Editor’s note: Rhubarb and custard are perfect partners and won this delicious bake second place in last year’s cheesecake competition run by The JC.

Method: 

• For the stewed rhubarb: Place the ingredients in a bowl and cover. Set aside for 30 minutes to macerate. After 30 minutes, tip everything into a saucepan, bring to boil then simmer for 10–15 minutes until all the fruit is cooked. Next turn the heat up for 5 minutes to evaporate most of the liquid – you’ll need to continuously stir at this point. Leave to cool while you prepare the base and filling.
• For the base: Melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the biscuit crumbs. Pour the coated crumbs into a cake tin, and using a spoon, compress the crumbs until you are left with an even base layer. Bake in oven at 175°C (150°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4) for 5–8 minutes.
• For the cheesecake mixture: Whip together all the cake ingredients in a large bowl. Once whipped, roughly remove half the mixture into another bowl.
• In bowl 1, add ½ of a vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir together. In bowl 2, add 100g (½ cup) of cold rhubarb, removing as much ‘ extra’ liquid as possible – don’t sieve, you need some liquid! Add 1 tablespoon cornflour. Stir together.
• Cover the base with a thin layer of cake mixture from bowl 1, then add spoonfuls of the mixture from bowl 1 and bowl 2 on top until both bowls have been emptied.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. After baking is complete, slightly open the oven door enough to jam open with a wooden spoon.
• Leave the cake in the oven for 4–6 hours before placing in the fridge for another 5 hours. Serve at room temperature.

Both recipes extracted from The Essential Cheesecake Cookbook: Recipes from Around the World (Greenbean Books)