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Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars Painting
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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
Cook Time 50 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.