Easter No-Bake Mini Egg Cheesecake Recipe
A delightful Vanilla Cream Cheese Cheesecake filled with Mini Eggs with a buttery biscuit base. Simple to make yet a true showstopper, this make ahead, no-bake dessert is perfect for your Easter.
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 478kcal
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).
Notes
Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.
Cream Cheese: If using cream cheese from a tub the extra moisture may cause your cheesecake to be runny and not set. Place the cream cheese on a paper towel, fold the paper over until the cream cheese is fully covered, and pat dry. Repeat with another two pieces of paper towel. Philadelphia Cream Cheese that comes in brick/block does not need to go through this process.
How to crush Mini Eggs quickly: Place the eggs into a ziplock bak, remove the air and seal, then bash with a rolling pin. This crushes them in minutes!
To store: The cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator wrapped well in plastic wrap, 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. Thaw in the refrigerator and then slice and serve. Do not freeze an unset cheesecake as the texture becomes affected and will turn grainy.
Make ahead: This cheesecake makes for a great make-ahead dessert. You can make the biscuit crust 1-2 days ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Alternatively, make the biscuit crust and filling and refrigerate it undecorated for 2 days.
To make in a 15cm/6-inch cake pan: Use a 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.
TIP 1: 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.
TIP 2: 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.
TIP 3: 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 paper towels to remove some of the moisture.
TIP 4: Refrigerate the cheesecake. Don't cut down on the minimum chill time of six hours. I recommend overnight though!
TIP 5: Slice the cake with a hot knife. To get clean neat slices through the cream cheese filling, using a hot knife is a must.
Nutrition
Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1192IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg