Eli's Cheesecake creates 1,000-pound treat for Taste of Chicago
CHICAGO - Get ready for a massive celebration at this year's Taste of Chicago as Eli's Cheesecake whips up a gigantic 1,000-pound cheesecake to commemorate the bakery and festival's 43rd birthdays.
Eli's Cheesecake holds a special connection to Taste of Chicago, as it's the very place where Eli Schulman introduced his delectable cheesecake to the world.
As the only original vendor at Taste, Eli's has delighted festival-goers with over 5 million slices of its rich and creamy cheesecake since the event began in 1980.
Crafting the colossal dessert has required a monumental effort, including:
- 450 pounds of cream cheese
- 70 pounds of sugar
- 50 pounds of sour cream
- 25 pounds of chocolate chips
- 63 pounds of Eli's shortbread cookie crust
- 65 pounds of eggs
- 2 pounds of vanilla
- 25 pounds of cherry glaze
- 100 pounds of old-fashioned buttercream icing
- 125 pounds of cookie dough
- 25 pounds of graham crackers
The grand cake reveal will take place at 12:15 p.m., as the 1,000-pound birthday cheesecake is carefully forklifted off a truck and Eli's pastry chefs add the final decorations.
At 12:30 p.m., the Cake Cutting Ceremony will commence. The cake will then be served to the public, free of charge.
A new addition to this year's menu is the Chocolate Chip Cookie ‘Pie in the Sky’ – which is a mini cookie pie served warm with ice cream. Eli's other offerings include the Original Plain Cheesecake with Strawberries, Turtle Cheesecake Smoosh, Chocolate Chip Crunch Dipper, and Key Lime Cheesecake.