Small Batch Cheesecake

Sharing the other half of my Valentine’s Day dinner today! Cheesecake is my boyfriend’s favorite dessert, so I knew I wanted to make us one. But making an entire cheesecake seemed like a lot, plus I don’t own a springform pan. Enter in Sally’s Baking Addiction with her small batch cheesecake! Baked in a loaf pan, it makes 5 hefty slices, which was absolutely perfect for the two of us + my roommates.

Sally’s recipe, and thus the one below, is for a plain cheesecake. But my boyfriend humbly requested chocolate peanut butter, so I improvised a bit. I made the crust with Oreos (just crushing up the same amount as the graham crackers), and then added about 1/4 cup of peanut butter to the filling + 1 tbs of extra sugar to balance the saltiness of the peanut butter (and also left out the lemon juice). And it turned out amazing!

So if you want a surprisingly easy but decadent dessert, try Sally’s small batch cheesecake!

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Small Batch Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham cracker sheets)
• 3 tbs melted butter
• 1 tbs granulated sugar

• 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Optional for serving: fruit, caramel, chocolate sauce, etc.

Instructions

1. Lower the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the slides to remove the cheesecake from the pan (or just grease the pan well)
2. Mix all the crust ingredients together. Pour into prepared loaf pan and press down the crust so it is super tight and firm in the pan. Use a flat spatula to compact it down. Bake the crust for 22-24 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges and top
3. While the crust is pre-baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth. Beat in the sugar, egg, vanilla, and lemon juice until completely combined and smooth, about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed.
4. Pour the batter on top of the warm crust and smooth into an even layer. It will look like a lot of cheesecake batter, but it will sink down as it bakes.
5. Bake the cheesecake for 40-45 minutes, until the entire surface is set. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cheesecake should come out *mostly* clean.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cool, refrigerate the cheesecake for 4 hours up to 1 day.