• Bring all of the refrigerated ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream) to room temperature.

To make the crust:

• Stir together 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 6 tablespoons of melted butter, and 2 tablespoons of white sugar. The mixture should be crumbly and clumpy, but not very wet.
• Grease a 9” or 8” springform pan or a cake pan with a removable bottom. Then, press the graham cracker crust mix into the bottom of it. Create even layer (about one inch) of crust across, making sure to press the sides of the pan. 
• Bake the graham cracker crust at 350° for 10 minutes. Then, allow it to cool.

To make the filling:

• Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer and beat the 3 blocks of cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until they are smooth and creamy.
• Add in 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of sour cream.
• Beat the mixture again for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure that all of the ingredients are getting mixed together.
• With the mixer still running, add 3 eggs one at a time until they are thoroughly mixed in. Add 1 tbsp. of vanilla extract with the last egg.
• Roughly chop 2 cups of mini Cadburry eggs. They will roll when you try to chop them. So I recommend cutting them in half, then chop them roughly.

  Don’t powderize them. But try to avoid very large pieces of chocolate eggs as these can make the mini egg cheesecake hard to slice neatly. You can also place the Cadburry eggs in a plastic bag, seal it, and use a smooth-sided mallet to smash them.
• Fold the chopped Cadbury mini eggs into the cream cheese mixture. Then, pour it over the graham cracker crust.

To bake:

• Wrap the bottom of the cake or springform pan well with aluminum foil so that it comes up several inches around the bottom of the pan. This is to prevent water from getting into the cheesecake when you bake it in a water bath.
• Place the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan in a large baking or roasting dish. 
• Put the dish with the cheesecake in it on the center rack of the oven heated to 350°.
• Pour a few cups of water into the baking dish until there are between 1 and 2 inches of water up the side of the cheesecake pan.
• Bake the mini egg cheesecake for 50 minutes to an hour. To check if it is done, shake the pan very gently. The cheesecake should be mostly firm with a slight (barely) jiggle in the center, and the top should look dry. There may be a few browned spots, but you don’t want the top to be burnt.
• Turn off the oven and leave the door open, leaving the cheesecake in for about an hour so that it cools slowly. 
• Remove it from the oven after the hour is up and let it sit at room temperature for another hour before covering it well and refrigerating the Easter egg cheesecake overnight. It won’t be completely set up and solid until it has been chilled. Do try not to decorate or cut into it too soon!

To make the topping:

• Use the whisk attachment on your mixer, combine 1 cup of whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat, until it is thick, fluffy, and holds its shape on a spoon. 

To decorate:

• Use a piping bag and large star tip to create a nest in the center of the cheesecake and nestle a few eggs in it.
• Add a few more whipping cream stars and sprinkle a few extra crushed mini eggs and whole eggs over the top. You can pile the whipped cream and eggs high. Or spread it in a smooth layer (like frosting) and add eggs to the top of your mini egg cheesecake.