Sandcastle Cheesecakes
A seaside special with a winning lemony secret inside!
- 400g digestive biscuits, roughly broken
- 175g butter
- 250g mascarpone cheese
- 250ml double cream
- 65g caster sugar
- finely grated zest 1 large lemon
- 4 tbsp lemon curd
- mini windmill flags, to decorate
Remember – grown ups like you to tell them if you’re cooking with hot or sharp things!
STEPS
MAKES 6 - EACH ONE FOR SHARING (This recipe is for special occasions)
Put the biscuits in a food processor and blitz on the pulse setting into crumbs. Melt the butter in a small pan and pour into the food processor with the motor running. Blend until the biscuits and butter are thoroughly combined.
Tip the crumb mixture into four or six clean, lightly oiled, plastic drinking beakers. Press well into the sides and base, keeping as evenly covered as possible. It doesn’t matter if the crumbs don’t reach as far as the rim. Put on a tray and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes while the filling is made.
To make the filling, beat the mascarpone, cream, sugar and lemon zest together in a very large bowl with electric beaters, or in a food mixer, until smooth and thick. Very gently stir in the lemon curd to make a marble effect.
Spoon into the beaker ‘buckets’, smooth the surface with the back of a teaspoon, cover with cling film, and put in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours.
Blitz the biscuits for the sandy beach base and sprinkle over a large platter or cake stand.
Very carefully, half fill a large heatproof bowl with just-boiled water. One at a time, dip the base of each beaker into the hot water and hold for 10-15 seconds. Turn over, and holding over the platter or cake stand, gently squeeze the sides, and tap the base if necessary, until the cheesecake drops gently onto the sandy beach base. If your cheesecakes are very cold, you may need to hold the bases in hot water for a few seconds longer.
Decorate with windmill flags and serve.