and mixed.
3. Portion 2 tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner, and press down to flatten and even out the graham cracker bases. Bake for 4 minutes and let cool. The graham cracker crust should not be browned at this point. Just lightly baked so it doesn’t absorb as much moisture from the cheesecake.

To Make the Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

1. Keep oven at 325 degrees F (160 C). Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a stand mixer and mix on medium low until smooth and creamy.
2. Add egg yolks and mix on low. Add pumpkin puree, sour cream, and vanilla on low and mix until smooth. Don’t mix at a high speed, as we don’t want to incorporate too much air.
3. Add salt and spice to the mixer. Mix on low until combined.
4. Next, whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whites into the cheesecake mixture.
5. Fill the cupcake liners with cheesecake filling until almost completely full. Don’t fill to the rim because the pumpkin cheesecakes puff up a bit during baking.
6. Next, boil 6-7 cups of water. Place the cupcake pan on a rimmed half sheet pan, put it in the oven, and pour the boiling water into the half sheet pan until it comes halfway up the sides of each cupcake well.
7. Close the oven and bake for 17-20 minutes or until centers are barely jiggly.
8. Remove the cupcake pan from the half sheet pan and let them cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and cool for 2 hours uncovered.
9. Remove the cheesecakes from the pan and transfer them to a covered container for another 2 hours to fully set the cheesecake.

To Make the Salted Caramel Sauce

1. Heat the sugar in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan on medium-low or medium heat. Do not stir. Let the sugar melt on its own.
2. As the sugar starts to melt, gently tilt and swirl the caramel until the sugar is completely melted and is a deep amber color. Add the butter and whisk until melted. 
3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the salt. Gradually add the heavy cream and whisk rapidly as the cream pours into the caramel.
4. Pour the caramel into a heat-proof jar or container and store for at least 30 minutes to cool.

To Make Whipped Cream

1. Combine cold cream and sugar in a bowl and use a hand mixer to whip to stiff peaks. Pour whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Set aside.

To Assemble the Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Salted Caramel

1. Remove the cheesecakes and caramel from the fridge. Warm the caramel in the microwave for 20-30 if it is stiff or has been in the fridge for a few hours. 
2. Top the cheesecakes with as much caramel and whipped cream (optional) as desired. 
3. These cheesecakes are best eaten within 3 days. They stay good for up to 7 days, but the crust softens significantly by the end of the week. Add the caramel right before serving for the best results.

Notes

This is a Baker Street Society original recipe.

Keywords: mini pumpkin cheesecake, salted caramel, graham cracker crust