RHUBARB CHEESECAKE

It’s rhubarb season and you ought to get it while you can! This week I’ll post some yummy rhubarb recipes, the first of which is the classy and delicious RHUBARB CHEESECAKE!!

Here goes:

Preheat oven to 350F.    

Need: small saucepan, 2 large mixing bowls, 9-inch spring-form pan, large baking sheet, electric mixer

Ingredients:

Rhubarb Swirl

  • 2 ½ cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Red or pink food colouring (optional – makes the rhubarb swirl stand out)

Crust

  • 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake Batter

  • 3 x 8-oz packages full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup full-fat sour cream
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 ounces chopped white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

Method:

Rhubarb Swirl

Combine the rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce to low and continue to stir.

Let cook until the rhubarb has broken down and the mixture is thick. Remove from heat & stir in food colouring.  Set aside to cool.

Crust

Spray the spring-form pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt in mixing bowl and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture into bottom and one inch up the sides of the spring-form pan.

Set pan on the large baking sheet and bake the crust for 7 to 10miutes, until set. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Cheesecake Batter

Using electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar in large mixing bowl until smooth.

Beat in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt to combine. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on low speed until just combined, then mix in the melted white chocolate. Scrape down the sides & bottom of the bowl. Beat for 30 more secs.

Pour about ½ of the batter into the crust in the spring-form pan. Dollop half the rhubarb over the batter and carefully swirl the rhubarb into the batter with a butter knife. Avoid touching the crust with the knife. (You don’t want crumbs in the swirls.)

Repeat the above step with the rest of the batter and rhubarb.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the centre of the cake barely  jiggles when you tap the pan.

After baking, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then  run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Cool to room temperature, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Once the cheesecake has chilled overnight, slice and serve.

Uneaten cheesecake can be store in the fridge, covered, for 3 or 4 days or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for about 2 months.