Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Special Single Servings

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (122)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(122)

Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 35 min
Inactive Prep: 25 min
Cook: 45 min
Total:: 1 hr 45 min

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Ingredients

1/3 cup finely crushed chocolate wafers
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 orange, zested
1 egg
Butter, for greasing

Directions

Special equipment: mini muffin tin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the crushed chocolate wafers and the melted butter. Place a tightly packed teaspoon of the wafer mixture into each mini-muffin cup and press down firmly.

In a food processor combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, half of the orange zest, and the egg. Blend until smooth. Lightly grease the sides of the mini muffin tin with butter. Fill the cups with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. Place the mini muffin tin in a baking dish and pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer the mini muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Use a small knife to gently pop the cheesecakes out of the cups.

Just before serving, combine the remaining orange zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Top each individual cheesecake with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest mixture and serve.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
jennifer Herndon, VA 01-21-2010
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WOW!! Delicious!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

After reading several reviews I opted to use mini muffin cups for these, as I would be serving them for a party, and wanted... something easy to pick up. This worked beautifully. These were creamy, and sweet, but not too sweet and not too rich. They were perfect. The only thing I found difficult was the water bath. Water was sloshing everywhere, and I'm just glad I didn't get scalded. There must be some better way?Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
Richard Alexandria, VA 11-25-2009
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Excellent...with Modifications
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have now made the recipe twice, learning lessons each time. (1) Using mini muffin paper cups (available in some... supermarkets) solves the sticking-to-the-pan problem. (2) I used a water bottle top to press the crumbs into the cups. (3) The basic recipe makes twelve, which serves 3-4 people. (4) We liked both the chocolate-topped and the orange/sugar-topped ones, but the BEST ones were pumpkin! Use graham cracker crumbs for the crust, then for 24 cheesecakes use 1/4 c ricotta, 4 oz cream cheese, 1/3 c canned pumpkin, 1/2 c sugar, 2 eggs, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger. Bake as directed. After cooling in refrigerator, top each cheesecake with a pecan half. They are great!Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
Jennifer Germantown, MD 11-25-2009
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HEAVEN!!!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I had my reserves when first attempting to make this recipe. I had never made a cheesecake before. I used chocolate grahm... crackers for the base since my grocery store did not carry choc. wafers. Thjey came out perfectly. I was so happy. Needless to say they did not last long in my house either. They were creamy, and had the perfect subtle hint of orange in the back.. HEAVEN!!!!!!Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
null null, null 11-11-2009
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Very average one
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

Have tired so many of Giada's receipes. This one is so so. I read some reviews here and sprayed the tin with PAM. But still... the chocolate crust didnt come off. It got stuck and somehow i could'nt retain the shape. Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
Iuliana Berkeley, CA 11-07-2009
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Great desert
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Easy to made and great taste. I didn't add the sugar at all, since I don't like the desert to be too sweet (the ricotta and... the cream cheese are already sweet enough for me). Great idea if you have people coming in..... it tastes great, looks great and the preparation part takes about 15 min. I agree with somebody who suggested grated chocolate on top. I used some very dry chocolate cookies, around 1/2 cup of them, but the same butter quantity. The crust is already all buttery, so no need for greasing there. Before adding the cheese I just used the cooking spray instead of butter. They came out perfectly.Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
cathy henrico, VA 11-05-2009
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Excellent!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was the second time I saw you make these and they look so danty that I decided to try it out. I couldn't find chocolate... wafers so I used chocolate graham crackers. They came out so tasty. I had a little trouble getting them out the pan, but that didn't take away from the taste. My 17 year old son ate 7 alone. Thanks Giada!Read more