Lime and raspberry cheesecake tart

This lime and raspberry cheesecake tart is wonderfully fresh and zesty, with a creamy filling and bursts of sweet raspberries. I made it with a biscuit base because I had some biscuits to use up, but you could just as easily make it with your favourite shortcrust pastry or try one of the other tart bases on the blog. It’s a lovely, refreshing dessert that’s perfect for spring!

Ingredients for the biscuit base:

• 250 g plain biscuits
• 80 g butter, melted

Place the biscuits and melted butter in a food processor and blitz until the biscuits are finely crushed and the mixture resembles wet sand. If you don’t have a food processor, place the biscuits in a sturdy bag (such as a resealable bag) and crush them thoroughly with a rolling pin or a meat mallet. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the melted butter.

Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the base and up the sides of a 25 cm tart tin with a removable base (measured across the top). Alternatively, use a springform tin, lining the base and sides to a height of about 3 cm. Pre-bake at 190°C for 10 minutes.

Ingredients for the cheesecake filling:

• 500 g full-fat or semi-skimmed curd cheese, passed through a fine sieve three times
• 125 ml sour cream
• ⅔ cup caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk, from a large egg
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• finely grated zest of 2 small limes
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 200 g raspberries (if using frozen raspberries, thaw them first and drain thoroughly on kitchen paper)

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place all the cheesecake filling ingredients, except the raspberries, in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until just combined, or whisk by hand. Avoid overmixing, as incorporating too much air will cause the cheesecake to rise significantly and then sink as it cools. We want the surface to remain beautifully level after baking. Add the raspberries and fold them in gently.

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pre-baked biscuit base and bake at 160°C for about 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be set all over and firm to the touch. If necessary, extend the baking time slightly. Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature.

Additionally:

• 150 g raspberries
• icing sugar, for dusting

Once the cheesecake tart has cooled, scatter the extra raspberries over the top and dust with icing sugar. Serve.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Anna Olson.