Instant cheesecake

Everyone should have an instant cheesecake recipe in their repertoire – it’s quick and always a winner. Here’s my version, with a few extra variations. I don’t usually add gelatine to the basic recipe because I find it affects the silky texture; but if you feel that any of my variations (or your own) make it too runny and it won’t set properly, add a sachet of gelatine (set, then melted) just in case.

Basic lemon cheesecake

Makes 1 tart Preparation time: 10 minutes Baking time: 6 minutes Oven temperature: 160°C

• 1 packet (200g) Tennis biscuits, crumbled • about 80ml butter, melted FILLING • 1 tin condensed milk • 125ml lemon juice • 10ml lemon zest • 1 x 250g tub mediumfat cream cheese, at room temperature • 250ml cream, whipped

1 Make the crust Mix the biscuit crumbs with enough butter so that they stick together and line a tart pan to form a thin crust. Make sure it is evenly distributed and not too thick in the corners. Bake for 6 minutes in a preheated oven and then cool completely. Or leave unbaked in the refrigerator until needed.

2 Make the filling Beat the condensed milk, lemon juice and zest together rapidly until thick. Beat the cream cheese to soften it slightly (otherwise it makes the filling chunky) and then gradually beat in the condensed milk mixture. Fold in the cream and pour into the prepared crust. Refrigerate to set.

Surprise!

Arrange a layer of sliced strawberries on the crust before pouring in the filling – it’ll make for a lovely surprise when you slice the tart.