Serves 12
For the rhubarb
- 150g fresh rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 5cm lengths
- 80g Suicra caster sugar
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 70ml water
For the base
- 20 digestive biscuits, crushed finely
- ½ orange, zest only
- 120g melted butter
For the filling
- 200ml cream
- 1½ leaves gelatine
- 400g soft smooth cream cheese
- 70g Siucra icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp finely chopped crystalised ginger
- ½ orange, zest only
For the orange topping
- 150ml orange juice
- 80g Siucra caster sugar
- 1½ gelatine leaves
- Orange segments, to decorate
- Candied orange rind, to decorate
- Poached rhubarb, to decorate
- Mint leaves, to decorate
To cook the rhubarb, place the rhubarb pieces into a large saucepan, sprinkle over the Siucra caster sugar and ground ginger and pour in the water. Carefully poach for about 10 minutes, moving from time to time until just cooked but the pieces are whole. Once cooked, leave too cool completely.
To make the base, line the base of a 23cm spring form baking tin with parchment. Brush the sides generously with melted butter.
Place the crushed biscuits and orange zest into a bowl. Pour enough melted butter to coat the biscuits and spoon this mixture into the base of the spring form tin, flatten with the back of a spoon.
Leave in the fridge to set for ½ an hour.
To make the cheesecake filling, warm the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat. Place the gelatine leaves into 100ml cold water to soak until softened. Squeeze the excess water from the soaked gelatine leaves and place into the warm cream and stir until dissolved. Leave to cool. Whisk the cream cheese, Siucra icing sugar, vanilla extract, crystalised ginger and orange zest together. When the cream is cold, whisk it into the cream cheese mixture.
Drain the poaching liquid from the cold rhubarb pieces, retain a few pieces for decorating with. Fold the piece into the cream cheese mix and spoon over the biscuit base.
Leave in the fridge for at least 6 hours to set.
To make the orange topping, place the orange juice and Siucra caster sugar into a saucepan and heat until just hot and the sugar dissolved. Place the gelatine leaves into 100ml cold water to soak until softened.
Squeeze the excess water from the soaked gelatine leaves and place into the hot orange juice and stir quickly until the gelatine is dissolved. Cool this down by placing the saucepan on some ice or in very cold water and letting the liquid thicken slightly before pouring over the top of the cheesecake mix.
Leave to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
To serve, run a warm thin palette knife carefully around the tin, unlock the tin, peel the wrap off and slide on a cake stand.
Decorate with orange segments, candied orange rind, pieces of poached rhubarb and mint leaves.
