I Tried Stanley Tucci’s “Cheese Cake,” and I Guarantee It’ll Be the Hit of Every Holiday Party

If Stanley Tucci, beloved actor, author, and culinary expert, recommends something, then obviously we’re going to try it. In case you aren’t familiar with Tucci outside of his big-screen roles, he also hosted a series titled Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and has written four books, including a recent memoir titled What I Ate in One Year, which chronicles 12 months of memorable meals. He’s a man who deeply appreciates food, so when he launched a new take on a cheese “cake,” we were curious. 

Tucci partnered with S.Pellegrino and Murray’s Cheese, which makes some of the best mac and cheese that we’ve ever had, to create a savory cheese “cake.” We put “cake” in quotation marks because it isn’t a traditional cake. It is technically three cheeses stacked on top of each other and a small star cut out of cheese. All you have to do to “make” it is take the cheeses out of their wrappings and use the included cookie-cutter to make the cheese star.

“This just seemed like a really nice idea and fun and easy for the holidays,” Tucci said. “There’s something quite festive about it; the look of it, too.”

Move over charcuterie board — there’s a new party showstopper on the scene. 

“We just wanted cheeses that were going to have varied flavors that would complement each other,” he explained. “You don’t want all hard cheeses; you don’t want all too soft/salty cheeses. This is a nice mixture I think.” 

The “cake” is made out of Murray’s Cave Aged Reserve Cornelia, Murray’s Mini Brie, and Alta Langa La Tur with Buonatavola Provolone serving as the star. 

If you’re tired of serving a supersweet dessert or painstakingly putting together a big appetizer spread, this “cake” is definitely something that’s going to be met with delight. You could easily bring it to a party or order as a fun gift for the cheese lover in your life. Plus, I can personally say that it looks great on a table. 

But what do you serve with it? We would recommend bringing some crackers or bread, and Tucci provided some pairing ideas.

“Well, obviously, S.Pelligrino, if it’s something that you’re having after dinner, which is often what we do here,” he said. “What the British do, more than the Americans do, is have cheese after dinner. Italians will often have it before dinner. I think with a nice glass of wine — a dessert wine, or something like that. That’s always nice.” 

We got to try this holiday treat in our office. Coworkers kept coming into the kitchen and saying what a good idea for a holiday appetizer or dessert they thought it was. The charm really does lie in the star and the way the cheeses stack on top of each other. It is a low-maintenance way to create a conversation piece at your holiday party without having to spend hours whipping up an appetizer or dessert. 

As for the actual cheeses, everyone had their own favorite but this “cake” also gave people the opportunity to go out of their comfort zone. Because there were only four cheeses to try, I didn’t feel overwhelmed, like I do when presented with a big charcuterie spread. It allowed me to appreciate the cheeses more because they were so carefully selected. I personally couldn’t get enough of the Brie and Provolone (as the person who called in the cheese “cake,” I ate the leftover pieces of the star). It paired nicely with the S.Pellegrino, which served as a good palate cleanser between cheeses. 

The only thing to note is that you should have crackers or bread on hand if you’re bringing it as a gift.

Buy: S.Pellegrino and Stanley Tucci’s Holiday Cheese “Cake”, $83