Birthday Raspberry Cheesecake

Deliciously simple no-bake cheesecake!

I love cheesecake just as much as the next (wo)man, but PB's love of cheesecake is in another world. Another universe. If I made him cheesecake every day, he'd eat it. All of it. And he'd probably stay ridiculously skinny...

Anyway, I don't make cheesecake every day, and so, as a birthday treat, I made him my no-bake cheesecake.  What I love about not baking the mix is the lighter, fresher flavour...and a lot of saved time!  It is the simplest cheesecake you'll ever make.

Ingredients:

A couple of handfuls of raspberries

A tablespoon of icing sugar

200ml condensed milk

200ml double cream

150g butter

1 packed ginger nut biscuits (about 25)

Method:

Crush the ginger nuts in a blender, or, if you're like me, place them in a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin until they are a nice breadcrumb texture.  Don't fret if there are larger bits and smaller bits - that's all part of the fun.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the biscuits. Mix until really well coated in butter and flatten into a cake tin/flan tin. A loose-bottomed tin is best for serving, but not essential. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to harden up!

Place half of the raspberries into the same saucepan with the icing sugar onto a low heat.  Slowly reduce the fruit to a juice with small raspberry pieces. Leave to cool down completely.

Meanwhile whisk the double cream until very thick and volumised. Remember the cream will be thinned down with condensed milk and raspberry sauce and still has to be stiff enough to stand in the tin without support.

Slowly pour in the condensed milk, stirring all of the time, and then fold in the raspberry juice and fruit.  This does not need to be well mixed, as the 'raspberry ripple' effect is very pretty. Refrigerate until the base is hard enough and then scoop on top.

Decorate the top with any left over sauce and a gorgeously childish pattern or initial and give to someone you love.  I promise you it'll be appreciated.