Ingredients

Step by step

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Remove the butter, soft cheese and cream for the filling from the fridge and leave at room temperature.
2. For the biscuits, place the soft butter, icing sugar, flour and lime zest in a food processor and pulse until the dough begins to clump together (or rub together in a bowl). Tip out and bring together by hand. Cut into 3 portions, shape each into a ball then roll out on a sheet of baking paper to a disc about 19cm diameter. Use a plate as a template to cut out a neat circle, then slide each dough disc onto a baking tray on its paper.
3. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on the trays; they will break if moved while warm. Store in a cake tin for 3-4 days, layered up with the paper.
4. For the cheesecake cream, place the butter and half the icing sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Whisk in the soft cheese, double cream, lime zest and remaining icing sugar until thick enough to pipe. Place in a large piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle and chill until ready to use.
5. At least 1 hour before serving (but no more than 4 hours) assemble the biscuit cake so that it will soften enough to cut. For two of the biscuit discs, pipe ‘petals’ of cheesecake cream filling; start with a round blob at the outer edge, lifting the piping bag vertically until the blob is 2-3cm high, then gently pull the bag towards the centre to make a petal or tear shape about 4cm long. Repeat all around the edge.
6. For the top layer, pipe round pearls of the cheesecake cream in concentric circles, leaving an outer border about 2cm wide. Any remaining filling can be spread in the centre of the other biscuits.
7. Using two-thirds of the berries and pomegranate, arrange the fruit in a flat layer on the first two biscuits; stack these up. Add the final biscuit layer on top and pile up the rest of the fruit, finishing with the cherries. Chill until ready to serve.
8. For the coulis, whiz the berries and icing sugar with the juice of 1 lime. Strain to remove the seeds. Add more lime juice to taste; the coulis should be tart to counteract the cake’s sweetness. Serve in a jug.
   Tip

   If you need to transport it, place the assembled cake in an upturned deep container, using the lid as the base – this makes it far easier to get out on arrival. If it’s a hot day, pack a large ice pack underneath the container then wrap the whole thing in a tea towel to keep it cool. Don’t forget a plate or stand to serve it on, and a cake server or knife.