Recipe of the Week: Lemon Heaven Mini Cheesecakes

Lemon Heavens are the perfect mix of sinfully delicious melt in your mouth cheesecake, with a hint of smooth white chocolate, and just enough citrus to tickle the tongue! Topped with white chocolate curls and arranged on a elegant cake stand, makes this presentation a winner for any party. And their mini size allows for easy handling so guests are free to grab one or two, while still being able to socialize. But don’t let there size foul you, from the first bite to the last these lemon sensations will tantalize your taste buds, leaving you more then satisfied.

Ingredients:
crust-
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar

batter-
2 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 squares premium white baking chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup lemon curd mixed into batter
1/3 cup lemon curd warmed to spread on top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix Crust ingredients, press evenly into bottoms of 12 (2-1/2-inch) paper-lined muffin cups. Bake 7 min.Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Mix in Batter Flavorings. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Stir in Mix-Ins. Spoon batter evenly into prepared cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake 25 min or until centers are almost set. Cool completely. Warm lemon curd to spread on top. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Recipe of the Week: Lemon-licious!

OH MY GOODNESS all you lemon lovers out there are in for a treat with these little pieces of heaven!! My mom and grandma are both huge lemon fans, and went nuts for these! A wonderful combination of both sweet and tart; a refreshing flavor perfect for those blistering hot summer days. Normally if I'm going to bake I want it to be 100% homemade and I honestly get joy out of measuring every small detail that goes into my goodies. BUT sometimes you just want fun and simple! When I came upon this fast and equally scrumptious recipe by Paula Deen (whom I adore) I just had to try it. I did adjust the originial glaze recipe to give it a bit more of a kick. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to check back next week for the latest update!

Lemon-licious Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cake-
1 package yellow cake mix

1 3.5oz package instant lemon pudding mix

3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

Glaze-

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

grated zest of 1/2-1 lemon

1 tbsp butter (vegetable oil can be substituted)

2-3 tbsp milk

Directions:

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, and oil in an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to incoperate completely each time. Pour batter into lined muffin tin, half way up each cup. Bake for 12-15 minutes until bouncy to the touch. Let them cool for a minute or 2, and while they are still hot turn onto a tea towel.

To make the glaze, in a medium bowl add sugar, lemon juice, zest and oil, combine well. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time until reaching the desired consistency for dipping.

With your fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they are still warm, covering the entire top of cupcake. Place on wire racks with wax paper underneath to catch any glaze that may drip. Let the glaze set (for about an hour) before storing in air-tight containers.