Creamy Rhubarb Cheesecake

You have no idea how happy I am that local rhubarb is available again. I love rhubarb desserts, and as soon as it shows up, I try to use it in the kitchen as often as I can. Of course, I like rhubarb best together with strawberries, but we'll have to wait a bit longer for those. Last year I drank gallons of rhubarb-strawberry smoothie and made a dozen or so jars of rhubarb-strawberry jam. I also baked upside-down rhubarb cake several times. It may not look too pretty (at least not when I make it), but I was delighted with the flavor. I'll definitely make it again soon.

Creamy Rhubarb Cheesecake

This year I started my rhubarb adventure with a no-bake cake (of course, I couldn't resist adding strawberries). This crunchy chocolate base goes wonderfully with the creamy top. The whole cheesecake is child's-play easy :)

Creamy Rhubarb Cheesecake – preparation

Creamy Rhubarb Cheesecake – preparation

Another bunch of pink rhubarb is already waiting. What will it be this time? I don't know. Maybe a tart, or hmmm, some creamy dessert…

Creamy Rhubarb Cheesecake

Instructions:

Break the chocolate into pieces, then melt it in a double boiler (water bath). Coarsely crush the cornflakes and stir them into the melted chocolate until well combined, then spread the mixture in a springform pan lined with parchment paper and put it in a cool place.

Soak the gelatin in cold water. Wash and peel the rhubarb, trim the ends, and cut it into 1 cm pieces. Put it in a pot, add 6 tbsp of water and 80 g of brown sugar, and simmer for about 4-5 minutes. Take it off the heat and stir in the strawberry jam. Squeeze out the gelatin, mix it thoroughly into the rhubarb syrup, and place the pot in cold water to cool.

Whip the cream until stiff. Mix the sugar, quark, and vanilla sugar, stir in 2/3 of the rhubarb syrup, and then gently fold in the whipped cream. Pour the mixture over the chocolate base, drizzle with the remaining rhubarb syrup, and gently swirl it with a fork to make a pattern. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Additional notes:

• You can skip the strawberry jam if, for example, you're using pink rhubarb. However, rhubarb tends to lose its color when cooked, so the jam gives it a nice pink color.
• Instead of jam, you can use strawberry puree or fresh fruit
• You can use just one kind of chocolate
• I used a 20 cm springform pan, but I recommend an 18 cm one so the cake is a bit taller.