Ingredient: beets, peeled & finely grated

With our Canadian Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner I wanted to feature these ‘fabulous fall cheesecakes’ as a dessert option for the occasion.

Traditional Thanksgiving desserts (like pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and dense cheesecakes) are notoriously heavy at the end of a massive turkey feast. The bright orange zest and sharp fresh ginger in these cheesecake desserts cuts through the heavy dairy and earthiness of the root vegetables. Because they are individual size, they offer a lighter, refreshing alternative that guests can comfortably enjoy after a heavy meal.

Think of it as a creative cross between a morning-glory spiced root vegetable cake and a classic New York mini cheesecake. The combination of carrots, parsnips, and beets mirrors the exact crops pulled from the ground during the late-summer and autumn harvest. The heavy rotation of cinnamon, cardamom, and fresh grated ginger immediately evokes classic cozy fall baking. The natural colors from the grated orange carrots, deep red beets, and golden-orange dried apricots create a gorgeous, rustic autumn palette and the use of pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds) adds an earthy crunch that is distinctly seasonal, pairing beautifully with the sweet crunch of the brown sugar streusel.

Because these cheesecake/muffins contain a baked cream cheese layer and fresh root vegetables, they actually taste better the next day, served cold, (they are so good cold) as the warm spices and ginger infuse into the cream cheese. This is an added bonus when it comes to all the preparation needed for the turkey feast alone.

In October of 2025, we published a version of this ‘apricot root vegetable’ combination in a cake format. Brion & I just loved it, so this year I though I would bring the idea back to life in a cheesecake form. Worked out great!

Print Recipe

Apricot Veg Cheesecakes

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:

Rate this recipe!

Course

dessert

Cuisine

British

Keyword

mini apricot veg cheesecakes

Servings

LARGE MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Streusel Crumb Topping

• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted & cooled

Vegetable Cake

• 100 gm carrots, peeled & finely grated
• 100 gm parsnips, peeled & finely grated
• 100 gm beets, peeled & finely grated
• 1 medium orange, zested
• 1/3 cup maple syrup SEE NOTES BELOW
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cuo olive oil
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 60 gm dried apricots, diced small
• 40 gm walnuts, pecans or pepita seeds, optional

Ginger Cream Cheesecake Filling

• 170 gm cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 4 tsp flour

Glaze (optional)

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tsp milk

Course dessert Cuisine British Keyword mini apricot veg cheesecakes Servings LARGE MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Streusel Crumb Topping 1/3 cup flour 3 Tbsp light brown sugar 3/4 tsp cinnamon 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted & cooled Vegetable Cake 100 gm carrots, peeled & finely grated 100 gm parsnips, peeled & finely grated 100 gm beets, peeled & finely grated 1 medium orange, zested 1/3 cup maple syrup SEE NOTES BELOW 2 large eggs 1/4 cuo olive oil 1 1/4 cup flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cardamom 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda pinch of salt 60 gm dried apricots, diced small 40 gm walnuts, pecans or pepita seeds, optional Ginger Cream Cheesecake Filling 170 gm cream cheese, room temperature 1 egg 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated 4 tsp flour Glaze (optional) 1/3 cup powdered sugar 2-3 tsp milk

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Streusel

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar & cinnamon. Add cooled melted butter & whisk with a fork to make coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Ginger Cream Filling

1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, egg, sugar, ginger & flour just to combine. Set aside.

Cake Batter

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 8 muffin cups with large paper liners.
2. Finely dice the apricots & set aside. Peel & finely grate beets. Place between paper towels to absorb some of the juice (and color). Finely grate carrots & parsnips & place in a large bowl. Zest an orange & add to the vegetables in the bowl.
3. Pour in the syrup, eggs & olive oil & blotted beets. Using a fork, mix batter to just combine. Fold in the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
4. Add apricots to the bowl along with the nuts/seeds, then mix everything until just combined but DO NOT OVERMIX.

Assembly

1. Place a scoop of cake batter in the bottom of 8 lined muffin cups. Gently make a small depression in the center of each. Divide the ginger cream filling between the 8 cups placing a generous spoonful in the depression.
2. Top the filling with the remaining cake batter. Spoon the streusel over each cheesecake/muffin.
3. Bake about 28-30 minutes or until the cheesecakes test done with a toothpick. Remove from oven & cool 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. If using glaze, whisk powdered sugar with milk, start with a tsp of milk & add more if needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cheesecake/muffins.

Recipe Notes

If you are like me, maple syrup is not something I usually have on hand. Here's a good substitute ... 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water & 1/4 tsp maple extract. Place the sugar & water in a small saucepan. Simmer on low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved & mixture thickens slightly, 3-5 minutes. Stir in maple extract (adjust to taste). Allow to cool before using (mixture thickens as it cools).
• I made these a large size but do them in whatever size your occasion calls for.