Chocolate Orange and Ginger Easter Egg Cheesecakes

1. To make the candied orange, slice your orange perpendicular to the poles then cut each slice in half for a perfect crescent shape.
2. Add your water and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the orange halves and simmer for 20 minutes until you have a thick, syrupy mixture.
3. Remove the slices using tongs and place onto a baking tray lined with parchment to dry overnight.
4. To make the Easter eggs, break 500g chocolate (this is the combined weight of chocolate for both the eggs and cheesecake) into cubes and place in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.
5. Allow the chocolate to melt, mixing every now and then until you have a smooth, glossy and pourable consistency. Set aside 100g to cool slightly for your cheesecake.
6. Half-fill each mould with chocolate, turning the mould so the chocolate covers all of the surface area, then tip upside down to remove the excess. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.
7. Repeat this process until you have used all the chocolate and leave to set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
8. Once set, carefully peel away the silicone mould to reveal your shiny chocolate egg halves. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to fill them.
9. To make the ginger shortbread, preheat the oven to 170C / 340F.
10. Beat the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until smooth.
11. Sift in the flour and ginger and mix until the dough begins to come together, then turn onto a clean work surface and use your hands to form a ball of dough.
12. Place your dough between two sheets of baking paper, and use a rolling pin to gently roll out the dough until it’s 0.5cm thick.
13. Use a small flower biscuit cutter to cut flowers out from the dough, then place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
14. Bake in the oven for 6-10 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.
15. To make the cheesecake, begin by crushing the gingernut biscuits either in a food processor, or by placing in a sandwich bag and bashing with a rolling pin.
16. Then make your chocolate, orange and ginger no-bake cheesecake by combining the mascarpone, soft cheese, icing sugar, ground ginger, orange zest, cordial and cocoa powder in another bowl, then slowly drizzle in the chocolate, stirring to combine.
17. Whip the cream until just thickened and then fold into the chocolate mix until it’s even in colour. Spoon the cheesecake mixture into a piping bag and snip off the end.
18. To assemble the cheesecakes, scatter two heaped tablespoons of crushed gingernut biscuits into one half of the Easter eggs, then pipe in the cheesecake filling.
19. Grate a little extra chocolate onto the top of the cheesecake using a fine grater.
20. Place a shortbread flower into each, followed by a chocolate egg and an orange half.
21. Finish by topping the eggs with the remaining halves and dust the top with cocoa powder. Serve immediately.

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