Black Forest Mini Cheesecakes

I think because I have a fond memory of learning how to make black forest cake in the third grade is why I love this traditional flavor combination. Third grade- that was a good year. This spin off is made with cheesecake- even better! The bright cherry pie filling on top of the chocolaty brown cheesecake and white sour cream topping makes for a great presentation- especially when you bake 75 of them for an event.  These were easy to make too- you just top 3 cherries on each cupcake and it instantly looks perfect.

I tried both paper and foil liners. If you use paper, make sure you bake the cheesecake completely. It came out 100 times better in the foil liners (baked evenly and quicker) so I suggest using those. I also reserved a small amount of batter to try without cocoa, so it was flavored with just almond extract. It didn’t taste that good- they were bitter. Stick to the recipe!

You may be thinking of using cool whip instead of the sour cream topping. No! I liked the topping because the flavor stood up to the pie filling and cheesecake (I don’t think cool whip will add any new taste) and it made the dessert more rich and moist. Hey, it’s sour cream so it still has that coolness and lightness you’re looking for.