Rhubarb Cheesecake

Rhubarb and cheesecake together are just the perfect dessert flavor pairing: one creamy, tangy and sweet and the other a sharp, bold tart flavor. For this recipe I opted to make it as cheesecake bars but you’ll find tips below to make it a round cheesecake too. I tend to like my rhubarb with a touch of cinnamon so you’ll see some of that in there too – but skip it if it’s not your preference! 

Recipes Origins

I contemplated doing a full rhubarb cheesecake, quite like this roasted strawberry cheesecake of mine but since I’d done blueberry last year (and planning a raspberry soon!) I thought we might be due a swirled cheesecake, like this recipe for black raspberry cheesecake bars. A swirl also gives the star of the recipe, rhubarb in this case, its own space to shine. The rhubarb coulis/jam/sauce recipe is from these rhubarb thumbprint cookies. 

If you’d like to do a shortbread crust instead, use this easy cheesecake shortbread bar recipe but swirl in the rhubarb coulis. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Rhubarb: fresh rhubarb with the leaves and bottoms discarded.

Sugar: fine granulated sugar for the raspberry sauce and for the cheesecake. If you like you can use brown sugar in the cheesecake (but I wouldn’t use it for the sauce as it’ll mute that pretty pink color). 

Starch: cornstarch or tapioca starch; this is to thicken the rhubarb filling.

Salt: fine sea salt. 

Graham crackers: or digestive cookies. If you’re making this gluten free, use a gluten free graham cracker. 

Butter: unsalted butter, cold is fine. 

Powdered Sugar: this adds a touch of sweetness to the crust and helps it bind better so it’s not as crumbly. 

Cream Cheese: full fat cream cheese, it’s crucial that the cream cheese is at room temperature. 

Sour Cream: full fat sour cream or labne. A thick greek yogurt like fage would work too. 

Eggs: two whole large eggs, at room temperature. For the cheesecake. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract. Some can go into the rhubarb sauce and you’ll definitely want some for the cheesecake. 

Cinnamon: ground cinnamon, optional – adds a touch of warm sweetness to the cheesecake. 

How to Make Rhubarb Cheesecake

Make the Rhubarb Compote for swirling

This can be done up to a week beforehand. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. 

Slice the rhubarb and add it to a pot with sugar, salt, and starch. 

Turn the heat to low and cover the pot to keep some of the steam in. 

Cook until the rhubarb breaks down and is easy to smush with the back of a wooden spoon. 

Blend everything in the pot to puree it then press it through a fine mesh sieve. Take your time doing this to extract as much of the juice as possible. 

Set aside to cool. 

Make the Crust 

Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment paper: two overlapping sheets so all sides are covered. Use grease to stick them to the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 

Grind the crackers or cookies in a food processor until they are in fine crumbs. 

Melt the butter and in a large bowl stir the melted butter, cookie crumbs and powdered sugar until the mix resembles wet sand. 

Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. If you want a thicker crust, press them all into the bottom of the pan, if you like crust on the sides press some of the crumbs up all sides (you’ll have a slightly thinner crust). 

Set the crust to bake for 12 minutes. While it’s baking, make the filling. 

Make the filling 

The cream cheese should be at a warm room temperature. Set it in the bowl of a stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to press it into the bowl, this helps remove lumps. 

Affix the paddle attachment and begin beating the cream cheese on the mixer’s lowest setting. Scrape down as needed and beat again until the cream cheese is smooth.

Add the sour cream, sugar, teaspoon vanilla, cinnamon if using, and salt and mix on the lowest setting for about 5 minutes, until the mix is very smooth (we’re not beating it fast so as not to incorporate too many air bubbles). 

With the mixer on, add the eggs and beat to just combine. Scrape down as needed and beat on low until the batter is smooth. 

Pour half of the cheesecake mixture into the pan then spoon the rhubarb sauce in dollops that are about 2-3 tablespoons in volume, over the cheesecake batter. 

Shake the pan gently to distribute the filling to all edges of the pan. 

Pour the rest of the cream cheese batter over into the pan, in spoonfuls so that you’re able to cover the rhubarb dollops. 

Spoon more dollops of rhubarb compote over the top. Use a toothpick or a chopstick to gently swirl the rhubarb sauce and cheesecake filling. Don’t overswirl it! 

Bake the cheesecake 

Turn the oven temperature down to 325 F. 

Set the cheesecake in a larger cake pan and fill the larger pan halfway with water (the water should come up to the height of the cheesecake). This is your water bath. 

Set it in the oven to bake. 

*If you don’t have a pan that you can place the cheesecake in, set another pan filled with water on the rack underneath the cheesecake. 

*If you are baking this in a springform pan, use a roasting bag to protect the cheesecake so water does not get into it. 

Bake the cheesecake until it is matte all over and wobbles just a bit in the center, about 45-50 minutes (if you haven’t submerged the cheesecake in a water bath it will bake quicker, check it at 30 minutes). 

Shut off the oven and leave the door open for about 15 minutes, so the cheesecake can cool slowly. 

Remove the cheesecake and let it cool on the counter (I usually leave it in the water bath for half of this time). 

Once it’s cool, set it in the fridge to chill for at least eight hours. 

FAQ 

Can I make this in a round shape? 

Yes, use an 8 or 9 inch cake pan and be sure to bring the crust crumbs up the sides of the pan. To prep the pan, grease it then press a sheet of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan and bottom rim. Use metal clips to hold it in place. 

Can I make this in a springform pan? 

You may but please, please take care preparing the pan so that no water gets into the cheesecake. A roasting bag is usually helpful – use metal clips to hold it to the pan with the cheesecake. 

Why do I need a water bath for the cheesecake? 

Cheesecakes are custards and custards bake best when slowly heated. This results in a creamy cheesecake texture post-bake. This is why the heat is low, the cheesecake is submerged in the water and the cooling time is slow. 

My pan won’t fit inside another pan for a water bath, what should I do? 

One option is to use a roasting pan if you have one (or a disposable one). If you can’t find a pan, or let’s say you’ve doubled the recipe and there’s no getting a 13×9 inch pan in a water bath, set a pan filled halfway with water on the rack underneath the rack that will hold the cheesecake pan. 

Note that if not submerged, the cheesecake will bake quicker and you’ll need to check it earlier. 

I prefer lemon in my cheesecakes, can I leave out the cinnamon and add that instead? 

Yep, leave all the cinnamon out and  add lemon zest and a tablespoon of lemon juice to the filling instead. 

Rhubarb Cheesecake Recipe 

Rhubarb Swirled Cheesecake

Creamy dreamy vanilla cheesecake sweetened with cinnamon and swirled with a bright, tart rhubarb coulis on a bed of graham cracker crust.

Yields: 16 bars

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

Rhubarb Swirl

• Use as much or as little of this as you want, depending on how much swirl you want in the cheesecake.
• 400g rhubarb chopped about 3 large stalks, weighed after stems and leaves removed
• 120g fine granulated sugar about ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 ½ tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
• Pinch fine sea salt

Graham Cracker Crust

• 250g or 2 packed cups graham cracker crumbs
• 85g or 6 tablespoons butter unsalted or salted
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional

Cheesecake Filling

• 452g or 2 bricks cream cheese at room temperature
• 100g or ½ cup granulated sugar
• 120g or ½ cup labne or sour cream preferably at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
• 2 large eggs at room temperature (set them in a bowl of hot water to warm)

Method

Make the Rhubarb Coulis for the Swirl

• Remove the leaves (any green part) from the rhubarb and chop into 1 inch pieces. Set a pot over medium low heat and to it add the rhubarb, sugar, starch, and salt).
• Cook slowly, stirring occasionally to ensure the rhubarb doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan. As it cooks the rhubarb will break down, once it’s very soft puree the mix (you can do this with an immersion blender right in the pot or transfer to a food processor or blender). Press the puree through a fine mesh sieve, take your time doing this and squeezing out all the fruit while leaving the stringy bits behind. Add a dash of vanilla if you like. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for at least a few hours before using but up to a week.

Make the Crust

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Use parchment paper to cover the bottom and sides of a 9 inch or 8 inch square pan. If using an 8 inch pan, the crust will be nice and thick. Eight inch pans will fit into a 9x13 cake pan for the water bath whereas 9 inch pans will need something larger.
• Grind the cookies into fine crumbs and melt the butter. Stir the crumbs, butter, a pinch of salt, the cinnamon if using, and the powdered sugar together until the mix is like wet sand. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan and up the sides (if using a square pan it’s not as essential to get it up the sides, I skipped this and just made it one layer).
• Bake the crust for 12 minutes. While it’s baking, make the filling.

Make the filling

• Set the warm, room temperature cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use a rubber spatula to press it into the bottom and sides of the bowl to remove lumps. Affix the paddle attachment and turn the machine on its lowest setting to gently cream the cheese. Scrape the bowl down as needed and mix until the cream cheese is smooth.
• Add the labne/sour cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon if using, and fine sea salt and turn the mixer on low again. Mix for about 5 minutes, until the batter is smooth. Scrape down as needed.
• With the mixer on, add the eggs and mix to just combine; about two minutes. Scrape the bowl’s sides and especially the bottom to ensure everything is well mixed.
• Pour half of the cheesecake batter into the pan. Dollop the rhubarb sauce (in 2-3 tablespoons) all over the cheesecake. Gently shimmy the pan on the counter so the filling evens out. Pour the rest of the cheesecake filling, do it in dollops so that you’re able to cover the rhubarb. Dollop more rhubarb sauce on top. Use a chopstick to gently swirl the rhubarb and cheesecake batter, 2-3 full swirls should do it - don’t overdo the swirling.
• Set the pan in a larger cake pan and fill the larger pan halfway with water. Turn the oven down to 325 F and bake the cheesecake in its water bath until the middle jiggles just a bit when you wiggle the pan - about 45-50 minutes. *If you don't have a bigger pan to turn into a water bath, set a pan with water on the rack underneath the cheesecake - this isn’t ideal but will work in a pinch, please note that the cheesecake will likely cook faster if not submerged in the bath.
• Turn off the oven and leave the oven door open so the cheesecake can begin to cool. After about 15 minutes, take it out (still in its water bath) and leave it on the counter. When the cheesecake is cool enough to lift out of the bath, set it on the counter to cool fully then transfer to the fridge. Chill overnight, or at least for 8 hours.
• Store the cheesecake in the fridge, it’ll keep for about 5 days.

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