Description
These gorgeous three layer bars are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! A lemon cream cheese base is topped with sweet strawberry and tart rhubarb, and it’s all topped with fluffy whipped cream and fresh strawberry slices.
Heavily adapted from Broma Bakery
Scale
Ingredients
Strawberry rhubarb layer:
- 2 cups rhubarb, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 3/4 cup sugar, divided
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 eggs
- Red gel paste (food coloring)
- 1 teaspoon lemon bakery emulsion (or extract)
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup flour
Cream cheese bar layer:
- 5 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon bakery emulsion (or extract)
- 1⅓ cups flour
Mascarpone whipped cream layer:
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Sliced strawberries, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the strawberry rhubarb puree:
- In a medium pot, combine rhubarb, strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before transferring mixture to a food processor (or blender (aff link)) and puree until mostly smooth (aside from the strawberry seeds). Pour into a small bowl and set aside.
Cream cheese bar layer:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add salt and lemon emulsion and whip to combine. Add flour and combine on low speed until fully incorporated. Dough will be very sticky!
- Press dough firmly onto the bottom of the baking dish, spreading evenly to the edges. Bake for 15 minutes.
Prepare the strawberry rhubarb curd layer:
- While the cream cheese bars are baking, prepare the curd. In a large bowl, combine your prepared strawberry rhubarb puree, eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon emulsion, salt and as much red food coloring as you’d like. I use thicker gel paste, and usually use about 4-5 drops for a gorgeous red color. You want to make it a bit darker than you want the final result as it will fade a bit with the addition of flour and baking.
- Add the flour and whisk to combine.
- When the bars are done baking, pour the curd evenly on top of the bars and bake for another 20 minutes.
- Let bars cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to cool and set completely (at least 3 hours).
Mascarpone whipped cream layer:
- Chill a large mixing bowl in the fridge.
- In your chilled bowl, combine mascarpone cheese and sugar on a high speed until completely combined.
- Add vanilla and heavy cream, and mix on a low setting until it is mostly combined. Now increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form – it may take a little while, so be patient!
- Once the bars are completely cooled and set, frost with the whipped cream and top with sliced strawberries. Cut into bars and enjoy!
Equipment
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- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: strawberry rhubarb bars, strawberry rhubarb, strawberry rhubars
D Davis
Monday 3rd of June 2019
This looks fabulous, but at what point to do add the strawberry/rhubarb puree? I've reread the recipe several times, but do not see where that is incorporated. I'm guessing that is actually Step 2 or 3 of the strawberry/rhubarb curd directions (before or after adding the flour), but would you please clear that up? Thank you! :)
Leslie Kiszka
Monday 3rd of June 2019
Hi there! It's actually listed in step #1 under "Prepare the strawberry rhubarb curd layer". But there are SO many little steps, I'm going to call that out a bit more so that it's easier to see, it's definitely too subtle as is. Thank you for that feedback - if you make these, I hope you enjoy it!