Sweet southern loving

Let's be honest here! Is there anything better than a key lime pie on a hot summer day? If there is please send it over, my 33 week pregnant self needs all of the freshness right about now!

I made this pie a little while back for Father's Day and it's not exactly your traditional key lime pie but it's pretty darn close! This one is a key lime whipped cheesecake which in my opinion is completely fool proof (compared to a regular key lime pie with all of the over/under baking possibilities and cracking and all of the stress that can accompany this delicious pie!) Plus it's so light and fluffy and flavorful and requires no baking! I think it's absolutely perfect!

For the longest time I was not a fan of key lime pie. It just wasn't my thing, I'm more of a chocolate or baked fruit pie with vanilla ice cream kinda gal but then in 2014, I started working for this adorable little pie shop and I tried the key lime pie and fell completely in love! I never realised how simple and fresh the flavors could be and with the balance of the Graham cracker crust and the homemade Chantilly it completely changed my life and I started counting down the days when key limes would be back in season and this little bite of happiness would be back on our menu! So when I left I decided to come up with my own recipe, something completely different but still keeping in mind that fluffy texture and light summer flavor. I also wanted to simplify the recipe because I remembered how complicated the classic recipe could be and all the frustrations it caused our team and I wanted to be able to have a recipe that I could pass on to friends and family, even those who aren't so comfortable with baking!

So here goes:

Fool proof key lime cheesecake pie

For the crust:

2 cups of Graham crumbs

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 tbsp melted butter

In a mixing bowl mix all the dry ingredients, add the melted butter and stir until the mixture is completely moist. Place into a 10 inch pie plate and press down evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes be careful not too over bake the crust because it can get really hard to cut, so even if you're not sure take it out of the oven! Let the crust completely cool down before filling it with the cheesecake batter!

For the cheesecake:

1 cup whipping cream

1tsp icing sugar

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

8 oz (1 brick) of cream cheese

1/2 cup key lime juice (feel free to substitute with lime juice if you can't get your hands on key limes, trust me I know how hard it is to find those tiny little fruits! We were only able to find some in Ottawa at the market... And we live in Montreal!)

1. In a stand mixer bowl (or a glass bowl with handheld electric whisk or by hand if you've got that kind of arm power!) whip up the whipping cream with the sugar until you get soft peaks (be careful not to over mix here as it will turn into butter and nobody wants that! Set the whip cream aside in a new bowl!

2. Now using the paddle attachment in the mixer soften up your cream cheese, you will need to scrape down the sides a few times so that you don't get any cheese clumps in your pie.

3. When the cream cheese is soft and fluffy and smoothe begin streaming in the condensed milk slowly while still scraping the sides with a rubber spatula occasionally to make sure that everything is perfectly mixed. When you are done with the condensed milk, add the key lime juice slowly once again.

4. Fold your whip cream into the cream cheese batter.

5. Pour into your cooled Graham crust and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set! (You can also make this pie ahead and freeze it, just make sure to take it out a few hours ahead of serving it if you choose to do this!)

For the topping:

I usually just make double the Chantilly to use as a topping when I whip up the cream for the cheesecake mix but if you're nervous about measurements it's very simple to make it separately! All you need is 1 cup of whipping cream and 1tsp of icing sugar and you whisk it until it is light and fluffy and stiff, but again not too stiff or you'll end up with butter! You can also use store bought if you'd like but I honestly encourage everyone to learn how to make Chantilly because it's seriously so simple and so easy to use and your guests will always seem impressed when you tell them you've made it yourself!

As for the decor feel free to get creative! When the pie has set for at least 2 hours in the fridge! I like using my favorite piping tip but you can also simply top the pie with a dollop Or mountain of cream and lime zest or even make a meringue if you'd like!

And that's about it!

Enjoy and till next time,

Stay sweet!