Chocolate Irish Cream Cheesecake
Two layers of intensely flavored, boozy chocolate cheesecake, well-balanced and super creamy. This chocolate Baileys cheesecake recipe is one to make for special occasions and to have frozen at all times. A sensational dessert for a dinner party or a small celebration.
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
For the cookie base:
- 2 cups ground chocolate wafers
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
For the cream cheese filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese 2 bricks, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar light or dark
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate melted
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ¾ teaspoon vanilla paste
- ½ cup Baileys Irish cream liqueur
- ½ cup heavy cream at room temperature
For the topping:
- ¾ cup sour cream at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Baileys Irish cream liqueur
For the chocolate drizzle:
- ½ ounce semisweet chocolate melted
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
For the cookie base:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Have ready a 9 or 10-inch (24cm) springform cake pan with removable bottom.
- Stir 2 cups ground chocolate wafers with ½ cup unsalted butter, and mix until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Put this mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. It will only cover about an inch up the sides.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack while making the filling. Don't turn the oven off.
For the filling:
- Beat 16 ounces cream cheese in a large bowl on low speed until very smooth. You can use an electric mixer or wire whisk. If the cheese is at room temperature, mixing it by hand should not be a problem.
- Gradually add ½ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons brown sugar and beat until well incorporated.
- Add 3 eggs, mixing until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Add melted 12 ounces semisweet chocolate and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and mix.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ½ cup Baileys and ½ cup heavy cream, stirring to incorporate well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F (180°C), turn the oven down to 280ºF (140°C) and bake for another 40-45 minutes. (This can vary depending on your oven). At this point, the cheesecake should jiggle in the center. Don't be tempted to bake it longer.
- Turn the oven off and, leaving the door ajar, let the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. The residual heat will keep on baking it.
- Prepare the topping (below) a few minutes before taking it out of the oven. Spread it carefully almost touching the edges.
- Cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. I recommend 1 day of refrigeration for the creamiest consistency.
- Run a small knife around the edges to loosen up any bits that might be stuck, remove the cheesecake from the cake pan, transfer to the serving plate, and drizzle with chocolate ganache.
- Keep leftovers refrigerated, covered in plastic wrap.
For the topping:
- Mix ¾ cup sour cream and 2 tablespoons Baileys in a small bowl. You can add a few drops of vanilla extract if you want to. I normally don't.
For the chocolate drizzle:
- Chop ½ ounce semisweet chocolate and put it in a small bowl.
- Heat 2 tablespoons heavy cream in the microwave or stovetop. Just before it boils, pour it over the chocolate.
- Whisk until chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. If you want it thinner in consistency add more cream or milk.
- Drizzle over sour cream topping when the cheesecake is cold.
Notes
Baking time: Keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer placed inside the oven to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Chocolate cookie crust: Do not use sandwich cookies(such as Oreo cookies) because they create an overly greasy base that doesn't really complement the cheesecake mixture flavor-wise. I sometimes add a few tablespoons of ground cocoa nibs for an even deeper flavor.
Chocolate cookies: Grind the cookies in the food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter to the bowl and pulse to mix.
Variation: if you want to use another liquor (orange or coffee liqueur, for example, or even Irish whiskey to keep up with the theme), use ¾ cup cream and ¼ cup booze of choice for the filling. But it wouldn't be a Baileys's cheesecake, would it?
Freezing is my favorite way of storing cheesecake. Wrap it well, first in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. It keeps for a month.