To prepare the shortcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or the backs of two forks to cut in the butter until it takes on a sandy consistency with pea-sized clumps throughout. Add the heavy cream and fold until a dough comes together.
3. Pat the dough out into a 1” thick rectangle and then fold in thirds like you’d fold a letter to put into an envelope. Pat the dough out to 1” thickness again and use a knife to cut the dough into 8 equal sized pieces. If desired, you can use a 2-1/2” round biscuit cutter, but this is unnecessary. Place the shortcakes on a baking sheet snuggled up to one another, and use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of heavy cream on their tops. Sprinkle with sugar, decrease the oven’s heat to 400 degrees and bake the shortcakes until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool prior to serving.

To prepare the roasted rhubarb:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 (or lower oven temp after baking shortcakes).
2. Toss the rhubarb pieces, brown sugar, and vanilla bean paste together in a 9”x13” baking dish. Roast the rhubarb, tossing occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender and the sugar has all dissolved. Allow to cool slightly prior to serving.

To prepare the mascarpone cream:

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the mascarpone and powdered sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Drizzle in a bit of the cream and beat briefly to combine. Repeat this process a few times until the cheese has been thinned out to a loose, smooth consistency. Add the remaining cream and beat on medium-high speed until the cream has fluffed up to a whipped cream consistency and medium-stiff peaks have formed.

To serve the shortcakes:

1. Split each warm shortcake in half and top each bottom half with a few stalks of roasted rhubarb. Top the rhubarb with a generous dollop of cream and replace the top to the shortcake. Serve immediately!