Key lime pie traybake: Perfect bite of sharp, sweet and sunny flavours

Ginger and lime are a lip-puckering combination, beautiful in both savoury and sweet dishes and reminiscent of balmy summer days in the garden or abroad by the sea. I love using citrus in bakes, as you don’t need to add much to really brighten up the dish. This key lime pie traybake is the perfect dose of sharp and sweet, sunny flavours.

The traybake is similar to a baked cheesecake with its smooth creaminess and velvety texture, but the filling ingredients are more akin to a custard tart. I use ginger biscuits as the base, which give a warm hum and familiar soothing note. Feel free to use plain biscuits as you would for a regular cheesecake, but the ginger and lime together are a winner.

I use condensed milk and a little icing sugar to sweeten the lime pie mix, which balances the sharp fruit and adds to the traybake’s creamy texture. Exactly one tin of condensed milk is used here, which is comforting in itself, as you don’t have to keep an open tin hanging around to use up in another recipe.

This custardy traybake is cooked until set around the edges with a slight wobble in the centre. It will continue to set and firm up a little more as it cools. I tend to freeze this and slice it into squares, as it gives a cleaner cut, but it also tastes delicious slightly icy from the freezer, like a cool bar of creamy lime custard tart.

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Once defrosted and cut, it will sit happily, covered, in the fridge for a few days. If you don’t want to cut it into squares, or don’t have a square baking tin, the recipe will work just as well in a 20cm round tin; just cut it into wedges to serve. I like to serve this with a little softly whipped cream and grated fresh lime zest.

Recipe: Key lime pie traybake