Three of the Most Decadent Dessert Recipes for One Serving
Valentine’s Day is, among other things, a great excuse to eat obscene amounts of chocolate (just like any day before or after Valentine’s Day). Relationships are cool and all, but whether you’re in one or not, you deserve to celebrate love with delicious treats. You can easily find recipes that fit two or more servings, but for those of us celebrating the glorious day of loving ourselves, I’ve come up with three recipes that are just the right size for the original bae. Since the amount of ingredients is unusually small, a stand mixer will not be effective; All of these recipes can be prepared by hand or with an electric hand mixer.
Miniature Peanut Butter Cheesecake
This is for dessert lovers who think they can improve everything by adding more peanut butter. Although tiny, this thick, fluffy New York-style cheesecake still manages to exceed your cheesecake expectations. An 8 or 10 ounce ramekin is optimal for a taller looking cheesecake, but 14 ounce molds (as I used) will do just fine. Plan ahead to have your ingredients at room temperature and you’ll be rewarded with a silky smooth spoon. (I even microwave cream cheese for 20-30 seconds until it has the consistency of mayonnaise.)
Ingredients:
Crust:
- ¼ cup chocolate chip cookie crumbs
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon butter (melted)
Cheesecake dough:
- 4 oz cream cheese (warm)
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt (*omit if using salted peanut butter)
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (unsalted*)
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly oil the bottom of an 8 or 10 oz mold.
Mix all three crust ingredients in a small bowl. The oil will moisten the crumbs, but it will still be loose. Roll out the crumb mixture into a flat layer on the bottom of the mold.
Bake the cake at 350℉ for 10 minutes. When you open the oven, it will smell like chocolate, but the edges of the crust should not darken. Set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325℉.
While the cake is cooling, mix all the cheesecake batter ingredients in the order listed until smooth.
Brush the cooled sides of the molds thoroughly with butter, being careful not to break the crust of the crumbs. Pour in the cheesecake batter and smooth the top.
Bake the cheesecake in a water bath at 325℉ for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when little bubbles appear around the edges and the center is set.
Personal Pavlova
The opposite of thick pleasure is tender, fluffy satisfaction. (Both roads lead to “I love myself.”) This Pavlova takes patience, but it’s such patience when you set a timer and go to watch half of Encanto , open the oven door a crack, watch the movie, and then gobble down fluffy meringue, fruit and whipped cream. with tears in his eyes.
Ingredients:
Pavlova:
- 1 egg white (room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon of vinegar
- A pinch of salt
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream:
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- raspberries (garnish)
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar (decoration)
Preheat oven to 225℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Place the egg white in a medium sized, very clean, dry bowl. Any remaining oil or fat will prevent the meringue from forming properly. Add vinegar and salt. Beat the mixture to stiff peaks. In three steps, pour the powdered sugar through a sieve or sifter. The egg whites will become glossy and sticky. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the vanilla extract and cornstarch through the same sieve.
Carefully spread the fluffy mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Make the mound high, then round it slightly without losing too much height.
Bake immediately at 225℉ for 55 minutes. Pavlova may be slightly tanned at the tips, but should not be heavily stained. Turn on the oven and let the pavlova cool in the oven for an hour.
While the pavlova is cooling in the oven, whip the cream. Whip cream and icing sugar to soft peaks. Whisk or blend in vanilla extract until smooth.
Turn the Pavlova disk upside down on a serving plate. It should be crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside. Pour the whipped cream and fruit over the meringue and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Solo chocolate almond cake
Sometimes just a cake will do. This recipe is exceptionally chocolatey and satisfying. While orange zest is optional (because structurally the recipe would be perfect without it), I consider it a non-negotiable flavor combination. (An added bonus for some chocolate lovers is that this cake is unintentionally gluten-free.)
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce dark chocolate
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 large egg separated
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon white vinegar
Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter 10 or 14 oz molds, cut out and place a small parchment circle in the bottom.
Melt chocolate and butter together, stir. Stir in almond flour. Set aside to cool for five minutes. Stir the sugar, egg yolk and orange zest into the chocolate mixture. Postpone.
Whisk egg white with ¼ teaspoon vinegar in a small bowl until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. The egg white should not be over-beaten, it is better to beat towards medium peaks than to over-beat. Whisk the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in three batches until the egg white streaks disappear. Pour the cake mix into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350℉ for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes before removing from mold. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.