This delicious Mini Egg Cheesecake makes the perfect No-Bake Easter Dessert. The creamy, smooth Philadelphia filling is filled with crunchy chocolate mini eggs. Encased in a biscuit base and topped in even more Easter eggs, this special dessert will please both adults and kids alike.
I am loving No-Bake Cheesecake desserts and have been willing Easter to come so that my favourite Easter chocolate, Cadbury's Mini Eggs, could hit the shelves and I make this indulgent Mini Egg Cheesecake. Like my Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake and my Double Chocolate Cheesecake desserts, this brilliant Easter cake sets in the fridge and needs zero bake time.
The base is crumbly and sweet, made from digestive biscuits (I give you an alternative for Graham Crackers) and filled with a vanilla bean cream cheese filling. But wait, there's more. Crushed mini eggs are folded into the filling and then once set, even more mini eggs are used for decoration! I mean, c'mon ... this screams amazingness! A light, mousse-like, creamy texture, crumbly biscuits and crunchy mini eggs - heavenly!
Is this Mini Egg Cheesecake indulgent, absolutely! But is it one hundred per cent worth it? Of course! It's most definitely not an everyday cake, but we're allowed an over the top treat right?! A little bit goes a long way with this decadent treat.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Uses the best of the best Easter chocolate! I love, like big-time love Cadbury's Mini Eggs and the minute they hit the supermarket shelves, I am stocking up. The crispy shell and creamy milk chocolate work really well against the smooth vanilla cheesecake filling and biscuit base.
- Easy to make yet delicious and beautiful. I mean, it's the trifecta of all desserts. Super simple to put together (no oven required!), tastes incredible (flavour is everything) and looks stunning (keep it simple or go to town, either way, it's a beauty).
- Make ahead. This cheesecake is best when left overnight in the refrigerator to set fully making this the perfect make-ahead dessert for your Easter dessert table.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
I adore this recipe as it only requires 8 ingredients to make and you end up with an incredibly tasty Easter dessert. Read over the list below as even though there are so few ingredients, there are a couple of points to note.
Biscuit crust
- Digestive Biscuits - Digestive biscuits are the most common ingredient to create a cheesecake base here in the UK. In my view, they have enough sweetness so that only butter is needed to bring the crust together. In the US, use graham crackers as an alternative, but they'll need a ¼ cup of white or light brown sugar added into the biscuits when crushing them to provide sweetness and flavour.
- Butter - I prefer to use unsalted as I add in salt into the cream cheese filling. Melt the butter in the microwave for a couple of seconds until melted. It forms the glue of the biscuit crust when it chills.
Vanilla cream cheese filling
- Cream. It’s important to use double (heavy) cream for this no-bake chocolate cheesecake as it contains 48% fat. The high fat content allows the cream to whip and stabilizes the structure of the cheesecake as it sets. If you want to use a lower fat % cream then refer to my FAQ section below for my recommendation.
- Cream cheese. Full fat Philadelphia cream cheese is the best cream cheese to use due to it's thickness and creaminess. Both necessary factors when making this cheesecake. If you can buy it in block form then definitely go with that. If you can only purchase it in tubs then refer to my tip below.
- Powdered icing sugar. (Confectioners' sugar) This helps stabilise the cream - don't reduce the quantity as it will affect the consistency.
- Vanilla bean paste. Two whole teaspoons are added into the filling to provided a beautiful, rounded vanilla taste to the filling. Alternatively, scrape the seeds out of a vanilla bead or use vanilla extract. I love the visual of seeing the vanilla beans within the creamy filling.
- Salt. Salt is essential for balancing out any sweet dessert. With such rich ingredients, the salt helps to cut through these.
- Mini Eggs. I go for classic Cadbury's Mini Eggs as I adore the quality, colour and taste. If you have a prefer to use another brand, then please feel free to use it.
📖 Variations
I've given a couple of ideas below on how to change up each of the elements if you fancy it.
- Biscuit base: You can use whatever type of biscuits to create your perfect cheesecake crust. Cookies/biscuits that spring to mind are lotus biscuits, gingersnap cookies, chocolate digestive, bourbon biscuits, Oreo cookies or graham crackers. You may need to reduce the amount of butter used and the moisture content in some of these is higher and you don't want to be left with a greasy base.
- Cream cheese filling: Add 150g/6oz of melted dark chocolate or melted white chocolate into the cream cheese to create a luxurious chocolate filling. A White Chocolate Mini Egg Cheesecake really would be a decadent treat. Even swirl some caramel throughout the filling for added sweetness.
- Easter chocolates: By all means, swap out the mini eggs for your favourite Easter chocolate. Caramel filled mini eggs would be incredible chopped up throughout. Or what about oreo eggs .... I could go on. Basically, you do you and add-in and on whatever chocolate you'd prefer!
👩🏻🍳 How to Make
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
Make the biscuit base
1. Prepare the pan. A 23cm (9-inch) springform pan is prepped by lining the base with parchment paper. No need to line the sides as the biscuit crumbs go up the sides and once refrigerated and set, they release easily. (Image 1)
2. Blitz the cookies. Add the biscuits to a food processor and pulse them until the biscuits are reduced to a crumbly sand texture.
Then pour in the melted butter and pulse again. It will resemble wet sand and this is the perfect texture that we need (Image 2 & 3).
TIP: How to make the base without a food processor.
If you don't have a food processor, you can crush the biscuits just as effectively by hand. Add the biscuits into a sealable sandwich bag. Push out as much air and seal shut. Then bash with a rolling pin until the cookies are into crumbs. Pour into a bowl and mix in with a spoon, the butter.
3. Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate. Pour all the crumbs into the base of the prepared springform pan. It will look like a lot, but because we are creating an edge to the cheesecake, as well as a base, all of them will get used! Now we need to push them flat across the base and up the sides until the biscuit crumbs are compacted together into the tin. This will give you the best chance of having a sturdy shell for the Mini Egg Cheesecake filling (Image 4).
Pop the pan into the refrigerator for 30 minutes or into the freezer for 15 minutes whilst you make the filling. (I always go for the freezer option as it's quicker!)
TIP: The best utensil/product to press those crumbs down is a measuring cup. A ⅓ cup size one to be exact!! It has the right surface area and height on the sides to get a smooth finish.
Make the vanilla cream cheese filling
TIP: British Cream Cheese vs American Cream Cheese.
What’s the difference? The cream cheese sold in tub form in the UK has a much higher fat content than the brick/block equivalent. This higher fat equals more moisture in the cream cheese and this results in a no-bake cheesecake that won't set. AKA a soupy mess! That's a no-no!
How to remove the moisture: Place the cream cheese on a couple of paper towels, fold the paper over until the cream cheese is fully covered, and pat dry. Repeat with another couple of pieces of paper towel (Image 5 & 6). Good quality paper towel won't stick to the cream cheese and tear. Philadelphia that comes in brick/block does not need to go through this process.
1. Beat the cream cheese. (See TIP above if using cream cheese in a tub as opposed to a block). Next up the cream cheese gets beaten so that it can become creamy and smooth as opposed to lumpy (Image 7).
2. Whip the cream. Whipped cream is one of the main stabilises within the cheesecake. So you want to whip it enough for firm peaks to hold, but not so far as to make butter!! If you do think you took it too far, then add a bit more cream and whisk slowly again, and it will come back from the brink of over whipping.
I used a hand-held electric whisk but always slow it right down to low at the end, or finish it off by hand. But you can whip by hand if you like (Image 8). Set aside.
3. Add the powdered icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and salt to the cream cheese. Into the bowl with the whipped cream cheese, sift in the powdered icing sugar (you definitely want it lump-free), and add in the vanilla bean paste and salt. Beat with an electric handheld beater until just mixed in mixed. (Image 9)
4. Add the whipped cream to the cheesecake filling. Dollop the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling bowl and then fold through gently with a rubber spatula. You don't want to knock all that lovely air out as that's what helps create stability when the cheesecake sets (Image 10 & 11).
TIP: The easiest way to chop Mini Eggs
Chopping Mini Eggs with a sharp knife can be a little hair raising!! Those hard little shelves have them slipping from under the blade and flying all over the place. The easiest way I found is to place the eggs into a ziplock bak, remove the air and seal, then bash with a rolling pin. This crushes them in minutes!
5. Add the crushed mini eggs into the filling. Crush ⅔ of the mini eggs and add them to the cream cheese filling and fold them through until evenly distributed. (Set aside the remaining mini eggs to be used as decoration later). Note, the mini eggs need to be crushed quite finely as when the cheesecake is set and you slice into it, if they are left in large pieces, the chocolate is too hard compared to the filling and the cheesecake will just smoosh down! (Image 14 & 15).
6. Add the filling to the biscuit base, level off and refrigerate. Take the springform pan out of the fridge (or freezer) and you'll see that the melted butter in the biscuit crumbs has cooled and re-solidified creating a solid base for the filling to go into.
Spoon the cream cheese filling into the biscuit crust base and smooth with an offset spatular (Image 16). The filling level will go above the edge of the crust sides, but don't worry, smooth the filling right up to the edges of the pan (Image 17).
Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 6 hours. I actually recommend leaving it overnight as this gives the cheesecake the best chance for the filling to set in place but also allows for the flavours to develop.
7. Decorate! Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and de-mould. Once ready to serve, the mini egg cheesecake comes out of the fridge and it's time to remove it from the springform pan. Before doing that though, run a butter knife all the way around the inside edge of the springform pan, then release the clip and lift off the springform pan ring. Slide the cheesecake onto a serving plate.
Now you can decorate to your heart's content. Either pile up the remaining mini eggs in the centre or place them in a ring along with some chocolate shavings around the edge, as I did (Images 18 & 19). A couple of pretty flowers helps with the Spring, Easter theme. Then slice, serve and enjoy!
💭 Recipe Pro Tips
- Compact the biscuit crumbs for a sturdier base. A measuring cup is the best utensil to push the biscuit crumbs down. The more compact they are, the stronger your cheesecake shell will be when it comes to filling it.
- Whip the cream enough. The cream provides stability to the cheesecake but it has to be whipped to firm peaks to create that structure when chilled.
- Remove the moisture from the cream cheese. If there is any extra moisture from the tub form of cream cheese, you'll ruin your cheesecake - pat the cream cheese with a paper towel- you'll be surprised with how much comes out!
- Refrigerate the cheesecake. Don't cut down on the minimum chill time of six hours. I recommend overnight though!
- Slice the cake with a hot knife. To get clean neat slices through the mousse-like filling, using a hot knife is a must.
📋 Recipe FAQs
This could be because the ratios of the ingredients used could be slightly off. I recommend measuring your ingredients using digital scales for the most accurate. Also, make sure the full refrigeration time is used to ensure the cheesecake has time to set in place before serving.
Technically you can use a lower fat cream. Having said that, the lower the fat percentage, the ability for the cheesecake to set decreases considerably. I would suggest making individual cheesecakes in ramekins or cups instead of relying on a sliceable dessert. The taste will be identical. Half the quantity of the biscuit base and chocolate cheesecake filling. Spoon the biscuit crumbs into the base of your glass, then spoon the cheesecake filling over the top and serve with lots of delicious chocolate ganache and fresh berries.
Gelatin is definitely not required to make a successful no-bake cheesecake if you follow all my tips. These tips include whipping the cream enough, using the right type of cream, dealing with any moisture from the cream cheese and chilling it to set for the required time.
Absolutely you can! Use a 15cm/6-inch cake pan with a removable base. Line the base with greaseproof paper. Halve the ingredients for both the biscuit base and cream cheese filling. Follow the instructions of the recipe. Once the cheesecake is set, make sure to run a butter knife around the edge of the cake pan before pushing the base through. You'll have an adorable little Easter cake!
❄️ Storage and Freezer Instructions
To store: The cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
To freeze: The undecorated cheesecake can be frozen easily. Once it has set in the refrigerator, wrap well with plastic wrap, and then aluminium foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Do not freeze an unset cheesecake as the texture becomes affected and will turn grainy.
🐰 More Easter recipes
If you tried this No-Bake Mini Egg Cheesecake recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Easter No-Bake Mini Egg Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Biscuit crust base
- 300 g digestive biscuits
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla cream cheese filling
- 680 g Philadelphia cream cheese
- 480 ml double cream
- 180 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 400 g Cadbury Mini Eggs
Instructions
Make biscuit base
- Prepare the pan. Line the base of a 23cm (9-inch) springform pan with parchment paper. (No need to line the sides.)
- Blitz the cookies. Add the biscuits to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the biscuits are crumbled finely.Pour in the melted butter and pulse again until the crumbs resemble wet sand. (Alternatively, crush the biscuits by hand. Add the biscuits to a zip lock bag, remove as much air out as possible and close. Use a rolling pin to crush the biscuits. Add them to a bowl along with the melted butter and stir together thoroughly.)
- Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate. Pour the biscuit crumbs into the prepared springform tin and pack the crumbs into the base and up the sides. They need to be as compacted as possible so that they don’t crumble when cutting the cheesecake later. I recommend using a ⅓ measuring cup for this.Refrigerate the base for 30 minutes minimum or freeze for 15 minutes whilst you make the filling.
Make the vanilla cream cheese filling
- Beat the cream cheese. (See note below on cream cheese) In a medium-sized bowl, add the cream cheese and using hand-held electric beaters fitted with the paddle/beater attachment, beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the base and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Whip the cream. In a separate medium-sized bowl, add the cold cream and using hand-held electric beaters fitted with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Add the powdered icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and salt to the cream cheese. Into the cream cheese mixture sift in the powdered icing sugar, and add vanilla bean paste and salt and beat on medium speed until smooth, creamy, and combined.
- Add the whipped cream to the cheesecake filling. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold through with a rubber spatula until fully combined. Take care not to deflate all the air in the whipped cream by over mixing.
- Add the crushed mini eggs into the filling. Crush ⅔ of the mini eggs (see notes for an easy way to do this), add to the filling and fold through with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
- Add the filling to the biscuit base, level off and refrigerate. Remove the biscuit crust from the refrigerator, or freezer, and pour the vanilla cream cheese filling into it. Smooth the filling throughout the base and use an offset spatula to smooth off the top.Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 6 hours but I recommend leaving it overnight. This gives it the best chance to firm up.
- De-mould and decorate! Remove the cheesecake from the fridge, then using a knife, run the blade around the edge to loosen it, then release the springform pan rim and remove it carefully. SLide the base onto your serving plate.Decorate with the remaining mini eggs, chocolate shavings (optional) and Spring flowers (optional).
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Monica
Emma’s instructions are very clear and easy to follow, the tips on compacting the base with a measuring cup and drying out the cream cheese were extremely helpful.
The end result was absolutely delicious and I would make it again in a heartbeat, sadly mini-eggs won’t be around for another year, roll on next Easter!
Emma
So glad my instructions for this Mini Egg Cheesecake were easy to follow. I love sharing any little tips that I pick up in the kitchen. I wish mini eggs were around longer too - you could try substituting them with oreo cookies?!! Just a thought that I need to try!
Lee
This recipe is a huge crowd pleaser! The family were scrambling for the last little morsels of this cheesecake over Easter! Fabulous recipe Emma, thank you!
Emma
Hi Lee- Thank you so much for the fab review- it's a fantastic recipe to please a crowd- makes me so happy to imagine your family enjoying it!