Make a Cheesecake for Two in Record Time With Instant Pot
Cheesecake is one of my favorite sweets on this earth, but since I am a household member who has occasional lactose intolerant guests, I am not in the habit of making whole cheesecakes for my home. However, there is a way to make a cheesecake for two (or one, two) in the Instant Pot, and it will take about half an hour.
Cheesecake can be a little tough to bake. Between cooking the water bath and wrapping the tin foil to keep the cake dry, it’s easy to get a little stressful. But with Instant Pot, the process is simple. Yes, there is water, but your cake is on a stand, not in a bathtub. This means there is no point in wrapping the pan, but there is still no pan. These cheesecakes can be prepared in separate tins or stone jars and then served in whatever jar you cooked them in.
To make these little cream pots just decadence enough, you need to:
- 2 graham crackers
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 8 ounces full cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Fresh berries for sprinkling as desired
Grind the Graham crackers into small crumbs in a food processor or crush them with a rolling pin in a freezer bag. Combine the crumbs with ghee and squeeze the mixture into a cookie cutter or stone jar to form a crust.
Blend the remaining ingredients, excluding the berries, in a bowl using a hand blender (or electric mixer) until they are as smooth as possible. Divide the cream cheese mixture between two jars or tins and tap them on the counter to smooth the tops and release the air.
Add two cups of water to the instant pot, place the rack inside the liner, and place the cheesecakes on the rack. Cover the top lightly with foil to prevent condensation from dripping onto the cake and cover.
Make sure the drain valve is in the “seal” position, then press “manual” and adjust the cooking time to four minutes using the “+” and “-” buttons. Once the cooking time has elapsed – the Instant Pot will notify you quite loudly – let it naturally free itself for ten minutes, then release the remaining pressure by switching the vent valve to the “vent” position.
Use an oven mitt to remove the tortillas from the pan and leave them on the counter until they are cool enough to touch. Transfer them to the refrigerator for at least an hour to cool completely, then sprinkle with berries and serve to yourself and another very lucky person.