A buttery crumb crust, a creamy sweet-tart filling and a combination of whipped cream and creme fraiche on top. This easy-peasy lime pie uses simple ingredients but it looks and tastes spectacular.
It was my birthday a few weeks ago and, coincidentally, that of a colleague on the very same day. Despite having planned drinks with the rest of the office after work, my idea of a birthday always involves cake or dessert, and this one had to be also a (huge) crowd-pleaser.
But with limited time in between office days, this time I opted for something simple but still delicious, which I know would make most of my colleagues happy, and particularly the other birthday-one who, coincidentally, is not a fan of sponge cakes.
An old time favourite which is also super-easy to make: key lime pie.
The crumb is made of crumbled digestive biscuits, melted butter, and salt.
The filling is made using condensed milk and fresh lime juice and zest, instead of a proper curd or custard. This is meant to be the proper way key lime pies are made, and finding the right balance to achieve the best creamy consistency is key.
Traditionally, the topping is usually made of whipped cream or meringue, but in this recipe I went for super silky whipped double cream and creme fraiche, which also counterbalances the sweetness of the condensed milk used in the filling.
Once the topping is ready, you can literally throw a big blob of it over the filling and loosely spread it with a spatula, or create something neat using a piping bag and a nice nozzle.
And there you have it, a delightful key lime pie which will go down a treat.
Makes one 20 cm tart
Ingredients
FOR THE BASE
- 160g Digestive biscuits
- 30g sugar
- 1tsp (5g) salt
- 80g butter
FOR THE FILLING
- 1 397g can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 egg yolks (60g)
- 140ml freshly squeezed lime juice
- Zest of 2 large (or 4 small) limes
FOR THE TOPPING
- 250ml double cream
- 100g creme fraiche
- 30g Icing sugar
- Lime zest to decorate
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
- 1 20cm tart ring or tart tin
Method
- Heat the oven to 160C. Whizz the digestive biscuits to crumbs in a food processor (or put in a strong plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin).
- Melt the butter and mix with digestive crumbs and sugar and press into the base and up the sides of a 20cm tart ring over a lined baking sheet to achieve a tart shell shape. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk for a minute with electric beaters. Add the condensed milk and whisk for 3 minutes, then add the lime zest and lime juice and whisk again for 3 minutes.
- Pour the filling into the cooled base up to the rim then put back in the oven for 20 minutes. Cool then chill for at least 3 hours or overnight if you like. When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the pie from the tin and put on a serving plate.
- To decorate, combine double cream, creme fraiche and icing sugar in a medium bowl and whip to soft peaks. The mix should be firm but still very creamy and smooth. You can even do this with a hand whisk, as it will whip up very quickly and, doing it by hand, it is less likely you will overwhip it.
- Dollop or pipe the cream onto the top of the pie using your favourite nozzle and finish with extra lime zest.