Rhubarb Cheesecake

Zoweee!  It's hotter than a mouthful of habanero chilis here in my part of Ontario.   I'm all for a warm summer but this is too hot for me.  I'm a northern girl at heart with lily-white skin t'boot so I've been hunkering down in my air-conditioned house whipping up some new recipes, getting my house in order and doing a pretty major DIY project (I'll be posting that in a week or two).  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE being back at home full-time?!?

With all this stuff going on I need to keep up my energy.  How do I increase up my get-up-and-go?  With cheesecake, of course!  Is there any other way?!?  This is a pretty thin cheesecake which, in my book, decreases the guilt factor.  Thin desserts = practically good for you.  Right?!?

While this dessert has a few layers and may look time consuming it's really easy to put together.  I found this recipe on Pinterest (also known as porn for Moms).  While admittedly it is a truly addictive site it's also an amazing way to get inspired whether it's with food, Mod Podge, DIY ideas or home decor!  {If you haven't followed me on Pinterest you can find me HERE}. 

Thankfully Pinterest has helped me find a whole slew of new, amazing recipe blogs.  I found this recipe on a wonderful blog called A Farm Girl Dabbles.  Brenda has a beautiful blog with some amazing recipes which I can't wait to check out.  Stop on by and check out her blog HERE.   

So if you're on the lookout for an easy, tasty and cool dessert with a hit of my beloved rhubarb you've gotta give this recipe a try.  It was so good that when my Mother-in-law popped by for a visit we each ate a piece of this for lunch.  That's it.  Just the cheesecake. Don't judge us.

I'm always on the lookout for new rhubarb recipes.  What are your tried-and-true favourite rhubarb recipes??

Yield: 12 servings (6 if you're in my family)



Crust:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

Rhubarb Layer:

2 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Layer:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sour Cream Layer:

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

Prepare the crust: combine flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture ressembles coarse crumbs.  Press dough into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with your hands ensuring that the crust has an even thickness.  If you'd prefer to use a 9-inch pie plate bring the crust up the sides of the pie plate the same thickness as the base.

Prepare rhubarb filling: in a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar and flour.  Pour over the prepared crust.  Oh deliciousness thy name is rhubarb!!

Bake for 15 minutes then cool on a wire rack. 

*** Increase oven temperature to 350F. ***

Prepare cream cheese layer: in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is creamy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Add vanilla extract and mix well.  Pour cream cheese mixture over the rhubarb layer.   You may have a bit of excess moisture from the rhubarb -- don't worry about it.  Spread cream cheese mixture evenly.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Prepare the sour cream layer: in a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla.   Once the cheesecake has finished baking immediately spread the sour cream layer over the centre of the pie, leaving about 1/2-inch of the outside edge of the cheesecake showing.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Place pie on a wire rack to cool then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.  Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Recipe from: A Farm Girl Dabbles