As you may have gathered from my last book, Popcorn Treats, I am a sucker for popcorn. It is such a fun snack and really is irresistible. These mini cheesecakes have tiny pieces of popcorn in the base and are topped with a mound of popcorn and toffee sauce. If you use homemade popcorn, make sure that all the unpopped kernels are removed before using as they are an unwelcome addition if you bite into one.
FOR THE CRUMB BASES
80 g/3 oz. digestive biscuits/graham crackers
50 g/2 oz. toffee-coated popcorn (such as Butterkist)
70 g/5 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING
250 g/generous 1 cup cream cheese
250 g/generous 1 cup mascarpone cheese
2 small eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
200 g/scant 1 cup condensed milk
FOR THE TOPPING
25 g/2 tablespoons caster/white sugar
25 g/2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
25 g/1¾ tablespoons butter
80 ml/⅓ cup double/heavy cream
50 g/2 oz. toffee-coated popcorn
a 12-hole loose-based mini cheesecake pan/muffin tin (with 5-cm/2-inch holes), greased
12 muffin wrappers (optional)
MAKES 12
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
For the bases, crush the biscuits/graham crackers and popcorn to fine crumbs in a food processor or place in a clean plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter. Place a spoonful of the crumbs in each hole of the cheesecake pan and press down firmly using the end of a rolling pin or the back of a small spoon. Retain a little of the crumb mixture to sprinkle over the cheesecakes.
For the filling, whisk together the cream cheese and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla and condensed milk and whisk again until smooth. Pour the mixture into the 12 holes of the pan so that they are almost full. (Depending on the size of your pan you may not need all of the mixture.) Sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the top of each cheesecake and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes until set with a slight wobble. Once cool, remove from the pan and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
For the topping, heat the sugars and butter in a saucepan until the sugars have dissolved. Add the cream and heat gently until you have a thick caramel sauce. Set aside to cool.
When you are ready to serve, place the cheesecakes in the muffin wrappers, if using, or on a serving plate. Spoon a little of the caramel sauce over each cheesecake and top with popcorn. Serve any remaining sauce alongside for extra drizzling