How to Paint Cheesecake Easter Eggs plus an Easter Extravaganza

Handpainted Cheesecake Easter Eggs

For years I have been painting candy molds with brightly colored white chocolate and wondered if the same artistic technique could work with colorful cheesecake filling. It does!

In the past, I've successfully used shaped silicone molds to create Conversation Heart Cheesecakes, Rainbow Cheesecake Hearts, and Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins. While making my rainbow cheesecakes for Valentine's Day, I started thinking about using the colored filling to actually paint a design into the mold.  I knew the perfect opportunity to try this would be at Easter as I owned just the right molds.

My silicone Easter egg molds have indentations that can be filled with the colored cheesecake. The designs are simple, making it easy to paint with the filling. Just as I do with my chocolates,  I froze the painted mold before filling it full of cheesecake. Once baked and chilled I removed them from the silicone mold to find beautifully decorated Easter egg cakes. 

I experimented with two different batches of colored cheesecake to make my Easter eggs and couldn't decide which I liked better. 

Some were very brightly colored.

While others were soft and pastel.

Which do you prefer?

I look forward to serving these individual desserts this Easter. I also, may try my hand at re-creating some recipes from fellow bloggers that are being shared today in an Easter Extravaganza. I was invited to participate in this blogging event, and couldn't be more thrilled to be included with such amazingly talented bloggers. Once you read my cheesecake recipe, you'll see pictures of all the Easter projects. Be sure to visit their blogs to see their tutorials and recipes.

Hand-painted Cheesecake Easter Eggs (makes 8)

Ingredients:

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
food coloring in your choice of colors (I used pink, yellow, violet, and green)

Special Supplies Needed:

food processor or a mixing spoon
paint brushes (clean and used for food only)
2 silicone Easter Egg Molds (by Wilton, Ganz, or Wholeport)
optional: roasting pan (with or without a flat rack) or a 9"x13" baking pan*

*NOTE: These cheesecakes will have the creamiest texture if they are baked in a water bath. Just fill a large roasting pan or a 9" x 13" baking dish with enough water to come 1/2 way up the sides of your silicone Easter egg molds. Set the water filled pan on the lower middle rack in your oven. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  

I own a roasting pan that has a flat rack that fits inside. It is perfect for making these cheesecakes as you can set the filled mold on the rack and easily lower it into the hot water bath. 

You don't have to use the water bath, but I do highly recommend it.

Instructions: 

Make cheesecake filling: combine cream cheese, sugar, heavy whipping cream, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor, pulse until smooth. 

If you don't have a food processor, mix cream cheese and sugar together until well blended. Add whipping cream, eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.

You can make your cheesecakes any color you like. To make 8 pastel colored cheesecake eggs, spoon about a tablespoonful of cheesecake filling into a small bowl. Stir in violet food coloring until you get the shade you desire (I made too much of the violet, as you can see in the photo.) Repeat with green coloring. Divide the remaining cheesecake filling into two bowls and tint one pink and the other yellow.

Dip a paint brush into your colored cheesecake filling and use it to paint the indentations in the silicone Easter egg mold. Paint just enough cheesecake filling in the mold to cover the indentation. If you paint too much, it will drip out. If that happens, just wipe the excess off the mold.

Use as many different colors as you'd like.

Note: If you are going to make a pink egg, don't paint with pink. If making a yellow egg, don't use yellow.

Once you have painted all of the indentations in 8 Easter eggs, freeze the molds for 15 minutes.

NOTE: I found that when I placed the mold with just a few filled eggs into the water bath, it floated a bit, so I poured some rice into a few of the cavities to weigh it down. I suggest, instead, to paint just the four eggs in the corners of each mold, leaving the center two eggs empty. Then your molds will be more evenly weighted.

If you haven't already prepared a water bath in the oven, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

If using a water bath and you have a flat rack for inside your roasting pan, set your mold on the rack. If not using a water bath, I recommend setting your Easter egg mold on a baking sheet, so it's easy to move once filled.

Pour cheesecake filling into the Easter egg mold, filling each egg shaped cavity to about 1/8th of an inch from the top edge. The cheesecake will expand a bit while baking and you don't want it to puff up and over the edge.

You will have some extra cheesecake filling. It's wont be enough to make a full egg, but you can just pour all the extra filling into another egg in the mold. Just pour all the different colors into the mold. This egg will make a nice little snack for you later on. You know you'll want to dig into one. This way you wont have to ruin a nicely decorated egg.

Bake your cheesecakes for 18-22 minutes until the top forms a smooth film and the center is still giggly but not wet.

Allow your cheesecakes to cool at room temperature for an hour then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Freeze for 1-2 hours before un-molding.

Carefully turn the silicone mold upside down, gently tug at the mold pulling it away from the cheesecake, then press the backside of the mold, allowing the Easter egg cheesecake to fall out of the mold.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a few days. The cheesecakes will need to be quite cold in order to pick them up and move them onto dessert plates, so either put them on dessert plates as you un-mold them or be sure to plate them immediately after removing them from the refrigerator.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the Cheesecake Easter Eggs from the refrigerator and allow them to come up to room temperature.

I finished eating one of these cheesecakes while writing this post, as my mouth was watering about mid way through my description. They are so creamy and have a nice vanilla flavor. I hope you have fun working with this new food painting technique.

Are you ready to see some more incredible Easter projects. I was invited to join in on an Easter Extravaganza and couldn't be more thrilled to be included with such amazingly talented bloggers and can't wait to visit all of their sites to see their recipes and tutorials. Just click on the pictures and you'll be re-directed to their blogs.

See all these amazing Easter projects at these blogs:

3D Easter Bunny by Marielle - De Koekenbakkers
Chick Cupcakes by Robin - Bird On A Cake
Mrs. Bunny Centerpiece by Myriam - Chapix Cookies
Cheesecake Easter Eggs by Beth - Hungry Happenings
Cho "Bunny" Greek Yogurt Pops by Jill - Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons
Hidden Easter Eggs by Stephanie - Ellie's Bites
Easter Egg Cupcakes by Liz - Hoosier Homemade
Easter Treat Pouches by Elena - Just Me
Mini Meringue Cake by Karyn - Pint Sized Baker
Bunny Cake by Kathia - Pink Little Cake
Easter Gumball Machine by Marlyn - Montreal Confections
Easter Island by Laura - A Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe
Easter Bunny Sandwich by Michelle - Creative Food
Bunny Garland by Sue - Munchkin Munchies
Egg Hunt Pound Cake by Jennifer - Not Your Momma's Cookie
Dutch Easter Egg by Lorraine - Lorraine's Cookies
Easter Egg Painting Chicks by Mike - Semi Sweet
Easter Basket Cookies by Amber - Sweet Ambs Cookies
The Carrot Patch Cake by Kim - The Partiologist
Cookie Bunny Pop by Meaghan - The Decorated Cookie
Pretzel Bunnies by Sarah - Miss CandiQuik
I, Robot Egg Cookie by Hani - Haniela's

To make this Easter Extravaganza even more extravagant,

 here is a re-cap off all the Easter projects from Hungry Happenings.

Crescent Dough Carrots

Bunny Snack Cakes

Coconut Cake Ball Chicks

Candy Carrots

Ravenous Rabbit Cupcakes

Easter Egg Veggie Pizza

Peanut Butter Fudge Filled Chubby Chocolate Bunnies

Carrot Shaped Veggie Pizzas

Daisy Pastries

Swirling Sweets - Chocolate Dipped Marshmallow Pops

Cheesecake Carrots

Chocolate Bunny Silhouettes

How to make hand painted Easter Chocolates

Homemade Sour Gummy Bunnies

Down the Bunny Hole Push-up Pops

Easter Egg Breakfast Pastries

Rice Krispies Treat Easter Chick Pops

Deviled Egg Daisy

Thanks for sharing this on Pinterest, Facebook, 

your blog, etc. by using the buttons below. 

Please post one picture, mention

 and link back to Hungry Happenings.

Be sure to send pictures of your

 recipe recreations

to share in the Readers' Gallery

to beth@hungryhappenings.com.

For a complete list of linky parties I attend, go here. 

Thank you for visiting Hungry Happenings 

- Beth

Items used to make this project are available for sale on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)