Cheesecake cook-along with Chemical Kitchen

 

Discover how to make cheese from scratch and create your own tasty cheesecake in this live cook-along with the Chemical Kitchen team at Imperial College London.

During this chemistry-inspired cook-along you will learn how to make cheese from scratch using only milk and lemon juice, and then turn it into a delicious sweet cheesecake with a buttery biscuit base and your choice of fruity topping!

Lead by culinary education designer Jakub Radzikowski and chemistry teaching fellow Luke Delmas, who co-lead the Chemical Kitchen project at Imperial College London. The Chemical Kitchen teaches good laboratory practice to undergraduate chemistry students through culinary science experiments. It is rooted in the strong overlap between the skills of professional chefs with those required by chemists in the lab.

This workshop is suitable for all aged 12+. Any children under the age of 18 must by supervised by an adult.

Download the cheesecake recipe book (PDF, 4.6MB)

Download the cheesecake cook-along instructions (PDF, 1MB) 

To make the cheesecake you will need approximately:

  • 1 L of cow’s milk or soya milk
  • 1-2 lemons
  • Biscuits or cookies for the base, such as digestive biscuits
  • Butter or coconut oil
  • Sugar

Optional extras for the agar jelly topping:

  • 2-6 g agar and 100-300 mL of fruit cordial or other sweet, flavourful liquid such as tea or coffee
  • OR any other ingredients you want to use to top your cheesecake - like fresh fruit or herbs

And the following kitchen utensils

For making cheese:

  • a sieve and a cheesecloth, or a clean tea towel
  • a pot and a stove
  • a kitchen scale or a measuring jug
  • spoons
  • metal ring for assembly – optional

For optional agar jelly:

  • a tray
  • a liquid dropper, silicone tube connected to a syringe
  • a mug full of vegetable oil, frozen in a freezer

Cook-along speakers:

Jakub Radzikowski, Culinary Education Designer at Imperial College London

Luke Delmas, Teaching Fellow in Culinary Chemistry and Education, Imperial College London

Your creations

Show us how you got on with the recipe and share your cheesecakes with #ExRdFest

Tweet showing cheesecakes made at home