Baby Lemon Cheesecakes

I love the idea of serving baby cakes at a dinner party. Giving each guest his or her own little treat seems both elegant and personal--sort of like the queen giving you a hug. And these are especially good for parties because they can be made ahead of time. Also, although there are many ways they could be plated, they don't need anything at all--the three layers are neat and visible, and that's really the only decoration you need. Another plus is that if you're running short of time (my daughter Sarah is getting married on Friday, and there are many things to be done, even if you are only MOB),you can use a good bottled lemon curd instead of making your own. Of course, it's not as good, but it is good.
The recipe in the book is a little deceptive because it appears to have only two elements--the filling and the curd. Then, when you read it again, you see that you are supposed to bake a cake first. The first step is to "make one recipe biscuit," from the dreaded Caramel Apple Charlotte recipe. I'm dreading that recipe a little less now because I know that making this biscuit is easy as pie.

It's just a simple sponge cake routine: beat the egg yolks, and then beat the egg whites. Then mix them together.

This biscuit gets spread out in a jelly-roll pan instead of a cake pan, so you end up with a long, thin cake, which enables you to cut out pieces that will fit your muffin pans.

Jim and I are taking care of two cats for a few weeks. Like most cats, they're shy and skittish with strangers and new places, and they spent the first few days hiding under a couch. I knew they felt at home when I came downstairs this morning and saw that they'd jumped up on the counter and nibbled away at the cake.

Don't worry--I cleaned the counter and I only used cake circles that were far away from the cat-tooth circle.

The cheesecake is easy, even if you have a fear of baking things in scalding water.

Eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and cream cheese are mixed until smooth. Then big blogs of sour cream are added until everything is combined.

You can either pipe this mixture into muffin tins (or muffin silicones, I guess), or you can pour it into a measuring cup. Anytime I have an option other than piping, I'm likely to go for Plan B.
I hope this is not the same kind of silicone they use for breast implants.

This silicone withstands very hot water baths, as well as being in the oven, so I suppose that would be somewhat comforting if you had said implants and liked to take hot showers.

I've already admitted to using store-bought lemon curd. This should show that I'm very honest, because I could have just used pictures of lemon curd formerly made, and no one would be the wiser. But I am completely willing to admit that I did not make it.

American Spoon, which makes some very good things, made it. And I just spooned it on top of the cheesecakes.

The color of the store-bought curd is more golden-tan than brilliant yellow, so I think it's marginally less attractive and not fully as delicious. But it's a perfectly acceptable substitute, and, if you didn't bother with the cake rounds, you could whip this up in nothing flat.
These cheesecakes, made with more sour cream than cream cheese, are softer and creamier than the pumpkin and ginger cheesecakes we've made before--more like the no-bake whipped cream cheesecake that we've also made. I don't think that one version is better than the other, although some of you may have your preferences--they're just different.

Oh, I almost forgot. Why is this a Shavuot cake? What does a cheesecake have to do with the giving of the Torah? Because a customary way of celebrating this holiday is to eat dairy foods, and read the Book of Ruth. You're on your own for the Book of Ruth, but I think this little cheesecake is a dairy food par excellence.

TASTING PANEL:

Jim: "I like the three textures together. You might want to mention that I had seconds."
Karen: "The cheesecake is heavenly."
Betty" "Lemon is my favorite. Chocolate is second."