YIELD: 1 DOUBLE-HEIGHT (9-INCH) CHEESECAKE / 15 TO 20 SERVINGS
The first time we made a Big-Slice cake was in the 1990s, when Mayor Daley wagered an Eli’s Cheesecake during one of the Chicago Bulls’ early championships. We’ve been making them ever since.
This is a great party idea—we make one every year for our daughter Haley’s birthday. Invite 20 of your best friends over and have a dessert party. It makes a great photo op!
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FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUSTS:
1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
FOR THE ORIGINAL PLAIN BATTER (2 RECIPES REQUIRED):
8 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 large whole eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1½ cups sour cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE FROSTING AND GARNISHES:
1 pint fresh whole strawberries
1 cup melted chocolate, for dipping strawberries
3 cups of your favorite frosting
1 cup (16 ounces) graham cracker crumbs
Marc stands with his lookalike, Will Ferrell, alongside a Big-Slice cake prepared for Ferrell’s Chicago visit to promote his movie The Campaign.
Chicago’s Big Cheese, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Marc celebrate the Blackhawks’ 2015 victory with the giant slice.
Haley with her Big-Slice Birthday Cake.
1. Prepare the Shortbread Crusts (see recipe on p. 110) in two 9-inch springform pans. Follow the recipe as directed.
2. Prepare enough Original Plain batter to make 2 cakes (see recipe on p. 78). Follow the recipe as directed.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Generously grease and flour the springform pan (see Trade Secret on p. 76). Fill the prepared springform pans with the Original Plain batter. Using an offset spatula, smooth down the batter until it is level.
4. Place the filled springform pans in the center of the oven, directly on the middle shelf. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the cakes 180 degrees to ensure even browning. (All ovens bake differently, so be alert for hot spots in your own oven.) The cakes should be starting to soufflé and should be light in color. Continue to bake for 10 minutes more, for a total of 40 minutes at 375°F.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F and leave the oven door slightly ajar. The cakes should be golden brown and lightly souffléd on the sides. Leave the cakes in the oven for 10 minutes more. (This step and the two that follow allow the cakes to cool to room temperature gently, preventing cracking.) Give the cakes a gentle shake; they are done if the centers of the cakes jiggle and the surfaces of the cakes are slightly firm. Turn the oven off and open the oven door wide. Leave the cakes in the oven for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
6. Loosen the cheesecakes from the springform pans by sliding an offset spatula around their inside rings. Remove the springform pans from the cakes and transfer to plates. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
7. Wash and dry the strawberries and dip them in the melted chocolate. Set aside on waxed paper to allow the chocolate to harden. Transfer to the freezer for 2 to 3 hours before slicing.
8. Make a paper template of a large triangular slice to set on top of the finished cake. Using a thin, nonserrated knife that is dipped in hot water and wiped dry after each slice, cut the slice shape out of the two cheesecakes’ centers.
9. Assemble the two cakes together by stacking them, one on top of the other. Frost the assembled cake using the frosting of your choice. Coat the “crust” of the large slice with the graham cracker crumbs. Garnish with the chocolate-covered strawberries and serve immediately or store in the freezer well wrapped for up to 3 months.
Be sure that both cheesecakes are completely frozen before cutting the template slice to make sure it’s nice and clean.
Eli’s Cheesecake is one of President Clinton’s favorite desserts! It was served at the White House and aboard Air Force One. (Of course, now President Clinton is a vegan…but don’t worry, Eli’s makes vegan cheesecake, so we have him covered.) Eli’s made a 2,000-pound cheesecake for both of the Clinton inaugural celebrations in Washington, DC. Pictured here is the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, cutting Clinton’s first Inaugural cheesecake at Reunion on the Mall.
Left to right: Mayor Richard M. Daley, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and Marc Schulman cut the giant cheesecake created when the White Sox won the World Series in 2005.
Eli’s fans line up for a piece of the big cake.
In 2014, Eli’s Cheesecake welcomed the Today Show to Chicago! Shown are hosts Natalie Morales and Willie Geist.
President Obama with his 50th birthday cheesecake. Left to right, Laurel Boger and Maureen and Marc Schulman.
This movie-themed cheesecake was designed for Siskel and Ebert’s 20th anniversary, held at the Steppenwolf Theater. Cutting the cake are Martha Lavey, Alan Wilder, Gary Sinise, Joan Allen, Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert, Laurie Metcalf, and John Mahoney.
Eli’s created a giant Wheel of Fortune cake for Vanna White and Pat Sajak when the game show filmed on location in Chicago. Also pictured: Maureen, Marc, and Elana Schulman.
Kelsey Grammer, “Mayor of Chicago” on the Starz series Boss, cut the 1,500-pound cheesecake celebrating Chicago’s 175th birthday.
Olympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars alum Evan Lysacek poses with a Big-Slice cake created to celebrate Evan Lysacek Day in his hometown of Naperville, Illinois.
Every mouse likes cheese, but Mickey (shown with Eli) got an upgrade: cheesecake.
During a 1996 broadcast of Jay Leno’s Tonight Show from Chicago, an actor portraying Marc took Jay into Eli’s bakery and told him they’d put his face on every cheesecake made that day—and proceeded to push his face into the entire production line of cakes.
Cinderella and her sidekick, Elana, visit Eli’s Bakery before the Cinderella Cheesecake was presented for Disney World’s 25th Anniversary.
The Slice, Eli’s Cheesecake’s mascot, was center court at the United Center; Marc was inside the suit!
For the Chicago International Film Festival’s 50th anniversary, Colin Farrell and Liv Ullmann were on hand to cut our massive movie-themed cheesecake, complete with popcorn, favorite movie candies, and a white chocolate film reel. Also pictured are Michael Kutza, founder of the Chicago International Film Festival, and Maureen Schulman.
Marc Schulman and Dick Clark at the Les Turner Foundation ALS Mammoth Music Mart.
Emilio and Gloria Estefan and Josh Segarra and Ana Villafane, the actors who portray them in the Broadway-bound show “On Your Feet,” get ready to dive into a giant Eli’s Tres Leches cake at the show’s Broadway in Chicago opening night party.
At a Harpo Studios event, Maureen and Marc served Eli’s Cheesecake, and Oprah Winfrey stopped by. Later, she called Eli’s Original Plain “perfection on a plate” in the pages of O, The Oprah Magazine.
Eli lighting the candles on his first Big Cheesecake, made to celebrate Chicago’s 150th birthday in 1987.
Marc pops out of a giant cake in this Chicago Tribune feature.
Second City alum Stephen Colbert deadpans next to Eli’s 50 Years of Funny cheesecake.
Eli frosts the first big cheesecake ever, which weighed in at 1,000 pounds and was served free to the public at Taste of Chicago.
Windy City Live’s Ryan Chiaverini gives co-host Val Warner a taste of an Eli’s Cheesecake made to celebrate the show’s first anniversary.
The Eli’s team celebrating the 35th birthday at Taste of Chicago with a 1,500-pound cheesecake, which was served free to the public. Laurel Boger (first row, third from right) wears glam boots in honor of the event’s guest stars, the cast of the musical Kinky Boots.
From our family to yours:
We hope you have fun making all of our favorite recipes from Eli’s The Place For Steak and The Eli’s Cheesecake Bakery. Thanks for being an Eli’s fan!