Blueberry Cheesecake Cups

Oh, how I love cheesecake. It's creamy, rich and can serve as a blank slate to incorporate other sweet and savory flavors. But let's focus on the sweet version, shall we? I'm thrilled that I've got a recipe for these Blueberry Cheesecake Cups... and it's one that can be easily made as gluten free! This is currently my favorite sweet treat recipe at the moment because the base recipe is so versatile. Baking these in cupcake form versus a whole cake is also great for portion control. Well, kinda, unless you get carried away (like me)...

If you think cheesecake is intimidating to make, no worries. This one is as easy as they come! Using a combination of mascarpone cheese and cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, eggs and just a touch of flour, the cheesecake filling comes out creamy and light. It's not too dense and that's due to the combination of cheeses. The recipe below involves blueberries, but feel free to use whatever other berries you'd like as a topping... or even enjoy them plain! Now this is a crustless cheesecake cup recipe so another option is to make a simple graham cracker crust to place on the bottom of each cup before adding the filling. A tablespoon in each lined cup is perfect. If you can find gluten free graham crackers (thank you Colin!), try it in place of the regular graham crackers for a totally gluten free version.

Blueberry Cheesecake Cups
recipe adapted from Cat Cora

1 1/ 2 cups mascarpone cheese, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup plus about 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for the pan
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
Whipped cream (store-bought or homemade) for garnish; optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle. Line a muffin pan with liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour, scraping the bowl to make sure it is incorporated.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin pan, about 1/2 - 3/4 full.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the top of the cake is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow cheesecake cups to cook in the pan for 5-7 minutes before transferring them to cool on a wire rack.

While the cheesecake cups cool, in a medium bowl, combine the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest. If using fresh berries, crush a few with the back of a spoon to encourage juices to form. Taste the fruit and add additional sugar as needed for the proper sweetness.

When ready to serve, spoon the blueberries over the cheesecake cups and dollop of whipped cream.