Rhubarb Lattice Cheesecake Squares

|Updated May 26, 2020

@twospoons.ca

Say hello to this pretty in pink Rhubarb Lattice Cheesecake! It’s sure to get you some “oooohs and aaaaahs.” The recipe, although it takes some time, is pretty simple to make. It starts by slicing the rhubarb into long thin strips (using a mandoline), then placing it in boiling sugar water to soften. Making the lattice is a bit like adult arts and crafts, by layering long strips of rhubarb over top of each other.

Rhubarb Lattice Cheesecake Squares

Ingredients

Cheesecake Crust

1 1/4 cups almond meal
1 1/4 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup coconut oil melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Filling

2 1/2 cups raw cashews soaked overnight, 380g
1/3 cup coconut oil melted
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut yogurt
2 limes zest and juice
1 tsp vanilla

Rhubarb lattice to the top

4 stalks rhubarb
3 cups of water
1/2 cup raw cane sugar

Instructions

Prepare crust. Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Pulse together oats and almond meal in a food processor to make a fine powder. Then add melted coconut oil, maple syrup, sea salt, and cinnamon. Blend to form a dough.
Create the tart shell by pressing the dough into the bottom of the rectangular tart pan and up the sides (I used a 12x8 inch rectangular baking pan with removable bottom).
Make crust ~1/2 cm thick. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely. Prepare to fill. Add cashews, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, yogurt, lime juice and zest, and vanilla to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Then evenly pour cashew cream cheese filling into the rectangular tart shell and place in the freezer to chill, approx. 1-2 hours.
Build your lattice. Using a mandolin slicer, slice the rhubarb lengthways to be about 1/8 inch thick. Bring a pot of water (3 cups) to boil and add sugar. Reduce to a simmer, and plunge rhubarb slices into a pot adding only 3 or 4 slices at a time. Cook until slightly softened (3-4 mins), then drain on paper towels. Repeat, until all the rhubarb slices are cooked. Reserve the remaining syrup.
Line up slices of cooked rhubarb side-by-side on a sheet of parchment. (The number of side-by-side slices will depend on how many are needed to cover the width of your baking pan, I used 7 slices in total). Fold alternating slices up (slice 1, 3, 5 and 7) and lay a piece of rhubarb horizontally just underneath the bends (so it will lay over top of slice 2, 4 and 6).
Next bring slice 1, 3, 5 and 7 back down so it lays over the horizontal strip. Next lift slices 2, 4 and 6, and lay another slice of rhubarb horizontally underneath the bend (so it will lay over top of slice 1, 3, 5 and 7 this time).
Continue this process of layering rhubarb horizontally alternating between lifting odd slices, and then even slices, until you've got a lattice pattern big enough to cover the top of your entire tart.
Flip the parchment paper with rhubarb lattice onto the top of the chilled tart, and peel it away
Trim off any overhang with scissors. Paint rhubarb lattice with remaining sugar water to glaze. Allow cheesecake to thaw slightly, approx. 20-30 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.