Rhubarb Cheesecake

I served this Rhubarb Cheesecake for my birthday last year. It’s really tasty, and you can make it with fresh or frozen rhubarb, which makes it suitable all year round – but obviously, it’s perfect for this season. I’ve adapted this recipe from a Swedish blogging friend of mine, Annika over at Smaskens.

This cake has five elements, but don’t worry – it’s easy! It’s a simple biscuit crust, then a cheesecake filling that is layered with a rhubarb compote. There’s a topping, and finally a glaze. (And if you choose to use a garnish, that’d be a sixth element, but it’s very optional. Although I strongly recommend fresh raspberries here, as they’re both beautiful and wonderfully tasty.)

Do read through the whole recipe and plan accordingly. It’s best to make it the day before serving, and the different steps will require some planning – and chilling time.

I used a small springform tin – about 20 cm – but you can use a larger one if you’d like. Your cake will be thinner, and you might have to adjust the cooking time slightly.


Rhubarb Cheesecake
10 slices

Rhubarb Compote:

500 g rhubarb, in 2-cm pieces
140 g sugar

1 scraped-out vanilla bean (use the scrapings for the cheesecake batter!)
50 ml water

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the rhubarb has softened completely. Let the compote cool.

Divide in two – one half is to be used as it is, so set it aside in a bowl. Press the othe half through a sieve, so you get a syrup, or coulis. This is your glaze for the cheesecake.


Crust:
100 g butter, at room temperature
250 g digestive biscuits

Crush the biscuits, preferably in a food processor, and add the butter. Run until the crumbs are damp and sandy. Press into your springform tin. Bake for five minutes at 175°C.


Cheesecake batter:
400 g cream cheese
100 g sugar
juice from ½ lemon
2 eggs
the scraped out seeds from one vanilla bean

Whisk together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, eggs and vanilla. Pour half of this over the pre-baked crust. Spread the set-aside rhubarb compote carefully on top, then top with the the second half of the batter.

Bake at 175°C for about one hour. It should feel mostly set, but it shouldn’t get too much color – cover it with aluminum foil if it starts to brown too much.


Topping:
200 ml crème fraîche

Stir until smooth, then immediately spread on the baked cheesecake as you take it out of the oven. Then let the cake cool completely.


Glaze:
Rhubarb syrup/coulis, from when you made the compote
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1 gelatine sheet

Soak the gelatine in plenty of water, for at least five minutes. Heat the lemon juice and water gently in a small saucepan, and add the gelatine. Stir until it’s dissolved. Stir this into the rhubarb coulis.

Spread the mixture gently on top of the cheesecake. Place it in the fridge to set completely – it won’t take very long, but the cake is best if it’s left overnight.

Decorate right before serving with berries if you’d like

(This was previously published on my blog at Sweden.se)