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To Make Cheeſe-cakes

To make Cheeſe-cakes is a traditional English recipe from the Restoration period for a crustless cheesecake thickened with bread that contains currants and is flavoured with nutmeg and rose water. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic English version of: To make Cheeſe-cakes.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

40 minutes

Total Time:

60 minutes

Additional Time:

(+cooling)

Serves:

8

Rating:

Tags : Spice RecipesCheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesBritish RecipesEnglish Recipes

To make Cheeſe-cakes (from Hannah Wolley, The Cook's Guide 1664)

TAke three gallons of milk new from the cow, and ſet it with runnet as for a cheeſe, then take a quart of cream and ſlice a manchet into it very thinne, boile it a reaſonable while till it be thick, then put it into a baſon, and put to it a quarter of a pound of ſweet butter, and let it ſtand till it be cold, when yout milk is come which you ſet, break it as for a cheese, and whey it very well, then break it very fine with your hands, and when it is very ſmall, put in your boiled bread and milk, ſtir them well together, and put in a pound and half of plumped currans or more, two nutmeggs grated, ſix egges, yolks and whites, a little ſalt, almost half a pound of ſugar, as much raw cream and roſe-water as you think fit; do not make them too thick with the cream; nor bake them too much.

Modern Redaction:

To date, this is the earliest recipe I've seen in English that explicitly mentions cheesecake in the name. From my experience, 3 quarts of full fat milk will yield about 675ml of curd cheese. Manchet is a wheaten, yeast-leavened bread of very good quality, or a small flat circular loaf. It was a bread that was small enough to be held in the hand. Any fine white bread would do. As no crust is mentioned in the recipe I'm assuming this is a crustless cheesecake thickened with the bread. Plumped currants are currants that have been soaked over night in rum, fruit juice, water or milk (whichever you prefer) until they are plump. Arguably, this is the fore-runner of the Yorkshire curd tart.

Ingredients:

650g curd cheese (or you can make your own curd cheese/fromage frais)
6 thin slices of good quality white bread
500ml single cream
115g unsalted butter
500g plumped currants
1 nutmeg, finely grated
5 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp sea salt
225g sugar
1 tbsp rose water
cream to thin

Method:

Combine the cream and bread slices in a pan. Bring to a boil then pour out into a bowl and add the butter. Stir until the butter has melted then set aside to cool.

Beat the curd cheese in a bowl until smooth. Use a hand blender to break up the bread and cream mix until smooth. Beat this into the curd cheese with the eggs, salt and sugar. Continue mixing until the sugar has dissolved.

Add in the currants along with the rose water. Now work in enough cream to slacken the mixture to the consistency of double cream (up to 100ml). Grease a baking dish and pour in the cheesecake mixture.

Transfer to the centre of an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the mixture is set (with just a little jiggle in the centre). Turn off the oven, prop the door open with a wooden spoon or towel and set aside to cool completely.

The following day, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely before carefully turning out. Serve chilled. If desired, you can dust with pounded sugar before serving.