Strawberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the Base

• 200g digestive biscuits
• 80g butter, melted

For the Filling

• 500g fresh Irish strawberries
• 500g cream cheese
• 80g icing sugar
• 250ml fresh double cream
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Line the base and sides of the tin with parchment paper.
2. To make the base, crush the digestive biscuits into fine crumbs and mix with the melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and use the back of a spoon to press it down firmly into an even layer. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
3. Slice enough strawberries to arrange in a neat row around the inside edge of the tin. This creates a pretty finish when the cheesecake is removed from the tin.
4. Whip the double cream to soft peaks and set aside.
5. Place the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat together using an electric mixer until smooth and well combined.
6. Finely dice 250g of the strawberries and fold them into the cream cheese mixture.
7. Add the lemon zest.
8. Gently fold in the whipped cream until fully incorporated, taking care not to overmix.
9. Spoon the filling into the prepared biscuit base and smooth the top with a spatula.
10. Refrigerate overnight, or until completely set.
11. Before serving, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and peel away the parchment paper.
12. Decorate the top with the remaining strawberries and serve.

Top Tip

For the best flavour, use ripe, sweet strawberries and pat them dry before adding them to the filling to prevent excess moisture from affecting the texture of the cheesecake.