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Combine strawberries with rhubarb in this epic summer cheesecake! With just the right amount of tartness, this strawberry rhubarb cheesecake is a fantastic warm weather dessert.

When we moved to our new house a couple of years ago I was SO sad to leave my rhubarb plant! That thing always flourished year after year, no matter what the weather threw at it. It was my kind of gardening, considering I have a hard time keeping anything green alive. I’ve always loved rhubarb! When cooked up or roasted with a bit of sugar, it’s got such a nice flavour, especially if you’re that sweet and tart kind of thing.

I have been posting a few different cheesecakes lately, without any real rhyme or reason, but I am certainly enjoying the trial and error process. For this strawberry rhubarb cheesecake I knew I wanted a swirl effect, and I also knew there should be a strawberry rhubarb compote involved!

Even if you serve it over ice cream, a strawberry rhubarb compote is one of the best easy desserts you can whip up! Add that compote into cheesecake and you’ve got yourself one epic dessert.

How do you make a strawberry rhubarb cheesecake?

There are a few steps involved with this cheesecake, but there is nothing complicated!

Prepare the strawberry rhubarb compote. Before you begin making your cheesecake, you’ll need to first prepare the strawberry rhubarb compote. I like to use fresh rhubarb but you can also use frozen rhubarb if you’ve got some in the freezer! In a small pot, mix together:

chopped rhubarb
diced strawberries
granulated sugar

Set the stove to low-medium heat on the stove until the fruit begins to release liquid. Stir the mixture continuously, and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes before cooling for 10-15 minutes. Blend the mixture in a blender until smooth or use an immersion blender.

Cheesecake Ingredients

Other than the strawberry rhubarb compote, which you can easily make ahead of time, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust

graham cracker crumbs
granulated sugar
unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling

full-fat cream cheese
granulated sugar
large eggs
Greek yogurt
vanilla extract

Instructions for this Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake:

1. After the compote is prepared, prepare the cheesecake crust. Heat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. I usually use a microwave-safe bowl to melt the butter before adding in the rest of the ingredients. Stir the mixture until the crumbs are thoroughly coated with the melted butter. Empty the crumbs into a 9″ or 10″ springform pan, pressing down with the back of a measuring cup or with a spoon to firmly pack the crust into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan.

2. Place the pan into the preheated oven for 10 minutes before removing and allowing it to cool while you prepare the filling.

3. Prepare the filling. Place the 3 room temperature blocks of cream cheese, along with the granulated sugar, into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You could also use a handheld mixer for this part. Mix the cream cheese and sugar on high until fully whipped, about 2 minutes. You may also need to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.

4. With the mixer running on low, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between. Once mixed, add in the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl a few times to ensure everything gets thoroughly mixed.

5. Empty half of the cream cheese mixture into the pre-baked crust. You don’t have to be exact, just eyeball it! Then, drop in about 5-6 large tablespoons of the cooled strawberry rhubarb compote that you had prepared earlier. It should be about 1/3 cup. Use a spatula or knife to gently swirl it around. Empty the remaining cream cheese mixture on top of this, followed by an additional 1/3 cup of the compote, swirling it again in the same way. You will likely have leftover compote, which you can save for topping the finished cheesecake before serving! Give the sides of the pan a few gentle taps to release any air bubbles.

6. Water bath. There are a few different variations for a cheesecake water bath, but since I despise water baths, I’ve come up with a slightly different solution. What I’ve found works the best is to place the pan into a slightly larger pan, than in another pan. My last pan is often a cookie sheet since it’s large enough to accommodate the larger pan. Pour boiling water into the last pan (cookie sheet) until about 1/2″ high, then place the cheesecake into the oven to bake. The steam from the water in the outer pan will alleviate any cracks while baking!

7. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 5-10 minutes. At the 1 hour mark, check the cheesecake by opening the oven door and giving the cheesecake a slight shake (using an oven mitt). The centre of the cheesecake should wiggle slightly, but if it looks very wet and jiggly, bake the cheesecake for another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door just a crack. Allow the cheesecake to cool down in the oven this way for 1-2 hours, before removing it from the oven and allowing it to cool at room temperature for another 1-2 hours. Wrap the cooled cheesecake in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 4-6 hours to completely firm up.

How to serve the cheesecake

Once you’re ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the fridge and run a knife gently around the edge of the cake, between the cake and the pan. The cheesecake has likely already separated from the pan so you shouldn’t have any trouble opening the springform pan to release the cheesecake.

Cut the cheesecake into slices using a very sharp knife, rinsing the knife in between slices. Place the cheesecake on a plate and top with extra strawberry rhubarb compote, sliced strawberries, and even whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Storing the cheesecake

Once cooled, the cheesecake will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. If you have topped the whole cheesecake with any fresh fruits, they will start to get soggy after a day or so. My suggestion would be to do any of your toppings just before you’re ready to serve the cake, on each individual slice.

You can also freeze the entire cheesecake (without any toppings) in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cheesecake overnight in the fridge prior to serving.

Some of my other cheesecake recipes from the blog:

I’m clearly a big fan of cheesecake! If you are too, you’ll definitely like these recipes too:

Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake

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Author: Katherine | Love In My Oven
Total Time: 6 hours
Yield: 16 servings 1x

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Description

Combine strawberries with rhubarb in this epic summer cheesecake! With just the right amount of tartness, this strawberry rhubarb cheesecake is a fantastic warm weather dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

3 cups diced rhubarb (fresh or frozen)*
2 cups diced strawberries
1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheet of graham crackers)
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Cheesecake Filling

3 blocks (8oz each) full fat cream cheese, room temperature**
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup Greek yogurt, room temperature***
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

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Instructions

Prepare the strawberry rhubarb compote. In a small pot, combine together the rhubarb, diced strawberries, and sugar. Place the pot on the stove over low-medium heat and cook, stirring continuously, until the fruit begins to release liquid. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes before removing the pot from the burner and cooling for 10-15 minutes. Blend the mixture in a blender until smooth or use an immersion blender. Set it aside.
Prepare the graham cracker crust. Heat the oven to 350 F. Combine the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir the mixture until the crumbs are completely coated with melted butter (they look “wet”). Empty the crumbs into a 9″ or 10″ springform pan, pressing down with the back of a measuring cup or spoon, packing the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, about 1″.
Place the pan in the preheated oven for 10 minutes before removing and allowing it to cool while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
Prepare the filling. Place the room temperature blocks of cream cheese, along with the granulated sugar, into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You could also use a handheld mixer for this part. Mix the cream cheese and sugar on high until fully whipped, about 2 minutes. You may also need to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
With the mixer running on low, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between. Once mixed, add in the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl a few times to ensure everything gets thoroughly mixed.
Empty half of the cream cheese mixture into the pre-baked crust. You don’t have to be exact, just eyeball it! Then, drop in about 5-6 large tablespoons of the cooled strawberry rhubarb compote that you had prepared earlier. It should be about 1/3 cup. Use a spatula or knife to gently swirl it around. Empty the remaining cream cheese mixture on top of this, followed by an additional 1/3 cup of the compote, swirling it again in the same way. Save any leftover compote in the fridge to serve on top of the finished cheesecake. Gently tap the sides of the pan to release any air bubbles.
Place the springform pan into a slightly larger pan, then place both pans into another pan.**** Pour boiling water into the last pan until about 1/2″ high, then place the cheesecake into the oven to bake. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 5-10 minutes. At the 1 hour mark, check the cheesecake by opening the oven door and giving the cheesecake a slight shake. The centre of the cheesecake should wiggle slightly, but if it looks very wet and jiggly, bake the cheesecake for another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door just a crack. Allow the cheesecake to cool down in the oven this way for 1-2 hours, before removing it from the oven and allowing it to cool at room temperature for another 1-2 hours. Wrap the cooled cheesecake in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 4-6 hours to completely firm up.
When you’re ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the fridge and run a knife gently around the edge of the cake, between the cake and the pan. Cut the cheesecake into slices using a very sharp knife, rinsing the knife in between slices. Place the cheesecake on a plate and top with extra strawberry rhubarb compote, sliced strawberries, and even whipped cream.

Leftover cheesecake can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days, or in the freezer, for up to 2 months. Thaw the cheesecake overnight in the fridge.

If you think you’ll have leftovers, top the cheesecake slices before serving, rather than decorating the entire cheesecake, as any fresh fruit may get soggy after one day.

Notes

*It makes no difference whether you use fresh or frozen, however the frozen may contain a bit more liquid. If using fresh, you may need to add a tablespoon of water to the mixture.

**You may also use “light” cream cheese blocks but do not use the spreadable cream cheese tubs.

***You can substitute the Greek yogurt for full fat sour cream.

****See the blog post above for a more thorough explanation of the “water bath”.