COCONUT MACAROON AND LIME CHEESECAKE

I was nibbling on a batch of shop-bought coconut macaroons one afternoon and thought they were a little dry. I raided the fridge and found cream cheese and lime curd, so I put them both to good use and the idea for this cheesecake came instantly. The trick to a toothsome macaroon base is to combine the coconut with melted marshmallows before baking. And since marshmallows are a great setting agent, I used them for the filling, too, so there’s no need to bake that. Serves 10 Butter, for greasing 360g (12¼oz) white mini marshmallows 300g (10½oz) desiccated coconut 300g (10½oz) good-quality lime curd 450g (1lb) full-fat cream cheese Zest of 1 lime, finely grated Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin with baking parchment. For the coconut macaroon base, heat a pan of water over a low heat until it is barely simmering and put half of the marshmallows in a heatproof bowl with 1tbsp water. Set the bowl over the pan of water and stir the marshmallows until they melt into a thick goo.

Add the coconut to the marshmallows – still over the heat – and stir until well coated. Tip the mixture into the cake tin, grease your hands with a little oil and press the mixture into the base and up the sides, leaving the edges uneven (see picture). Bake the base in the oven for 20 minutes until it has turned a golden brown colour. It will puff up a little, so press it down gently as soon as it comes out of the oven and then leave it to cool.

For the filling, repeat the melting process with the remaining marshmallows and another 1tbsp water. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and beat in the lime curd, then the cream cheese vigorously with a whisk until smooth. Pour the filling into the cooled coconut base and refrigerate overnight until it is completely set. Sprinkle the grated lime zest over the top of the cheesecake before serving.