This week has been bright, sunny, and warm. Today I spent a few hours moving old things out of the basement and eating rhubarb cheesecake bars. I photographed them but couldn’t help but snack on some. I had big plans to make a rhubarb recipe and visited the farmers market early on Thursday. When I left I decided on making a cheesecake, because the rich, sugary custard texture holds up brilliantly to the sharpness of rhubarb. I also made a crust out of oats, brown butter, and spices. Like a streusel. 

A Sunny Week in Maine

The week started with Memorial Day. The sun was bright and strong and hoards of people were out playing tourist in my seaside town. We almost got caught up in a parade on the east side, near where my dad grew up. After picking up chicken salad sandwiches, my favorite hot day lunch. We also took a gorgeous walk to enjoy the day and I even managed to find time for a quick nap. The rest of the week I’ve been deep in writing, dreaming of new ideas and projects, and preparing for this recipe. Rhubarb cheesecake bars. 

I woke up bright and early on Thursday and couldn’t wait to go to the farmers market. My weekly dose of pure serotonin. Sunshine and good people selling good food. There’s a farm stand with a plethora of beautiful potted flowers and herbs. A pastry stand with chocolate croissants and fresh bread. A vegetable stand guarded by friendly golden retrievers. There’s the chicken guy, the artisanal vinegars, and another farm stand with flowers and fresh vegetables. I saw rhubarb there last week and planned to stop there first. 

Farmers Market Shopping

I was thrown off path by an adorable white French bulldog who stopped every few feet to roll around in the lush green grass. Another stand that sells ciders and beers has an old curly, small dog that watches the crowd calmly. I stopped to pick up a chocolate croissant that I couldn’t wait to go home and eat. Then I found the rhubarb. Several bundles of red-pink stocks nestled in a woven basket. I chose the most vibrant red ones. 

When I left I stopped by the grocery store to pick up cream cheese. I wanted to make it homemade, but I haven’t had a chance to buy cheesecloth. I had already decided to make rhubarb cheesecake bars, which I figured would be the perfect way to incorporate sharp, bright rhubarb into a sweet, creamy dessert. Last year I made rhubarb brown butter cookies, which I shared with my friend Erik, who was visiting. We sat on a park bench and saw a white heron. I can’t believe it’s been a year. But I’ve been very excited to make a rhubarb recipe again.

Cheesecake with A Brown Butter Oat Crust

My first idea was to make little rhubarb tartlets with fancy custard and poached rhubarb slices on top. But every time I try to go all “Michelin star” my heart decides to do something else. I crave simplicity, and I always remind myself to focus more on flavor than finesse. The presentation will reveal itself to me as I go. And I couldn’t stop thinking about cheesecake. To my shock and surprise, this is my first cheesecake recipe, even after over a year of food blogging and painting. But I think rhubarb is the perfect ingredient to pair with the intensity of thick set cream cheese custard.

I also couldn’t wait to make the crust, which reminded me of a mixture between streusel and my favorite brown butter oatmeal cookies. I started with melting butter in a pot when I got home. While I heated up my chocolate croissant. Once it browned I took it off the heat and let it sit at room temperature to re-solidify. Then, I threw it in the freezer for a few minutes to get it cold before I baked. I preheated the oven, got out a big bowl, and measured 1 1/2 cups of oats. Sugar. Spices. A little flour. A classic streusel topping, which I love to just eyeball. But after patting it into my parchment-lined pan, I realized I didn’t make enough. So I ended up pouring it back into the bowl and doubling the recipe. 

Lemony Cheesecake Batter

I also added an egg yolk just to make sure it all held together. And I baked it for 15 minutes until it was golden brown. The smell was just like a brown butter oatmeal cookie with ginger and cinnamon. A little salt. Which would function perfectly in rhubarb cheesecake bars. Next, while I waited for the crust to cool, I got out my cream cheese, sugar, and eggs. I whipped it up until it became creamy, adding the eggs one at a time, and then got out my flavorings. Lemon, vanilla, and ginger. I also added a touch of sea salt. The cream cheese and sugar need it. Once I whipped it all up, I poured it into a fine-mesh strainer to get out and lumps.

Straining it also helps reduce the air bubbles that are formed when you whip the mixture. The air bubbles are what causes cracking. So, if you strain your batter you don’t need to use a water bath. Just don’t open your oven a bunch of times to check it, if you can help it. My cheesecake batter was permeated with lemon and ginger fragrance. I spread it into an even layer with my new small offset spatula (a gift from my mom) and topped it with slices of raw rhubarb. Which I measured with a ruler and cut to fit my 9 x 9 square pan. In all honesty I actually started baking the cheesecake for a couple minutes and I was so excited that I forgot to add the rhubarb.

Baking Rhubarb Cheesecake Squares

It actually helped keep the rhubarb on top of the surface because it had already started to bake a little bit. So if your rhubarb sinks at all, I’d recommend this. But I continued on, striping my rhubarb cheesecake bars with glorious pink ribbons. I wanted to shingle it to the point where you can’t see any of the cheesecake, but I was happy leaving some room to see the buttercup yellow color. And immediately after I put it back in the oven to bake I realized I should have blended some cooked rhubarb into the cheesecake batter for color. A two-toned pink dessert would be super cool. But I loved my rhubarb cheesecake bars anyway. 

I took the cheesecake out of the oven when it had a very slight jiggle left. The edges were beginning to caramelize and deepen in color. And the rhubarb was soft and a little less vibrant. Gelatinous. It smelled so fresh. Sugary, spicy, and citrusy. I left my rhubarb cheesecake bars on the counter for a couple hours while I headed downtown to take a walk. By the time I got back it was ready to sit in the fridge. It took all of my willpower to not rip it open and eat a rhubarb cheesecake bar before dinner. But I knew it needed to set in the fridge for optimal texture. And to allow the rhubarb to firm up a little bit again.

Snacking on Rhubarb Cheesecake

The next day I woke up excited and hungry. So I took my rhubarb cheesecake bars out of the fridge to thaw for a few minutes. I decided to have one for breakfast. The first step was to lift them out of the pan, which was easy thanks to the parchment paper overhang. I could tell the buttery streusel crust had set well in the fridge, but it was still easy enough to cut with a sharp knife. My first couple cuts were messy. But I learned quickly that the trick was to carefully saw the rhubarb before pressing down into the cheesecake. And I pulled the knife out while pressed to the cutting board to prevent smudging the thick, custardy filling.

I set aside a few especially beautiful slices, including one with double rhubarb pieces. Pink strips on pale yellow cheesecake bars. Then, I dug into my first one. Not including the scraps on the knife that I licked. It was super creamy and tangy at first bite. The lemon came through, and it had a nice hum of ginger in the background. There’s enough salt to help, too. Then, when you get to the crust, it’s beautifully spicy, warm, and chewy. It reminds me so much of a great oatmeal cookie. And I love spiced brown butter cookies with rhubarb. The rhubarb cheesecake bars all together have an even brighter tang. The rhubarb helps so much. 

My First Cheesecake Blog Recipe

My rhubarb cheesecake bars were stained pink under the rhubarb ribbons, which made me regret not dying the batter pink more. But I loved this recipe regardless. It felt so nice to make cheesecake for the first time in a very long time. I feel like I haven’t made it since I was probably 22 or 23. I went through a phase. Then I had a couple big slices from the Cheesecake Factory and was all good for a while. These rhubarb cheesecake bars are smaller. Still super rich and creamy but I love how the ginger, lemon, and rhubarb brighten things up and cut down on the sweetness. The crust too could be such a good oat cookie on its own.

Now I have about 5,000 pieces of rich rhubarb cheesecake to eat. But it’s the perfect dessert to have on a hot day. I’ll probably freeze most of it to enjoy throughout the next year. And when I head back to the farmers market in 2026 I’ll buy more rhubarb and come up with another rhubarb recipe. And I’ll realize there’s still rhubarb cheesecake bars in the freezer. Somewhere. Until then I’ll try to make a dent in them. And I’ll share them with my dad, who loves rhubarb and cheesecake.

My new potted plants are growing beautifully in the sun. I’ve been wearing shorts. Drinking lots of water. So life is good. Rhubarb cheesecake bars are the cherry on top. Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my paintings and recipes, be sure to check out my Etsy page for 100’s of recipe cards and art prints. Please use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Until next time!

Print Pin

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars

Rich lemon and ginger cheesecake with spiced oat streusel crust and rhubarb on top

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake, rhubarb

Prep Time 5 hours hours

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 32

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter slightly cold
• 32 oz cream cheese or mascarpone room temperature
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp light cream
• 1 lb fresh rhubarb

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and sea salt.
• Add your butter, cubed, to the oat and flour mixture and work into a sandy crumb texture.
• Line a 9 x 9 square baking pan with parchment paper with an inch or two of overhang on each side.
• Place your oat mixture in the pan and spread evenly over the bottom. Press down firmly.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool while you make the cheesecake filling.
• In another large bowl, combine cream cheese with sugar and salt and beat on low in a stand mixer until fluffy (1-2 minutes).
• Add your eggs, one at a time, and mix until it becomes a loose batter. Then, add your corn starch, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh ginger, and light cream and mix for another minute.
• Pass your cheesecake batter through a fine strainer onto the oat crust (don’t set the heavy strainer on top of the oats or you’ll rip the crust).
• Cut rhubarb pieces in half down the middle to split each stock in two. Then trim them to fit in your pan (8-9") and place several pieces on top of your cheesecake batter.
• Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the cheesecake has a very slight wobble.
• Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature for at least an hour. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Slice cheesecake bars into even pieces. Use a sawing motion to cut the rhubarb before pressing further into the cheesecake.

Notes

• You can cut these bars into whatever size you like. I chose to cut about 36 small squares because they’re so rich. 
• It’s easier to strain your batter into another bowl and then pour that onto the crust. Don’t be like me and rip your beautiful crust under the weight of the strainer!
• If you want a beautiful pink cheesecake batter, roast a few stems of rhubarb ahead of time and blend them into your cream cheese, sugar, and eggs. Then continue with your other steps.
• The perfect cheesecake texture is when the batter is mostly set with a very slight wobble. But you could also go for a more caramelized Basque style cheesecake and this recipe would be just as delicious.