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Love Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur? Crazy for cheesecake? Well then you have to try this Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake! Featuring a chocolate cookie crust, creamy Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake filling, and a thick layer of chocolate ganache. It’s out of this world flavorful! And it’s the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dessert!
Creamy Baileys Cheesecake Recipe
St. Patrick’s Day is just a few weeks away! And while I’m only a quarter Irish, it’s still one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. Why? Because the FOOD!!! No surprise there, eh? Every year I look forward to Guinness Brownies, Homemade Shamrock Shakes, Brown Butter Soda Bread, and Irish Coffee Cupcakes! And this year we have a new St. Patty’s Day dessert on the menu: Bailey’s Irish Cream and Chocolate Cheesecake!!! I’ll be in Paris with my bestie Tessa for St. Patrick’s Day, so I made this cheesecake a little early so we could still enjoy it and celebrate. Definitely worth it!
This dreamy cheesecake is super creamy yet dense, full of Irish cream flavor, and topped with a layer of Baileys chocolate ganache! But the best part? You can make this cheesecake now and freeze it for up to 2 months! But I doubt it will last that long!
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success
Ingredients for Baileys Cheesecake:
- Cream Cheese: Full fat cream cheese is a MUST here! And be sure it’s nice and soft before making the batter.
- Sour Cream: Again, you want full fat! This gives our cheesecake that rich and creamy texture.
- Sugar: We use less sugar in this recipe than in my other cheesecake recipes because Baileys Irish Cream is quite sweet!
- Eggs: You’ll use whole eggs as well as egg yolks. As always, be sure to bring your eggs to room temperature before adding them to the batter, as cold ingredients don’t bond.
- Espresso Powder: I use this espresso powder and love the subtle coffee taste it adds to this cheesecake. If you cannot find it, it may be omitted.
- Baileys Irish Cream: You’ll need a 1/2 cup for the cheesecake batter, and a few Tablespoons for the ganache, so it’s worth investing in a full size bottle.
- Oreo Cookies: These will be finely pulsed and used for the crust.
- Butter: This will be melted and used as a binder for the Oreo cookie crust.
- Chocolate: 12 ounces of the good stuff! Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate to avoid your cheesecake being too sweet.
- And finally, heavy cream: for the ganache!
Of course you’ll also need a cheesecake pan! This 9″ Springform pan is my absolute favorite.
Pro Tip: Be sure not to overbeat your cheesecake batter! This allows too much air into the batter, and will cause the cheesecake to excessively rise in the oven, then collapse when removed. To make a silky smooth batter without overbeating, be sure to fully blend the cream cheese and sour cream before adding the remaining ingredients.
Do I have to make a Water Bath for this Cheesecake?
Yes. But I promise, it’s not as scary as it sounds. The water bath helps the cheesecake stay nice and moist! And it also ensures a crack-free presentation. The best type of pan to use for a water bath is a roasting pan or any other large pan with sides at least 2 inches high. You need a pan with high edges so you can put enough water into the pan without it overflowing. The best way to prepare a water bath is to place the wrapped cheesecake pan into the roasting pan, place the pan into the oven, and then – very carefully – add 2 inches of water into the pan. Since this recipe uses a springform pan, you’ll need to wrap the pan first with aluminum foil to prevent water from coming through the bottom. To quote Mary Berry, “nobody likes a soggy bottom!”. So play it safe and use MULTIPLE layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. You’ll want to bring the layer all the way up the sides of the pan, and in a crisscross pattern, for best results.
If you’d like to avoid making a water bath at all costs, you can place the roasting pan on the rack beneath the cheesecake. This work about 60% of the time for me. And since you’ll be covering this cheesecake with chocolate ganache, a few cracks aren’t the end of the world.
My final tip for making this luscious Irish Cream Cheesecake is to be aware of timing! This cheesecake must bake for a little over an hour, then cool in the oven, and then cool again in the fridge for 6 hours. So be sure you plan ahead when making this one!
Can I Freeze Homemade Cheesecake?
Yes, of course! Simply cool the cheesecake completely, then wrap the whole cheesecake, or slices of the cheesecake, in multiple layers of saran wrap, then place in a freezer bag. This cheesecake will keep, stored properly in the freezer, for two months.
How do you Defrost a Cheesecake?
To defrost the cheesecake, simply thaw the wrapped cheesecake in refrigerator overnight. Do not attempt to thaw cheesecake in the microwave or oven!
For more Cheesecake Recipes, Check Out:
- Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake
- Extra Rich and Creamy Cheesecake
- New York-Style Oreo Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
- Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake
- Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
AND IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE FOR EASY BAILEYS IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE, LET ME KNOW! LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND DON’T FORGET TO SNAP A PIC AND TAG IT #BAKERBYNATURE ON INSTAGRAM! SEEING YOUR KITCHEN CREATIONS MAKES OUR DAY.
Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cookie Crust:
- (1) regular full-size package Oreo cookies, crushed into fine crumbs (36 sandwich cookies in total)
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
For the Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake Filling:
- 3 packages (24 ounces total) full-fat cream cheese, very soft
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs + 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
For the Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Ganache:
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cookie Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Wrap the bottom and sides of a 9" spingform pan in heavy duty aluminum foil. Lightly spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl combine the crushed cookie crumbs and melted butter, mix well to combine.
- Press the mixture into the bottom - and slightly up the sides - of the prepared pan.
- Bake the crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside on a cooling rack until needed.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees (F).
For the Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake Filling:
- In the body of a high power blender, food processor, stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and sour cream until completely smooth.
- Add in the sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add in the eggs and yolks and beat until smooth. Turn mixer off and fold in the espresso powder.
- Finally, fold in the Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur, mixing just until it's incorporated in the batter.
- Pour filling on top of the partially baked crust, and use a spatula to smooth the top.
- Place the cheesecake pan into a large, deep pan.
- Place pan in the oven and then add an inch of hot water into the pan. This is your water bath.
- Bake cheesecake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit, undisturbed, for 40 minutes, inside the oven with the door shut. The cheesecake should be still slightly wiggly.
- Remove cake from oven, run a knife very gently around the edge of the cake, and let it sit in the pan for 15 more minutes before removing. Cover the spring form pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
For the Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Ganache:
- Add chopped chocolate to a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-heat, bring the cream to a rolling simmer. Pour the cream on top of the chocolate pieces and set aside for 1 minute. With a whisk, begin to incorporate the melted chocolate into the cream, whisking until smooth and glossy. Whisk in the Baileys Irish Cream.
- Set aside, at room temperature, until needed.
- Pour ganache over cooled cheesecake. Set aside until ganache is set, about 1 hour.
- To serve, slice the cheesecake with a thin-bladed sharp knife, wiping the knife clean between each cut.
- Store, loosely covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
I only have a 7” spring form pan…how long would you reckon i would need to bake the cake for if i were to reduce the recipe down for this pan size??
I can’t wait to try this recipe out!
This recipe is very good! One trick for the water bath…use an oven roaster bag in addition to the foil. You won’t have to worry about water leaking in and making a soggy crust.
Do I use the whole Oreo cookie with the filling or just the cookie part?
You can use the whole cookie. You may need to cut back on the melted butter.
Can you freeze slices of the Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake?
Hi, Ashley – Your recipe for Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake tastes awesome! I’m wondering why my ganauch topping separated from the cheesecake filling when I served it. It slid off in one piece for each slice I served. Any ideas on why that happened?
Thank you.
I wonder if you need to allow the cheesecake to return to room temperature before adding the ganache? I could see a cold cake maintaining a moisture barrier that would keep the ganache from bonding. Just a thought. I’m trying this recipe for the first time tonight, for my son’s 21st birthday. Thanks for the heads-up on the sliding ganache!
Does the cheesecake need to be completely cooled (room temp) before adding ganache?
Yes!