Lime cheesecake with white chocolate and strawberries
Recipe for a fresh cheesecake with lime, white chocolate and fresh strawberries.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
Biscuit base
- 225 g digestive biscuits
- 60 g almonds
- 125 g butter
Cream cheese filling
- 250 g full-fat cream cheese
- 300 ml whipping cream (38% fat)
- 100 g white chocolate
- 100 g icing sugar
- 3 1/2 leaves gelatine
- 2 limes, juice and finely grated zest - you will need about 75 ml of juice
You will also need
- Fresh strawberries and finely grated lime zest for the top
- 1 cake ring or springform tin, approx. 18-20 cm
- Acetate cake collar
Instructions
Biscuit base
- Melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Blitz the biscuits to fine crumbs.
- Blitz or chop the almonds finely – they should keep a little texture.
- Mix the biscuit crumbs and almonds with the melted butter and stir well. Line the base of a springform tin with baking parchment, then fit an acetate collar around the inside of the ring. If using a cake ring, place it on a chopping board with a piece of baking parchment underneath and line the inside of the ring with acetate.
- Tip the biscuit mixture in and press it down firmly so the whole base is covered and the mixture is tightly packed – this stops the base crumbling when you cut the cake.
- Chill in the fridge while you make the cream cheese filling.
Cream cheese filling
- Soak the gelatine leaves in a large bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a bain-marie and let it cool slightly – but not so much that it sets.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks – take care not to overwhip it.
- Stir the cream cheese together with the melted chocolate, icing sugar and finely grated lime zest. Stir until the filling is completely smooth and free of lumps.
- Fold the whipped cream into the filling, taking care not to knock the air out of it.
- Melt the soaked gelatine in a small saucepan over the very lowest heat – it only takes a few seconds, so keep an eye on it. Do not squeeze the gelatine before melting; the little water that clings to it makes the melting easier to control. Take the pan off the heat as soon as the gelatine has melted.
- Stir the lime juice into the gelatine – add a little at a time. Stir with a spoon until all the lime juice has been added – this way you ensure the gelatine does not form lumps when it is mixed into the filling.
- If the liquid is still on the warm side, also stir a couple of large spoonfuls of the filling into the gelatine and lime juice, and stir until it is free of lumps and the mixture has cooled. Test with your little finger whether it is cold enough to fold into the filling; if not, add another spoonful.
- Fold the gelatine and lime juice into the filling and stir gently until smooth. Taste and add more lime juice or zest if needed.
- Pour the filling over the biscuit base – spread it with a spoon if needed, and tap the tin gently on the worktop to knock out any air bubbles.
- Return the cake to the fridge and let it set for at least 3 hours – preferably overnight.
- Decorate the cake with fresh strawberries and finely grated lime zest.