Mini German Cheesecakes With Apricot Compote

Posted for ZWT 6.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Yields: 12 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients

• Cheesecakes

• 2  lbs whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1⁄4 cup sour cream
• 1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon  grated  orange peel
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 4  eggs
• 12  round  gingerbread cookies, 3 inches in diameter (German Lebkuchen)

• Apricot compote

• 1 (16 ounce) jar  apricot preserves
• 1⁄3-1⁄2 cup  apple juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin liners.
2. Beat together ricotta, sour cream, whipping cream and sugar with a hand mixer. Add the vanilla and orange zest to ricotta mixture then beat in eggs 1 at a time.
3. Spoon the mixture equally between the 12 liners. Bake 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
4. Cool on a rack, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before removing paper liners.
5. Meawhile, heat the preserves & apple juice in a small sauce pan. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
6. Invert each cheesecake on a gingerbread cookie, and spread on the warm apricot compote.