When a French cheesecake meets British old fashioned rhubarb and custard, what do you get? A baked rhubarb and custard cheesecake. Served on a sablé breton butter biscuit base and decorated with strawberries and rhubarb chips.
Old Fashioned Rhubarb and Custard
"It's yellow!" Monsieur's reaction took me by surprise as this cheesecake appeared from the oven. He didn't get it.
In Britain we grew up not just with rhubarb. It was old fashioned rhubarb and custard, possibly the most classic British dessert and one my Grandpa had every week in Scotland during rhubarb season. It was plain stewed rhubarb served with thick vanilla custard.
This was more than a classic in the UK; it was so popular that there were rhubarb and custard sweets (candy made by Brays in Wales). Growing up, we also had a cartoon with rhubarb and custard: roobarb the green dog and custard the pink cat, narrated by Richard Briers!
My French equivalent is simply rhubarb compote served with crème anglaise, a thinner vanilla version of the classic British custard. As the family loves classic cheesecakes, I wanted to experiment this time with a rhubarb and custard approach.
Are you a rhubarb fan? How do you cook rhubarb?
See many more recipes and tips on the Rhubarb Guide.
What Can I use for the Cheesecake Base?
You could say this is Franglais style. Its French sablé Breton buttery biscuit base is topped with the oh-so-British rhubarb and custard - achieved with adding vanilla and yolks. It's another of the collection of recipes with two egg yolks.
Sablé Breton is the thinner version of this Palet Breton recipe - just use the same dough to make this irresistible base.
Quick Cheesecake Base with Biscuits
Don't have time? Then simply crush some of your favourite biscuits (digestives, Graham crackers, petits beurre) and mix together with melted butter. There's no need to pre-bake it.
Cheesecake Decoration Ideas
Decorate with dried rhubarb chips. Add them at the last minute, just before serving to keep their crispy crunch. The good news is that the chips can be prepared in advance and kept in an airtight tin box and you've got a fancy decor at your fingertips!
Otherwise, serve with more rhubarb compote, fresh strawberries and/or pretty edible flowers such as violas.
If your have more time, serve with a rhubarb and poppy macarons from my book, Teatime in Paris!
Mini Rhubarb Custard Baked Cheesecakes
This recipe also works well to make mini, individual cheesecakes. Just press the biscuit base into greased (or silicone) muffin moulds and bake for a shorter time (all explained in the recipe below).
Here I decorated each with edible viola flowers, strawberries and extra rhubarb compote. Great for a tea party!
How to Make Rhubarb & Custard Baked Cheesecake
To make this cheesecake, there are 2 methods for the base. Either:
- whizz together a packet of petit beurre biscuits (digestives or Graham crackers) with melted butter and press into the tin. There's no need to pre-bake this base.
- make your own butter biscuit base as follows.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/360°F (gas mark 4).
Roll out the sablé breton pastry dough (to about 2cm thickness) and press gently into the bottom of a greased springform cake tin (20cm diameter) and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
For the rhubarb and custard topping, ensure your ingredients are at room temperature. Gradually beat together the cream cheese (Philadelphia), sugar, eggs, yolks, cream and vanilla powder/extract until smooth. Either do this by hand with a good spatula or use a paddle beater of an electric whisk.
Lower the oven temperature to 140°C/120°C fan/280°F (gas mark 1).
Stir in the rhubarb compote/stewed rhubarb. This can be already store-bought (like Bonne Maman) or homemade. I have a short video how to make rhubarb compote with hibiscus.
Once the base has cooled, pour in the rhubarb and custard mixture.
Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is cooked but still quite wobbly on the top. If making smaller individual cheesecakes using muffin moulds, then bake for just 35-40 minutes.
Leave to cool on the counter before turning out of the cake tin then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Baked Rhubarb and Custard Cheesecake
Equipment
- 20cm springform cake tin
Ingredients
- ½ quantity Palet Breton dough see below recipe or make with biscuits (notes)
- 400 g (14oz/ 1¾ cups) Cream cheese (e.g. Philadelphia) at room temperature
- 50 g (1.75oz/ ¼ cup) Caster sugar superfine
- 2 large eggs organic/free-range
- 2 egg yolks
- 60 g (2½oz / ¼ cup) crème fraîche or heavy cream
- 250 g (8oz/ 1 cup) Rhubarb compote (see recipe below)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
- 10 strawberries optional (to decorate)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/360°F (gas mark 4).
- Roll out the sablé breton pastry dough (to about 2cm thickness) and press gently into the bottom of a greased springform cake tin (20cm diameter). Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Otherwise make the biscuit base from notes (no need to pre-bake).
- In a large bowl, gradually beat together the ingredients at room temperature: cream cheese, sugar, eggs, yolks, cream and vanilla just until mixed and smooth. Stir in the rhubarb compote.Lower the oven temperature to 140°C/120°C fan/280°F (gas mark 1).
- Once the base has cooled, pour in the rhubarb and custard mixture.
- Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is cooked but still quite wobbly on the top. If making smaller individual cheesecakes using muffin moulds, then bake for just 35-40 minutes.
- Leave to cool before turning out of the cake tin then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Notes
French Butter Cookies (Palets Bretons)
Ingredients
- 90 g (3oz/½ cup) butter (unsalted)* at room temperature
- 75 g (2.5oz/ ⅓ cup) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt (fleur de sel) omit if using good quality French salted butter
- 2 egg yolks organic
- 125 g (4oz/1 cup) Plain flour (all-purpose)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Using a mixer, beat together the softened butter, sugar and salt until light and creamy. Mix in the egg yolks then the flour and baking powder until a lovely soft dough forms.(If you don’t have a mixer or electric whisk, this can be done by hand in a large bowl).
- Using the palm of your hands, roll the dough back and forward to create a sausage shape until the diameter is the size of your moulds (here I used mini muffin silicone moulds @5cm diameter). Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set the sausage shape.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C/360°F/160°C fan (gas mark 4)
- Cut disks of 1.5cm (¾ inch) and press them into the muffin moulds (unbuttered – there’s enough butter in the biscuits!)
- Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Leave to cool in the moulds then turn them out on to a baking rack, pretty side up.
Video
Notes
Also delicious topped with chocolate mousse, Chantilly cream and strawberries. Measures: Please note that all my recipes are best made using digital kitchen scales in precise metric grams. Both ounces (and cups) are given as a guide.
This recipe was first published May 15th 2016 but now completely updated. Now with an updated recipe card, please do leave your rated review - it's now possible!
Christina | Christina's Cucina
Oh my! How could this get any better? LOVE rhubarb and custard and you've made the cheesecake look so beautiful, too! I tried a rhubarb and custard meringue tart last year, but something went awry. Will have to go back to the drawing board as I know it just needed a tweak! Who knows if there's still rhubarb to be had here in LA! I'm out of touch after being gone for a month! 😉
Jill Colonna
Let's sincerely hope there is still some rhubarb out there. Otherwise you'll have to tell folks that you can't travel during rhubarb season, Christina 😀
Antoine
Beautiful especially given how challenging it is to make rhubarb look pretty on a pastry… Suppose this is why the next one is probably a tarte rhubarb méringuée 🙂
Jill Colonna
Thanks for the compliment - I think I do see rhubarb meringue tart in our future if this keeps up, Antoine 😉
Liz
You are killing me with your gorgeous rhubarb creations! Beautiful!!!
Jill Colonna
Hehe, thanks Liz. Can't get enough rhubarb just now. Hope you're enjoying the season.
Jill Colonna
Thanks Carol. I hear you on mandolines now that I've shredded a bit of my finger but not on this one. Now I use the safety handle 😉 You don't need to open an oyster for this one so stay cool.
Parisbreakfast
Gawd it looks gorgeous !!!
If only I did not have serious fear-of-madolines..
First I have to learn to open an oyster....