I saw a photo of a cake on Pinterest. It was a cheesecake pie filled with something on the bottom and a cream cheese mixture on top. That was something new for me and I had to make it. I looked around (meaning in the fridge) and found my two-day "old" rhubarb. I imagined the tartness of the rhubarb playing with the smooth and creamy cheese, delivering all you need in spring/summer - freshness. And yes, it really melts and really is sensational.

Ingredients

For the rhubarb:
390 g peeled and sliced rhubarb
1 tbsp apple vinegar
90 g tbsp golden caster sugar
1/3 organic orange zest, finely grated
1/2 vanilla pod & seeds

pastry:
190 g wheat flour
80 g corn flour (not starch)
1/2 organic orange zest, finely grated
30 g golden caster sugar
180 g cold butter
90 ml cold water

cheesecake filling:
400 g cream cheese, room temperature
125 g mascarpone
25 g cornstarch
120 g golden caster sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds only
pinch of sea salt
3 medium eggs, room temperature

top layer:
200 g thick and creamy Turkish or Greek yoghurt
2 tsp honey

Prepare

Rhubrab. Prepare the rhubarb by mixing all the ingredients together; let it stand for 30 minutes while you make and chill the dough. You can leave it also for longer.

Tart shell. Prepare the tart shell. In a bowl, pour the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Grate the butter on a course grater into the flour. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. You can also prepare the dough in a food processor with the fine blade – add all the ingredients and process on medium speed until crumbly. Then add the water and mix lightly until a smooth dough forms, but do not over-knead or the piecrust will not be crumbly, but hard. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200°. Roll out the dough and place in a 25 cm tart form, pressing the sides and them trimming off the unnecessary dough. Prick with a fork, line with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Take it out, lift out the paper with beans, and return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

At the same time, spread the rhubarb evenly into a pan and place on the bottom of the oven. Bake the same amount of time as the tart shell. Take out just before the tart shell.

Filling. When the tart shell is almost done, make the filling. In a mixing bowl, place 200g of the cream cheese, about 50 g sugar, and cornstarch. Beat on medium speed with the paddle attachment, but if you don’t have one, whisk for about 2 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides, until the mixture is creamy. Continuing beating and add the next 200 g of cream cheese, incorporating well. Then add mascarpone, incorporating well. After, add the remaining sugar beating on a low speed for 1-2 minutes. Then, while the mixer is running, add vanilla and salt. Slowly mix everything in, scraping down the sides. Increase the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in well and scraping down the sides.

Cake. Spread the rhubarb on the bottom, pour over the filling, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Mix yogurt with honey, spread on top, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Recipe and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s

Rhubarb cheesecake pie