Mini Eggs are one of my favourite Easter chocolates, and since Easter encourages us to eat lots of chocolate anyway, I thought what's the harm in adding them to a chocolate cheesecake....and I can confirm this is definitely a good idea and it's gluten free!
I don't quite understand the term 'leftover' Easter eggs, urm I never have leftover Easter eggs, and therefore I recommend buying extra mini eggs just for this cheesecake, and if you can getting the larger bags are usually cheaper.
That's enough chat about chocolate, I know really you just want to get on and make this so you can eat it. Fair warning, you do have to chill this overnight, but it is worth the wait and you can lick out the bowl and steal a few mini eggs on the day you make it, no-one will notice I promise!
I adapted this recipe from a Nigella Lawson White chocolate cheesecake if you want something slightly less chocolatey but equally delicious.
Mini egg cheesecake:
Serves 12
Ingredients: Base: 200g gluten free shortbread biscuits 50g gluten free digestive biscuits 80g unsalted butter
Cheesecake: 200g white chocolate 400g cream cheese 300ml double cream 1tsp lemon juice 1tsp vanilla extract 400g mini eggs
Method:
Smash up the biscuits either by pulsing them in a blender/food processor or by putting the biscuits in a bag and using a rolling pin. You want them broken up small but not totally dust like
Melt the butter in a microwave till just fully liquid - usually between 45-75 seconds
Line the base of a springform tin (I use a 10-inch one to get a large shallow cheesecake)
Mix the biscuits and butter till fully combined and then press into the base of your tin
Now for the cheesecake. Roughly break up the chocolate and melt it in the microwave using 50% power so you don't overheat it. This takes anywhere between 3-5 minutes, so make sure you check and stir it regularly. The last few little lumps will melt afterwards so try to catch it just before it has fully melted.
Whip the cream to form soft peaks
Beat the cream cheese and melted chocolate together
Bit by bit add the whipped cream to the chocolatey mix until moussey and combined
Chop up half the mini eggs (or go ahead and beat them with a rolling pin again) and then gently fold them through the cheese mix with the vanilla and lemon juice
Spread the cheese mix over the biscuit base and chill overnight
Just before you serve the cheesecake, remove it from the tin and if you can transfer it to a plate, but be careful as it may be a little fragile. Then decorate your cheesecake with the remaining 200g of mini eggs. You don't want to do this more than an hour or 2 before you serve because the candy shell of the eggs will leak into the cheesecake (when you cut the cheesecake you'll see the shell has almost fully dissolved on the eggs inside the mix and just left the colour but that's okay)
Remove from the fridge 15 minutes before tucking in
Tip: If you can't find mini eggs I imagine this would work with smarties too
Note: I use gluten free biscuits and chocolate but you don't have to if you don't need to
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