Savour the sunshine

Enjoy a taste of summer with ve fruity recipes that make the most of the seasonal bounty

Strawberries and cream shortbread cheesecake

We’ve combined two favourites – strawberries with cream and cheesecake – into one frozen crowd-pleaser. 30 MINUTES + FREEZING | SERVES 8 | EASY

butter 60g, melted, plus extra for the tin

shortbread biscuits 150g, bashed into crumbs

double cream 200g

strawberries 300g, hulled and chopped

soft cheese 400g

icing sugar 100g

TO SERVE

double cream 150ml

icing sugar 2-3 tsp

strawberries 200g, halved

shortbread biscuits 2, bashed into crumbs

Butter and line a 20-22cm springform tin with baking paper. Mix the butter and biscuit crumbs in a bowl until it looks like damp sand, then press into the base of the tin using the back of a spoon. Chill while you make the filling.

2 Put the double cream and 100g of the chopped strawberries into a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds until you have a softly whipped cream – when you run a spoon through it, it should leave a channel and the cream should not fall back in on itself.

3 Mix together the soft cheese and icing sugar in a large bowl, then fold in the whipped strawberry cream and another 100g of the chopped strawberries. Tip the remaining 100g of chopped strawberries to the food processor (no need to clean it first) and whizz to a purée. Swirl this through the cheesecake mixture using a spoon or cutlery knife until it is just marbled.

4 Spoon the cheesecake filling over the biscuit base, smoothing the top using a spatula. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or overnight. It will keep, well covered, for two weeks in the freezer.

5 Remove the cheesecake from the freezer 15-20 minutes before you want to serve – it’s best when it’s defrosted slightly so the chunks of strawberry soften a little and there are no ice crystals in the fruit.

6 Whip together the double cream and icing sugar using an electric whisk to medium peaks, then spoon into a piping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle. Take the cheesecake out of the tin and remove the baking paper. Pipe swirls of the whipped cream around the top edge of the cheesecake. Top with the halved strawberries and biscuit crumbs. The cheesecake will keep in the fridge for 24 hours once sliced, but the base will soften as it thaws.

PER SERVING 468 kcals | fat 37.4G saturates 23.5G | carbs 27.7G | sugars 19.2G fibre 1.8G | protein 4.3G | salt 0.6G