Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Bars

These cheesecake bars are fresh and fruity and so creamy and delicious. They have a buttery biscuit base, a creamy cheesecake filling packed with strawberries, topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Hands-on time 20min plus 4 hrs chilling. Makes 16.

FOR THE BASE: • 250g digestive biscuits • 100g unsalted or salted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING: • 500g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature • 150g icing sugar • 1 tsp vanilla extract • Pink food colouring (optional) • 100g fresh strawberries diced

FOR THE TOPPING: • 200ml cold double cream • 8 fresh strawberries, halved to decorate

FOR THE BASE: 1 Line a 20cm square baking tin with nonstick baking paper. 2 Put the biscuits into a food processor and process until finely crushed. Alternatively, put them into a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Tip into a medium mixing bowl, then pour in the melted butter and mix with a spoon until fully combined. 3 Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of your prepared tin with the back of a spoon, then pop into the refrigerator while you make the filling.

FOR THE FILLING: 4 In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract and pink food colouring, if using, with an electric hand mixer until smooth, then fold through the diced strawberries. 5 Remove the chilled base from the refrigerator, then spoon on the filling, smoothing it out to the edges. 6 Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4hrs, or overnight, until completely set. Cut into 16 squares.

FOR THE TOPPING: 7 Whip the cream with an electric hand mixer to stiff peaks. Pipe the whipped cream in a swirl on top of each square. Place half a strawberry into the whipped cream, as shown in the photo, for decoration. (I find it easiest to do the topping after the cheesecake has been cut into squares.) 8 Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.