FIRST HOME, FIRST MEAL

What better way than to celebrate Easter than with these cute, mini striped no-bake cheesecakes from Lakeland. Perfect for that special Easter treat, they are sure to be a hit with all the family

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

 25g butter

 6 digestive biscuits nely crushed

 1 sachet of powdered gelatine

 80ml just-boiled water

 350g cream cheese

 80g caster sugar

 1.5tsp vanilla extract

 120ml double cream

 2-3 drops of yellow, pink and blue food colouring

To decorate

 100ml double cream

 Mini chocolate eggs

Method

1 Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat and mix in the biscuit crumbs, stirring to coat. Divide between six of the holes in the mini sandwich tin and press down with the back of a spoon to give even layers. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

2 Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the just-boiled (not boiling) water in a small jug. Stir well and leave to dissolve into a clear liquid for 5-6 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract together. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it holds its shape. Fold into the cream cheese mixture. Slowly pour in the gelatine liquid, stirring it in thoroughly.

4 Divide the mixture into three equal portions in separate bowls. Add 2-3 drops of yellow food colouring to one bowl, pink colouring to the second and blue to the third, taking care not to add too much, and mix until the colour is evenly combined.

5 Share half the yellow mixture between two of the holes containing biscuit bases, half the pink between two more, and half of the blue into the last two. Carefully spread out into even layers, trying not to get the mixture up the sides of the tin.

6 To make your cheesecakes multi-coloured, add a second layer of contrasting colour to each hole. Level the tops of the cheesecakes by drawing a knife across the surface of the mini sandwich tin. Chill for 1-2 hours.

7 Carefully turn out the cheesecakes by pushing the bases upwards from underneath. To decorate, whip the double cream until it holds its shape, then spoon into a piping bag tted with a star nozzle. Pipe swirls on top of each cheesecake, then ll the centre of each swirl with mini chocolate eggs. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

8 Tips: You could freeze the cheesecakes in the tin – you may nd that they are easier to remove (they’ll thaw in about 45 minutes). If you want to make 12 mini cheesecakes, simply double the quantity of ingredients.

Mini Striped Easter Cheesecakes

Perfect for making mini cheesecakes or Victoria sponges, the non-stick loose bases ensure an easy release. To add to its long-term durability, the tin has 1mm thick carbon steel and two layers of Quantum 2 professional non-stick to make it easy to clean. And it can even go in the dishwasher because there are no rolled or uncoated edges for water to collect in. Plus, it has generously sized sure-grip handles and comes with the Lakeland three-year guarantee.

Lakeland 12 hole loosebased mini sandwich tin, £19.99 lakeland.co.uk