Mason Jar Raspberry Cheesecake

"So there’s this trend going around for cooking things in mason jars that I didn’t quite understand until now. I mean, why would you want to eat a fancy dessert out of a jar? Think of it this way, mason jars are like see-through ramekins with lids! So if you have a particularly pretty layered dessert, it will look even lovelierÂin a mason jar, and if you want to give it as a gift, it comes with a convenient lidÂfor easy transporting. In the case of making cheesecake, using a mason jar has an added advantage. ManyÂcheesecake recipes (like theÂpopular classic cheesecakeÂon this site from Dorie Greenspan) require the use of a springform pan placed in a water bath. As careful as you can be with wrapping the pan with foil, water sometimes leaks in, resulting in a soggy crust. There are noÂleakage issues when you use a mason jar, and you have convenient single serving containers. Single serving cheesecakes baked in jars also cook much faster and cool much faster than large cakes, which usually require chilling overnightÂin the fridge. My friend Audrey was here the other day helping me to experiment with cheesecake recipes. We came up with this delightful doozy of a cake almost spontaneously. Rather than making a “serves 20? classic cake, we thought why not a smaller batch ofÂsingle servings? How about with raspberries for Valentine’s Day? With some raspberry sauce! And an Oreo crust! Now as single servings go, these are rather generous, given the richness of the cheesecake. Feel free to share one with your sweetheart (I did!)..."