Lime & Ginger Cheesecake

Okay Becky this one is for you. I was just trying to think where we were when I first had the pleasure of tasting it, I believe in your parent’s wonderful old kitchen at Well Cottage.  Since then I have made it more times than I can begin to count, which is perhaps why my measurements are no longer quite so precise, but regardless it always turns out exquisitely. This a very simple non-bake cheesecake, it has really fresh flavours that seem to please both those with and without a sweet tooth.  I even made it for my first Barcelona Thanks Giving last year, as a twist on a key lime pie, and it was a huge success.

Lime & Ginger Cheesecake

[Serves approx 8 -10, depending on the size of your tin and of course your serving portions!]

400g/1 – 2 packs Gingernut biscuits
500g Mascarpone cheese
4 – 5 Limes (juice & zest)
1/3 bar unsalted butter
Icing sugar

Whizz (or in my case bash) the biscuits until you have smooth crumbs.  In a small sauce pan melt the butter and pour into the biscuit crumbs; at this point the consistency should be such that if you flatten the crumbs with the back of a spoon they hold the shape. Transfer into your cheesecake tin (ideally a spring form cake tin, with removable bottom) and smooth out to make your base, place in the refrigerator to set.

Zest your you limes, if you don’t have a zester just use the smallest size on your grater. Once you have zested them it also makes them so much easier to squeeze. Then into a large bowl put the marscapone, lime juice and some of the zest (saving some for sprinkling later), mix together and add in icing sugar – this really is to your taste, I normally end up putting about a tablespoon of icing sugar per lime, but at this point you should keep mixing and sampling to find the right balance of tang versus sweet.

Spoon onto your base and smooth out with the back of a metal spoon, sprinkle with the remainder of the lime zest and place back in the refrigerator (ideally on a plate to catch any excess lime juice) for at least an hour or more if you have the time…

Really, I cannot recommend you try this more – Lorna