How To Make Cheese Cakes
From the treasured pages of The Lady Cravens Receipt Book
Written by Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven
How To Make Cheese Cakes
"When you intend to make you must Cott your milke for a little hotter then from the Cow then putt in the Runetto and so lett itt stand while the Curds come and then hang it upp in the Cheese Cloath to Drayne from the whey then Sett Some Creame to Boyle and grate Some Bread and Some Nutmegg and putt into the Creame when it Boyles to make it pretty thick then take it of and putt in Some Sweet Butter and Sugar and Sett it stand till it be Cold then mixe all togeather with the Curds and putt into them Some Currances and yolks of Eggs what quantity you think good"
Note on the Original Text
This recipe is written in the free-flowing, command-based style typical of early 18th-century English manuscripts. Quantities are often imprecise ('what quantity you think good'), because cooks were expected to use experience and judgment—'a handful,' 'some,' or 'as much as will make it pretty thick'. Spelling reflects early modern standards: 'pitt' for 'put', 'currances' for 'currants', and so on. The loose grammar and punctuation mirror informal, oral recipe traditions of the time.
Title
The Lady Cravens Receipt Book (1703)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven
Era
1703
Publisher
Coome Abbey
Background
A delectable manuscript brimming with 18th-century English delights, Lady Craven's receipt book whisks readers from luscious cakes and puddings to savory feasts and creamy cheeses. Elegantly organized and sprinkled with recipes from an illustrious social circle, this culinary collection offers a sumptuous taste of aristocratic home economics.
Kindly made available by
Penn State University
This recipe comes from 'The Lady Cravens receipt-booke,' a manuscript compiled by Elizabeth, Baroness Craven in the early 18th century. Lady Craven's book offers a charming look at English aristocratic cookery between 1702 and 1704. Her collection showcases recipes she gathered from social connections, reflecting the exchange and adaptation of culinary ideas within her circle. Cheesecakes of this era were quite different from today's creamy baked concoctions—less sweet, more textured, and reliant on fresh-made curds rather than cream cheese. Ingredients like nutmeg and currants reflect the tastes and access to imported goods of the early Georgian English gentry.
The process would have involved a large copper or earthenware pot to gently heat fresh milk, and a cheesecloth or 'cheese cloth' to drain the curds, suspended, perhaps, from a hook or beam in the kitchen. For thickening the cream, a small saucepan (possibly earthenware or copper), and a wooden spoon would be used. Mixing would be done in a large bowl, and baking would be in a wood-fired oven, likely in small pans or directly in pastry-lined hoops. Butter would be churned fresh in the kitchen, and spices grated with a nutmeg grater.
Prep Time
3 hrs
Cook Time
35 mins
Servings
8
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet (or vegetarian alternative)
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream (36% fat or more)
- 1 3/4 ounces fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 ounces granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 ounces dried currants
- 3-4 egg yolks
- Shortcrust pastry for lining tins (optional, modern addition)
Instructions
- Begin by making fresh curds: gently heat 1 quart of whole milk to around 104°F (just above cow body temperature).
- Add 1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet, stir, then cover and let sit for 30-45 minutes until curds form.
- Line a sieve with cheesecloth, pour in the curds, and allow them to drain for a few hours until firm but still moist.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 1 1/4 cups heavy cream almost to a boil, then reduce heat and stir in 1 3/4 ounces fresh white breadcrumbs and 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg.
- Simmer gently, stirring often, until the mixture thickens.
- Take off the heat, add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 3/4 ounces sugar, and stir.
- Let cool completely.
- Once both curds and cream base are cool, mix together in a bowl.
- Add 1 3/4 ounces currants and 3-4 egg yolks (to taste and richness desired).
- Stir until combined.
- Spoon the mixture into individual small tart tins or one dish lined with shortcrust pastry if you like.
- Bake at 340°F for 30-35 minutes, until set and lightly golden.
- Serve once cool.
Estimated Calories
360 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 20 minutes to cook the tart in the oven. Preparation, including making the fresh curds and cream base, takes about 3 hours, most of which is waiting for the curds to drain and things to cool. Each serving has roughly 360 calories, and this recipe makes 8 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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