Strawberry, Lime And Basil No-Bake Cheesecake

I have to admit, I've been off the cake market for some time. I'm not having a cake affair, I promise (I am not cheating on cake with vegetables!), but I have been busy with exams and work and the like.

Cake, will you be my best friend again??

I've entered my recipe into the Rix Aga Inspired Recipes Competition for June! The theme this month is strawberries, so I think I'm in pretty good shape here :) 





Last week, I went to Taste Of London (where I casually met Michel Roux, who poked me because I was being slow and a bit shy to order at the La Gavroche stall where he was serving. That's right, I got poked by Michel Roux!!!! But more on that in another post) and there was a stall selling jam.

One of the flavours was strawberry, lime and basil, and I loved it! It was incredible, it was inspiration, and then it was very quickly in my mouth. Yummy. So I decided my next recipe was going to be this, in cheesecake form. The combination works incredibly well.

I call it strabaslimeberry cheesecake. 

Enjoy =) 

(I went a little snap happy with the photos... well, actually my boyfriend did who helped me take all of the photos. He says hello!)



No-bake cheesecake is really the easiest thing to make. It doesn't take very long (apart from chilling time, but you just chill during chilling time and don't need to do anything!) at all. 

I'd say that no-bake cheesecake is a lot creamier than New York style cheesecake (the baked type). Just so you know. I prefer it, it's just really...melty...mmmm...

Did you know, strawberries can help whiten your teeth? The acids in the fruit help to remove stains!

Here are step by step instructions below, and you can see the full recipe at the bottom.



Making the digestive biscuit crumb case. I chopped basil and put it into the base for that basil kick. I would recommend you chop it really really fine though, otherwise it get's a bit bitty when you're eating the cheesecake.



Oh, oh! Tip of the day: when trying to get the most juice from a lime/lemon/orange, stab it with a fork and then squeeze it. For even more juice, put the fruit in cold water for two or three minutes then squeeze again.

(This actually reminds me of something from Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince. Remember Harry finds Snape's old book and it has tips in it and one of them was to crush the Sopophorous bean with flat side of silver dagger, which releases juice better than cutting. I don't have a silver dagger and I don't know what a Sopophorous bean is but you get my drift. Sort of.)



Squeeze the juice in to the cream cheese and icing sugar with the zest of one grated lime...



If you managed to make it this far into my post (firstly, congratulations!), then I can tell you now that Tesco's are selling 1kg of strawberries for £3.50. Yes £3.50! You might have to look around a bit in the store but I found it in the Canary Wharf store, so run and get some while you can! And make jam with the leftovers!



Mixing the strawberries into the cream cheese and double cream mixture...



I did mix it afterwards, I promise.



When I make cheesecake, I always line the loose bottomed tin with clingfilm. This way, when you want to get the cheesecake out I take away the sides and lift it on to a plate. Then, use two big flat spatulas and lift up the cake a tiny bit and gently slide away the clingfilm at the bottom.



Decorate with strawberiies, maybe some basil, maybe a squeeze of lime! Whatever tickles your fancy.

Glad to be friends with you again cake, I think we'll have a great summer together! I promise I'll never leave you again.

Strawberry, Lime And Bail No-Bake Cheesecake Serves 8-10 Takes about 45 mins to an hour, plus chilling time (overnight) 350g digestive biscuits 125g butter, melted 2 limes A bunch of basil, very finely chopped 600g full fat soft cheese 125g icing sugar 300ml pot double cream  400g punnet strawberries First, make the base: Line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with cling film, making sure the edges go over the side (this helps you lift it out easier). Put the digestive biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs (you can use a rolling pin or throw it against the wall for some stress relief, but I’d recommend double bagging it). Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over 125g melted butter. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Tip them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge for 1 hr to set firmly. Whilst the base is chilling, make the cheesecake. Place the soft cheese and icing sugar into a large mixing bowl. Grate in the zest of one lime and squeeze in the juice of both (tip: stab the limes with a fork to get more juice out of it). Whisk with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour in the double cream and beat until combined (don’t over-whisk). Hull and quarter about three quarters of the strawberries and mix into the cream mixture (don’t worry if it bleeds, creates a beautiful pink colour!) Spoon the mixture onto the cheesecake bottom, evening out the top with a spatula. Put back in the fridge to set overnight. To unmould, take the cheesecake out of the fridge and ask a friend to help you lift it out. Both of you take the edges of the clingfim and lift out slowly onto a plate. You can try and slide the cake off the clingfilm by lifting the cheesecake bottom up with two spatulas and gently sliding the clingfilm off. Be careful it doesn’t fall apart at this point! Hull the remaining strawberries and place on top, and decorate with a few basil leaves.