Foodie Friday On Saturday - No Bake Creme Egg Cheesecake

It a strange thing  to say it but I have mixed feeling about this post - On one hand this is one delicious, recipe that's perfect for an Easter Weekend but on the other, I'm now loathed to associate myself with the joke that is now the Cadbury's Creme Egg.

As if a significant price hike, and changes in the size of a multi pack wasn't bad enough, they went and changed the chocolate. Some people haven't been able to taste the difference but when you have a palette as accustomed to chocolate as I do, the difference is obvious. To me they now just taste like a bowl of sugar, they are even more tooth achingly sweet than they ever were, and I personally can't even taste the chocolate any more - wahhhh - a British institution destroyed in an instant!

For the purpose of this recipe though I'm going to have get past that - they are just a small part of what is a very beautiful thing. This recipe could of course be made with any sweets that you like, I'm thinking Rolo's, Caramel Bites, or even pieces of any caramel filled chocolate bar but since it's Easter I guess I have to use these, egg shaped imposter's!

Unfortunately I can't claim this recipe as my own, I have a huge bagful of recipes torn from magazines, and recipes like this one hurriedly copied onto scraps of paper. If you know where this recipe originally came from then I'd love to know, so I can give them credit for a beautiful, if calorific invention x

No Bake Creme Egg Cheesecake

125g Butter

300g Chocolate Digestives (Mine Are Tesco Free From)

100ml Double Cream

200ml Soured Cream

700g Room Temperature Cream Cheese 

200g Icing Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Bags Of Mini Cadburys Creme Eggs - Chilled

200g Milk Chocolate 

Butter For Greasing 

1. For this recipe you will need a loose bottomed cake tin x You can line the tin with clingfilm or foil but I have faith in my ancient cook wear so I just greased the base and the sides with butter and crossed my fingers very tightly!

2. Put your butter into a pan and let it melt over a low heat 

Then it's time to crush your biscuits you can either do it like I have but putting them in a food processor or you can put them into a sealed plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin until you have nothing but crumbs. 

Then mix the crumbs with the melted butter, until you have a bowl of melted chocolate and butter coated crumbs

then press the mixture into the base of you cake tin - smooth it right to the edges and make sure you get as even a layer as possible, I usually find pressing it down with a potato masher works a treat. Then either put it in the fridge or a cool place for at least 20 minutes until it's firm.

3. You now need two mixing bowls x In the first bowl add the vanilla extract, the soured cream, and the cream cheese. I'm using Aldi's Cheese Emporium version here which is just as nice as Philadelphia and a bit cheaper, it really does need to be room temperature otherwise it just won't mix together.

Then gradually sieve in the icing sugar,

and mix everything together until it's smooth

4. In a separate bow whip the double cream until it's thick

and then carefully fold it in to the cheese mixture.

5. Open and unwrap one packet of Creme Eggs, It isn't essential that these are chilled but I think it makes them easier to cut. Cut each one in half, you can either do it anyway you like but I tend to do it width ways because they don't seem to break up as much that way.

Then carefully fold the Creme Eggs into your cheesecake mix, until they're distributed evenly.

Then pour the mix over your biscuit base, again try if you can to make sure that the Creme Eggs are distributed evenly throughout the cheesecake, Smooth out the top and then put your tin into the refrigerator or a cool place for at least 2-4 hours until it's set. I actually left mine overnight this time and it was fine. It might be worth putting your tin either on a tray or a plate just in case you get any liquid coming out of the bottom. I would also recommend that you cover the tin up either with some cling film or a plate, just to stop any drips from anything else in the fridge.

6. Once your cheesecake is set it's time for the fun, if slightly scary part. Melt your milk chocolate either in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of boiling water.

Then, take a deep breath and pour the melted chocolate all over the top of your cheesecake - smooth it so the top of the cheesecake is completely covered. 

Then take your second bag of mini Creme Eggs and press them into the chocolate to decorate your cheesecake. You can either leave them whole or cut them in half. I like the contrast of the yellow and white against the chocolate so I chopped some of mine in half.

Wait a few moments for the chocolate to cool then return the cheesecake to the fridge for around 20 minutes or so until the chocolate has set.

7. If that was scary the next part is terrifying - it's time to take it out of the tin. In an ideal world you'll loosen the clips and a perfect cheesecake will slip from the sides of the tin. This is real life though and things don't always go to plan! I tend to loosen the clips and then go around the edges with a thin palette knife to ease it out and I nearly always end up using a palette knife to smooth the sides down. 

If all else fails  though and if it sticks or drops to pieces it's isn't the end of the world. I'm sure it will still taste fine no matter what, after all it's what's on the inside that counts.

This cheesecake is very rich and indulgent but it isn't as sweet as what you'd think. I'd  recommend cutting it with a hot knife so you get a clean cut through the chocolate layer. It's not the worlds best cutter by any means so you probably won't end up with a food stylist perfect wedges but it will still taste great even if it ends up in an untidy heap.

If you can't eat it all at once (could anyone?) it will last for a couple of day in the fridge, covered up or in an airtight container.

To be honest by the end of this Bank Holiday I think I'm going to be well and truly chocolated out what with this, and my Easter eggs but at least I'm safe in the knowledge that I won't be the only one wandering around in a brown and white, sweet and creamy haze. Never mind it is only once a year, and as they always say a little bit of what you fancy does you good, these are my cliches and I'm sticking to them ! Thanks for reading and happy scoffing x