These homemade mini blackberry lavender cheesecakes are a wonderful treat for Spring! The combination of sweet blackberries and floral lavender is the perfect duo for a sweet, surprisingly delicious dessert.
- Why You’ll Love This Easy Mini Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes Recipe
- Ingredients for Homemade Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes
- How to Make Mini Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes
- How to Decorate Show-Stopping Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes
- How to Store Mini Cheesecakes
- More Sweet Treats from I Heart Recipes
- Mini Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes Recipe
It’s about that time of year when we see Spring recipes becoming more popular. People are getting ready to grill, host parties, and work with more fresh and fruity flavors. So, these mini blackberry lavender cheesecakes are the perfect dessert for the Spring season!
These mini cheesecakes are a show-stopping dessert that’s easy to make, delicious, beautiful, and perfect for any occasion. They’re one of my favorite desserts for get-togethers and potlucks, especially if I want to surprise guests with something outside my regular rotation. The blackberry puree has a burst of sweetness, and the lavender is subtle, floral, and sweet. The cheesecakes have a creamy texture and buttery crust – all around, it’s an absolute winner recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Mini Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes Recipe
Mini blackberry lavender cheesecakes might sound unique and complicated to make, but in fact, they’re just the opposite! Here are some reasons why branching out of your comfort zone and making flavorful blackberry lavender cheesecake for dessert is a GREAT idea:
- Perfectly Portioned: Mini cheesecakes are great for portion control and are perfect for parties or gatherings.
- Floral and Fruity Flavor: The combination of blackberry and lavender offers a sophisticated flavor that’s just a bit fancier than the usual chocolate, caramel, or vanilla desserts.
- Easy to Make: I pride myself on my easy recipes, and this is certainly one of them! It’s made with simple ingredients, straightforward steps, and plenty of wiggle room for making ahead of time.
- Elegant Presentation: The presentation is next level! You can garnish these mini cheesecakes in a variety of fancy fashions (keep reading for a few suggestions), making them look almost too pretty to eat (key word… ALMOST!).
Ingredients for Homemade Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes
One of the things I love most about this recipe is how easy it is. The ingredients are as simple as can be (yes, even with edible flowers as an ingredient!!). The crust adds a nice buttery crunch, the blackberry cheesecake filling is rich and creamy, and the floral notes from the lavender are subtle but perfectly balanced with the fruity blackberry. It’s really a one-of-a-kind flavor combo! You can find the full ingredients list below in the recipe card. Here’s what you’ll need:
Vanilla Wafer Crust Ingredients:
- Vanilla Wafer Cookies: I love how the vanilla flavor in the crust helps to balance the floral flavor of the lavender, so it’s not TOO much flower power.
- Granulated White Sugar: to sweeten the crust.
- Melted Butter: I use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter, that works too.
Blackberry Lavender Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: make sure it’s at room temperature before you start so it’s easier to work with.
- Granulated White Sugar: again, sugar will sweeten the cheesecake filling.
- Greek Yogurt: helps to make the cheesecake extra rich and creamy. You can also swap this ingredient out for sour cream.
- Sea Salt: just a pinch helps to balance the flavors.
- Large Eggs: this is NOT an eggless cheesecake, so it does require baking. The eggs give the cheesecake structure.
- Fresh Blackberry Puree: to make this, you’ll need fresh blackberries, sugar, and some cornstarch.
- Edible Lavender Flowers: this is the only “exotic” ingredient, but they’re not hard to find, especially online! You want to make sure you’re using culinary-grade lavender flowers. You could also use food-grade lavender extract instead (but the flowers are great for presentation too!).
As far as the equipment goes, you don’t need much! You’ll need a mini cheesecake or muffin pan, a hand mixer to mix the cheesecake batter, and a few mixing bowls. These cupcake pans have removable bottoms, which makes it extra easy to get the mini cheesecakes out of the pan once they’re done.
How do you make fresh blackberry puree?
Making a fresh fruit puree is super easy and well worth the extra effort! Instead of going the semi-homemade route and using blackberry jam or a blackberry filling, you can easily whip together a from-scratch puree that gives this recipe a much more authentic blackberry flavor. Here’s how:
- Combine ½ cup of fresh (or frozen) blackberries in a medium saucepan and 5 tablespoons of sugar. Heat the mixture over medium to medium-low heat until the blackberries begin to soften.
- Once the mixture has reduced a bit and is bubbling, add about 1-1 ½ tbsp of cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with cold water). Stir until the mixture thickens, then remove it from the heat and let it cool completely. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Pro-Tip: blackberry pairs perfectly with lemon. Add a tbsp of lemon juice to brighten up the blackberry filling – you won’t regret it!
I’ve never baked with lavender before; is it safe?
Yes, it’s perfectly safe to use lavender in recipes! If you’ve never baked with lavender before, you’re in for a real treat. It adds a unique, fancy flavor that pairs perfectly with fruits (like blackberry, blueberry, and lemon). Just be sure you’re always using culinary-grade lavender and use it sparingly! The flavor can easily become overwhelming if you use too much. Lavender leaves can be ground up for a more evenly distributed flavor, or you can infuse liquids (like milk or cream) with lavender petals. Like most flavor extracts, a little goes a long way, so start with a small amount! Start with ½ tsp lavender extract – if the aroma is subtle, the taste will be too.
How to Make Mini Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes
Are you ready to make these little cheesecakes? They may sound difficult, but you’ll be amazed at how easy they are to prepare! The elegant presentation makes them perfect for entertaining, they can easily be prepared ahead of time (which means less stress – love that for us!), and the individual sizes make them perfect for guests at a party. Let’s get into it, Cousins.
First, Prepare the Vanilla Wafer Crust:
- Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees F, spray the cupcake pan with non-stick spray, and line the cups with paper cupcake liners.
- Next, crumble up the vanilla wafers in a food processor or a large freezer bag by hand – whatever you gotta do to get them into nice, fine crumbs.
- Mix the cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Fill each cupcake tin with about 1 tbsp of the buttery wafer crumbs and press it firmly down to form a crust. The crusts don’t need to be baked – simply set them off to the side or place them in the fridge to firm up while you make the cheesecake filling (about 15-20 minutes).
Next, Make the Cheesecake Filling:
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar together until creamy. Add the Greek yogurt and salt.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything gets incorporated.
- Next, gently fold in the fresh blackberry puree (once it’s fully cooled) and lavender flowers. Be sure to either grind or chop the lavender petals so they’re evenly mixed throughout the batter.
- Fill each cupcake liner with the cheesecake batter to almost the top of the liner.
- Bake the mini cheesecakes for 18-20 minutes, or until the centers are just set. Allow them to cool completely – about an hour – at room temperature (you can remove them from the pan once cool to the touch to cool faster).
How to Decorate Show-Stopping Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes
Half the fun in this recipe is dressing up these little treats to look extra fancy! For best results, chill the cheesecakes for at least 4 hours to overnight. Before serving, prepare them for the party with these topping suggestions!
- Whipped Cream Swirls: whip up (literally – LOL 😉) a homemade whipped cream using heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. A simple swirl of whipped cream is the perfect garnish. (You could also infuse the heavy whipping cream with lavender leaves for a subtle lavender flavor – just strain the leaves out before whipping!)
- Fresh Berries: garnish each cheesecake with a fresh blackberry or two. Or even better, use a mix of blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries for some extra color.
- Edible Flowers: sprinkle a few extra edible lavender petals over the tops of the cheesecakes. You could also use other varieties of dried edible flowers to up the presentation even more!
- Fruit Compote: the blackberry puree we used to flavor the cheesecakes isn’t the only fruit you can add! You can make another fruit compote out of just about any blend of berries and use that as a flavorful topping. The blackberry flavor works well with fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries – or a mix of all three!
- Fresh Mint: a single fresh mint leaf makes a statement and tastes great too. The fresh pop of green color goes perfectly with the purple color in the cheesecakes.
- Lemon Zest: a sprinkle of fresh citrus zest pairs perfectly with blackberry and lavender.
How to Store Mini Cheesecakes
Once you’ve made these fun and flavorful mini blackberry lavender cheesecakes, you want to make sure they STAY fresh and delicious. Whether you’re making them ahead of time or happen to have leftovers (not likely!), here’s how to keep these sweet treats fresh.
- Refrigeration: if you’ve prepped them ahead of time, make sure the mini cheesecakes are completely cooled before storing. Pack them up in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: wrap each cheesecake with plastic wrap (helps to prevent freezer burn if you’re storing them for a longer period). This works best if they’re already frozen, so pop them into the freezer for about 2 hours before individually wrapping them up and storing them in a freezer-safe container. They’ll stay good for up to 3 months.
- How to Thaw: you can thaw the mini cheesecakes at room temperature, which will take about 1-2 hours, or in the fridge for 8 hours to overnight.
More Sweet Treats from I Heart Recipes
Well, fam – that’s it! I hope you love this mini blackberry lavender cheesecake recipe as much as I love making it! They’re a fresh and fabulous switch-up from the other cheesecake recipes I’ve shared on I Heart Recipes before. I can’t wait to hear how they turned out if you’ve made them! Be sure to check out some other dessert recipes I’ve shared to serve at your next dinner party or family gathering:
- Pineapple Orange Swirl Cheesecake
- Creamy Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
- No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Lasagna
- Easy Lemon Ice Cream Cake
- From-Scratch Coconut Pineapple Cake
- Creamy Strawberry Shortcake Cups
Don’t forget to tag and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube, and check out I Heart Soul Food, Super Soul Food with Cousin Rosie and A Cousin Rosie Holiday with many never-before-seen recipes!
Mini Blackberry Lavender Cheesecakes Recipe
Ingredients
Vanilla Wafer Crust
- 1 ½ cups finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies about 35-40 cookies
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup melted unsalted butter
Lavender Blackberry Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tbsp dried edible lavender flowers finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh blackberry puree
Fresh Blackberry Puree
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
- 5 tbsp granulated white sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch slurry
- 1 tbsp lemon juice optional
Instructions
Make the Cookie Crust:
- Preheat your oven to 325°F and line a 12-cup cupcake or muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a food processor, grind the vanilla wafer cookies into fine crumbs.1 ½ cups finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies
- In a medium bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until well-mixed.¼ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup melted unsalted butter
- Place about a tablespoon of the vanilla wafer crumb mixture into each liner and press it firmly using the back of a spoon or a small flat-bottomed glass.
Make the Blackberry Puree
- In a medium saucepan, combine the blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat until the fruit begins to soften, stirring consistently.1/2 cup fresh or frozen blackberries, 5 tbsp granulated white sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until the fruit puree thickens. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.2 tbsp cornstarch slurry
Make the Blackberry Lavender Cheesecake Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.16 oz cream cheese at room temperature, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the Greek yogurt and sea salt, mixing until well blended.⅓ cup Greek yogurt, Pinch of fine sea salt
- Incorporate the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.2 large eggs
- Gently fold in the fresh blackberry puree and finely chopped lavender flowers until evenly mixed.1 ½ tbsp dried edible lavender flowers, ½ cup fresh blackberry puree
- Divide the cheesecake batter between the cups in the pan. The cups should be mostly full.
- Sprinkle a few additional lavender flowers on top of each cheesecake for garnish.
Bake, Chill, and Serve:
- Bake the mini cheesecakes in the oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the centers are just set.
- Allow the cheesecakes to cool for about an hour at room temperature.
- Refrigerate the cheesecakes for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.
- Prepare homemade whipped cream and transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a star tip, or you can use store-bought whipped cream.
- Give a swirl of whipped cream onto each cheesecake and garnish with a few extra lavender petals.
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