How To Make: Rhubarb Cheesecake

With a season that typically spans from late December to the end of summer, beginning with intense forced rhubarb from Yorkshire, followed by the later arrival of the outdoor variety that’s woefully under appreciated, rhubarb has finally returned to the menu. Popular in plenty of desserts, rhubarb is particularly versatile, also suited to many savoury dishes.  In celebration of this year’s rhubarb season, Mark Hartstone, chef proprietor of La Fosse at Cranborne in Dorset, has shared a baked rhubarb cheesecake recipe.

Comprising a simple dough base flecked with lemon zest, the rhubarb cheesecake has a filling of quark (German ‘yoghurt cheese’), vanilla, rhubarb and just a touch of cocoa. Baked in the oven for an hour, it’s delicious eaten either warm or cold.

On his rhubarb cheesecake recipe, Mark Hartstone, chef proprietor of La Fosse at Cranborne, said: “It’s not too late to force your home grown rhubarb. An upturned black bin weighted down or a composter will help keep the stems nice and pink.

“Do not forget rhubarb not only makes fantastic desserts but accompanies fatty meats or even goes well with mackerel.”

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Rhubarb Cheesecake

A celebration of rhubarb’s return, from chef Mark Hartstone.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Global

Keyword Cheesecake, Rhubarb

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Mark Hartstone, chef proprietor of La Fosse at Cranborne

Equipment

• 26cm cake tin

Ingredients

For the Base

• 250 g flour
• 125 g butter at room temperature
• 60 g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 unwaxed lemon grated zest only

For the Filling

• 100 g butter
• 150 g sugar for the rhubarb
• 2 vanilla pods pureed (a quality vanilla essence will suffice)
• 2 eggs
• 500 g Quark German “yoghurt cheese’
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 500 g rhubarb cut in 2cm pieces and peeled
• 100 ml milk
• 50 g butter
• 3 eggs
• tbsp cocoa
• 2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

For the Base

• Put flour, butter, sugar, egg, salt and zest of lemon in a mixer bowl with the
• dough hook and mix all ingredients together into a smooth dough. Wrap in
• clingfilm and keep in fridge to rest for half an hour.
• Take a 26cm cake tin. Grease the bottom and sides with some butter.
• Roll out the dough and place in the tin. Make sure that the sides go up 3cm high.
• Blind bake at 180C/Gas 4 for 10-15 minutes

For the Filling

• Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs until light and fluffy. You can do this by hand
• with a whisk or the mixer.
• Carefully add quark, cornflower and baking powder and mix in the wet mixer.
• Lastly fold in the rhubarb pieces.
• Put in the pre heated oven at 180C/Gas 4 for 60 minutes. (should the top darken too
• much, cover with an aluminium foil top).

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