Have you ever tried a Malteser? It is a confection with a history dating back to the 1930s! American Forrest Mars, Sr. invented the Malteser in England in 1936. They were originally described as energy balls, which were marketed to women as a slimming aid as they had much less chocolate than the chocolates of the day. This classic malt center candy is a tiny light-as-air sphere covered in milk chocolate. While I am not a huge candy consumer, I find these particular bonbons quite unique both in texture and in taste. I have created a cheesecake that incorporates Maltesers, along with white chocolate in the filling. Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes are an individually baked cheesecake that maintains the crunch of the Maltesers candy as well as highlights the chunks of candy.  Try it! You will enjoy it!

It is interesting to note that Maltesers are one of Canada’s top 10 selling candies, along with popular brands such as Crispy Crunch, Aero Bars, Glosettes and Smarties.

I have incorporated Maltesers into baking before. One of my favourite loaf recipes is Anna Olson’s Malted Milk Chocolate Cakes. I will make that recipe again soon. It is a hit at coffee parties.   In the meantime, enjoy this cheesecake!

Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

CHEF TALK: This is a terrific little cheesecake – a smooth filling with a crunch of Malteser candy. It adapts well to gluten-free by using gluten-free chocolate wafers (recipe will be posted soon). Please note: Maltesers are not gluten-free. You will note that I have not used sugar in the ingredients given that white chocolate and the Maltesers both contain sufficient sugar.

Use high-quality white chocolate, not chocolate chips for this cheesecake. For a large crowd, bake it in a 9-inch springform pan. Be sure to chill the cheesecake overnight before removing from the springform pan and cutting into 12 servings. To ensure clean edges when cutting the cheesecake, please see Learning Tips below.

Equipment: 9 – 3-inch rings (3.5 oz/135 g filling each) or 1 – 9” springform pan (1250 g filling)

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

• 2 cups (200 g) chocolate cookie crumbs
• ¼ cup unsalted butter (56 g), melted
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (60 g)

Filling:

• 2 x (8 oz. packages) original cream cheese (8 oz. /225 g each x 2 = 454 g total), softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup (250 ml) sour cream or Greek yogurt (or half and half of each)
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 10 oz. (300 g) good white chocolate couverture (not chocolate chips)
• 100 g Maltesers, coarsely chopped (about 45 Maltesers), plus a few whole for garnish

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 325^oF/300^oF if using a convection oven. Prepare the pans: Grease the rings or springform pan with pan spray. Line the rings or springform pan with parchment paper by cutting circles to fit the bottom of the rings.   CHEF TIP: For smooth cheesecake edges, line the sides of the rings or springform pan by cutting paper strips to fit the height of the ring (approximately 11” x 2”) and place them inside the rings. For the springform pan, repeat above cutting the strips to fit the side of the pan.
2. Melt the butter and add to the cookie crumbs with the sugar and mix to combine. Use 1 tablespoon of crumb mixture (15 g) per 3-inch ring and tamp down with the back of a spoon to form the base. Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool the crust while you make the filling.
3. In a Bain Marie (see Learning Tips), melt the white chocolate over very low heat. Remove the chocolate from the heat when it starts to melt and the let the heat from the Bain Marie melt the rest. Keep warm.
4. To make the filling: In a mixer with a paddle, place the softened cream cheese. Using a low speed, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well combined before adding the next egg. Scrape the sides of the mixer bowl in between.
5. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix to incorporate.
6. With the mixer still on low speed, slowly pour the melted white chocolate into the cream cheese mixture. CHEF TIP: For a smooth, lump-free cheesecake, strain the mixture through a medium-meshed sieve.  Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of coarsely chopped Maltesers into the bottom of each ring. For the 9-inch springform pan, sprinkle the Maltesers on the crust to cover lightly (about half the amount of coarsely chopped Maltesers).
7. Portion the cheesecake filling over the cooled crust into each prepared 3” ring (4.5 oz/135 g filling each portion), dividing evenly between the rings.
8. Sprinkle another 1 teaspoon (5 g) of coarsely chopped Maltesers on top of each 3-inch cheesecake. For the 9-inch springform pan, sprinkle the coarsely chopped Maltesers on top of the filling.
9. Bake the 3-inch cheesecakes in the preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes for the 3-inch rings. (If you are using a 9-inch springform pan for your cheesecake, this typically takes one and one-half hours to bake). Please refer to Learning Tips regarding Oven Temperature accuracy. CHEF TIP: To check for doneness, you will notice that the cheesecake filling starts to puff up slightly when it is done. To ensure that the cheesecake is properly cooked, checking with an internal thermometer is the most accurate. Bake until the cheesecakes reach a temperature of 150^oF/65^oC.
10. Cool the cheesecakes on a rack for 30 minutes or until they reach room temperature and then refrigerate overnight before serving. At this point, do not remove the cheesecakes from the rings or springform pan. Leave them undisturbed overnight.
    

    Line the wells of the cheesecake rings with strips of parchment paper to ensure clean edges

11. Once the cakes have chilled overnight, remove them from the rings by pushing the cheesecakes upwards with your fingers to release the cakes. Place the cheesecakes on a cutting board or plate and remove the parchment strip from the sides.
    

    Baking the Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes to 150oF/65oC ensures a creamy filling

TO SERVE: 

• Place the cheesecakes on a dessert plate and garnish with an additional Maltesers on top and fresh berries. Enjoy!
  

  Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

• For a dessert buffet, place the cheesecakes on a platter and garnish with berries and whole Maltesers.
  

  For a dessert buffet, serve the cheesecakes on a platter and garnish with berries and Maltesers

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Parchment Paper
• Favourite Kitchen Tools: Spatula
• Extracts: Vanilla Extract
• Bain Marie
• Creaming
• Straining
• Cutting Tarts and Cakes
• Oven Temperature Accuracy
• Internal Thermometers
  __________

You Might Also Enjoy these Urb’n’Spice Cheesecake recipes:

Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes

A Unique Cheesecake: Double Chocolate Raspberry Torte Cheesecake with Chocolate Pecan Crust

White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Mini Cheesecakes with Gluten Free Crust

Lavender Rose Mini Cheesecakes

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

If you try my recipe for Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes, please leave me a comment below with your feedback. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

 

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Sources:

Maltesers

Maltesers in Canada