My First Completely Original Recipe for a Baked Good: Bailey's Cheesecake

After lots of research into what appeared to be successful cheesecake recipes (including personal knowledge from several cheesecake I have made), I created my own Bailey's cheesecake recipe for a blog on Discover Ireland's website for Urbun Cafe.  It turned out pretty amazing and boy does it taste like Bailey's.  There are, after all 6 oz of it in the cheesecake.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  I plan on making it at home and probably tweaking the recipe a bit because ovens in Ireland work a little differently than they do back in the states.

Bailey’s Cheesecake: Urbun Café

Crust:

1 ½ cups of Chocolate biscuits, finely ground

3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar

4 Tbsp. or 2 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Pinch of salt

Filling:

2 lbs. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

5 large eggs, room temperature

½ cup sour cream

6 oz. Bailey’s Liquor

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. plain flour

Coffee Whipped Cream:

1 ¼ cups chilled heavy whipping cream

1 tsp instant espresso or coffee

3 tbsp. powdered sugar (more or less to personal taste)

Chocolate ganache:

3 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

3 oz heavy cream

Equipment:

Medium and large mixing bowls

Spatula

Electric mixer

9 ½ in Springform pan

Small saucepan
Large baking/roasting pan

For the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit / 180 degrees Celsius.

Combine the biscuits, sugar and salt together in a medium size mixing bowl.  Stir in the melted butter with a spoon or spatula until all of the crumbs are evenly moistened.  Pour the biscuit mixture into the springform pan and either with your hand or a flat bottomed object (water glass or measuring cup), firmly press the biscuit mixture across the bottom of the pan to evenly cover it.  Place in the oven and bake for approximately 8-10 minutes.  The crust should be fragrant when you pull it out.  Place on a wire rack and allow it to cool before adding the filling.

For the Filling:

Lower the oven temperature to 325 Fahrenheit / 170 Celsius amd bring a pot of water to the boil.

While the crust is cooling, place the softened cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer to soften the cream cheese, about 2 minutes.  Add the sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes on medium speed in order to cream the two ingredients together.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Next add the eggs, but only one at a time, making sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next (about 30-45 seconds for each egg).  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the sour cream, Bailey’s, vanilla extract and flour and beat until well combined.  The final texture of the cheesecake will be is firm like a New-York style cheesecake, so if you prefer a softer cheesecake you might want to omit the flour.

You are going to be baking the cheesecake in a water bath, so wrap the springform in aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping in the bottom.  Pour the filling into the springform and place it in a baking/roasting pan.  Next pour the boiling (not cold) water into the roasting pan, enough to come halfway up the side of the springform pan.  Place in the oven and bake for approximately 1 – 1 ¼ hours, or until the cake only slightly wobbles when gently shaken.  Immediately remove the cheesecake from the water bath and aluminum foil and place on a cooling rack, allowing it to come to room temperature before storing it in the fridge.  Allow it to set in the fridge overnight (at least 7 hours if you need it sooner).  Run a small knife around the edges of the cheesecake to help separate it from the pan and then unmold.  To serve, slice with a clean knife, making sure to clean the knife with a wet cloth after every slice.  Serve with the whipped cream on top and drizzle heavily with the ganache.

For Chocolate Ganache:

Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.  Bring the heavy cream to a gentle simmer (not a boil) in a small saucepan, and then pour over the chocolate.  Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes so that the cream can melt the chocolate.  Gently stir the mixture until you have a smooth and silky ganache.  Let it sit for a few minutes, allowing it to thicken slightly to the perfect pouring consistency.

For the Coffee Whipped cream:

Pour the chilled whipping cream into a chilled metal bowl and add the instant espresso.  Begin whipping the cream with an eclectic mixer on low speed to avoid splatter, and gradually increase the speed to medium after a few minutes.  After the mixture has begun to thicken, stop beating and add the powdered sugar.  Continue beating on medium speed until you have achieved soft peaks and taste the cream to see what it needs more of.  Continue beating to firm peaks, but be careful not to beat it too long.