Rhubarb Cheesecake

I struggled with this cake a bit. I prepared for it so nicely: I thought through what I wanted and how, flipped through a few cookbooks, and got to baking. The cake looked beautiful in the pan, the vanilla seeds decorated it wonderfully, and I happily put it in the oven. It had been baking for about an hour when I noticed that it was sitting at the bottom of the oven instead of in the middle. I opened the oven in fear, moved it, and kept waiting. It didn't sink, phew! When the rhubarb cheesecake still hadn't browned after another hour, I started to worry again. I quickly raised the temperature, and that helped. The cake rose nicely and turned golden. But then I noticed a hole in the cake. One side had fallen off. A moment later, another. Those of you who follow me on FB know what I'm talking about :) I was already sure there would be no recipe for you, and that I wouldn't manage to take a photo good enough for the blog. I had to change my concept a little, trim a bit here and there, and in the end I did manage to make something work. I hope you'll accept the photo :)

Rhubarb cheesecake

Even though this cheesecake doesn't look the way it was supposed to, it tastes amazing. It's delicate, moist and aromatic. It tastes of lemon and vanilla, and the rhubarb rounds it all out. After baking it sinks, leaving a dip in the middle surrounded by a rim of cake. The rhubarb would fit in there perfectly, if only my rim hadn't fallen off.

To avoid repeating my mistake, I recommend using a larger pan. I used a 24 cm springform pan.

Rhubarb cheesecake

Directions – rhubarb cheesecake:

Crush the cookies and mix them with the butter. I gave this job to the kids :) Grease the springform pan and dust it with flour. Spread the cookie mixture over the bottom and pat it down lightly. Put it in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

Put the quark, lemon zest, 1 tbsp of the juice, the seeds scraped from the vanilla bean, and the sugar in the bowl of a mixer and mix on low speed until well combined. Then add the eggs one at a time, alternating with the sour cream, and mix only until everything is just combined. Pour into the pan, place it on the middle rack of the oven, and bake for about 2 hours. Check on it from time to time to make sure the cake doesn't brown too much. The cake should rise and turn golden, and then it's done. Leave it in the closed oven for 30 minutes, then take it out and let it cool completely.

Meanwhile, wash the rhubarb, trim the ends, and cut it into 2 cm pieces. Put it in a pot together with the strawberry jam and brown sugar, cover, and simmer until soft. Drain the rhubarb in a sieve, pour the juice back into the pot, and cook over low heat until it thickens to a syrupy consistency.

Spoon the rhubarb onto the center of the cake and drizzle with the syrup. Ready to serve.

Enjoy!