Ricotta Strawberry Rhubarb Cheese Cake

This cake is the main reason I’ve actually been stewing rhubarb and strawberries.

In a previous post, I've demonstrated how to make a cannabis infused compote using fresh berries and rhubarb (which is technically another herb).

If you want to flavour this cake with the puckering tang of rhubarb, you must make the compote first and you can find the directions here:

https://steemit.com/cannabis/@rebeccaryan/rhubarb-strawberries-and-cannabis-stewed-with-love

If you don’t have access to rhubarb you can just stew the berries or you can choose another flavour to use with the base of this cake. You have options is what I am saying, so don’t let the lack of one or two ingredients hold back your own culinary creativity.

I’ve medicated both the cake and the topping for the cake.

I am not going to lie, this cake takes 48 hours to make because although it’s not difficult to make from a technically perspective, both the compote and the cake need 24 hours of refrigerated rest time, each.

(You’re welcome. It was the least I could do. Lol!)

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of the best quality ricotta cheese. that you can find (I used ricotta made from water buffalo milk because it’s a low lectin A2 milk)

• 6 eggs

• 2/3 cup of Swerve (a sugar replacement made with fruits and vegetables)

• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of gluten free, all purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp of pink Himalayan salt

• 1/3 cup of cannabis infused bee honey

• 5 fresh raspberries for garnish

• 1 tsp of coconut oil (for oiling a 10 inch spring-form cake pan)

Directions:

• Drain any extra liquid out of the ricotta cheese. Break the cheese up with your hands and place it in a large enough mixing bowl that will accommodate hand stirring and the additional ingredients.

Technically this would be considered an Italian-style cheesecake. Hand mixing will lend itself to a lumpy textured cake. You can run these ingredients through a food processor or high powered blender if you want a smoother cake texture.

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

• Oil the cake pan with coconut oil and dust it with 1 tbsp of flour. Make sure the whole pan is evenly coated.

If you get your cake pan evenly coated, the finished cake will release easily and fully intact from the pan once it’s finished baking. Do not skip this step.

• Crack the eggs into a separate bowl.

• Beat them.

• Sift the flour and the Swerve together.

• Add the eggs to the cheese and stir to thoroughly combine them.

• Add the sifted flour and Swerve next, stirring well to combine.

• Gently heat the bee honey in a small saucepan over a low flame so that the viscosity of the honey is thin and smooth. As we are mixing this cake by hand, the easier it is to combine the honey the more evenly the cake will be medicated and you’ll be less likely to end up with a section of the cake more medicated than another. This just makes dosing more predictable.

The honey should run right off of a spoon. That’s the viscosity that you are going for.

• Add the vanilla and salt next and stir to combine.

• Add the honey last and stir it into the batter really well.

The honey is a darker colour so you’ll be able to see if you have it blended properly because the colour of the batter will change slightly.

• pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

See What I See: Lumpy Batter

• Drain any extra liquid off of the strawberry rhubarb compote using a fine mesh strainer.

Removing this liquid will ensure that the cake batter doesn’t become too wet which means that it will cook properly. Do not skip this step.

See What I See: That’s 12 ounces of fluid which would totally throw-off the consistency of the cake if you don’t take the time to remove it. Soggy cake is not what we are trying to achieve.

Save this liquid. Do not discard it because it makes a fabulous cocktail that’s already completely medicated.

Here’s the link to that recipe, if you missed it:

https://steemit.com/cannabis/@rebeccaryan/cannabis-cocktails-shirley-let-me-lace-it-up-a-notch

• Add the compote to the top of the cake in a bull’s eye configuration.

• Drag a wooden skewer through the compote and the batter to create swirls.

• Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour.

After an hour of baking the sides of the cake will pull away from the sides of the cake pan and the centre of the cake should still be slightly spongy.

• Let the cake cool in its pan until you can comfortably touch it. Then put the whole thing (cake in pan) into the refrigerator and chill for 24 hours, before you attempt to plate this cake.

If you don’t let the cake cool completely, you run the risk of the cake tearing apart as you remove it from its pan.

• After 24 hours, run a knife around the outside edge of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan before you attempt to remove the cake. The edges of the cake should have a nice crust.

• Take more compote and use it like a frosting to go around the outside of the cake.

• Press the back of a fork all the way around the top edge of the cake to produce a finished look.

• Garnish the centre with fresh raspberries.

See What I See: One gorgeously medicate cake from my garden to table.

Shall we cut it?

I think so. Lol!

It’s baked alright and I have no doubt that you will be too!

I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my journey...twice medicate and baked to perfection because that’s how I like to roll.

~ Rebecca