Baileys Cheesecake
Baileys Cheesecake is rich, creamy and spiked with a generous helping of Irish Cream Liqueur. The cake is finished with a silky chocolate glaze (also spiked with Baileys).
Table of contents
Why this is the best Baileys Cheesecake
If you love creamy-boozy Baileys Irish Cream, you’ll definitely love the flavor of this creamy boozy dessert. There’s a full cup of baileys in the batter so you can really taste that unique Irish Cream flavor.
The crisp graham cracker crust is the perfect base for the rich cheesecake filling and the chocolate ganache is the perfect finish for the cake.
It’s a very easy cake to mix and bake. You will need to work at least a day ahead to give the cake time to set in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Cream cheese – Do not substitute low fat or “neufchâtel” cream cheese.
- Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur – You can use any brand of Irish Cream liquor in this recipe. For an alcohol-free version use Irish Cream coffee creamer in place of the liquor.
- Semi Sweet Chocolate – Use high quality chocolate, not chocolate chips, to make the ganache topping.
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream or whipping cream is find for making the ganache. Do not use light cream because it has more water and the ganache will not set up properly.
Process Photos
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter.
- Tamp the crumbs into the pan and bake.
- Mix the cream cheese and sugar. Scrape the bowl to prevent lumps.
- Add the Baileys.
- Add the eggs.
- Set the cake pan into a larger pan.
- Pour water to come half way up the sides of the cake pan.
- Bake until the center of the cake is still soft and the sides are set.
- Run a knife around the top edge of the cake to separate it from the pan. Cool to room temp and then chill.
- Set the chilled cake into a bowl of hot water.
- Run a knife around the sides of the cake to release it from the pan.
- Set a plate on top of the pan.
- Flip the cake onto the plate.
- Place the serving platter onto the bottom of the cake.
- Flip the cake right side up onto the serving platter.
- Ice the cake with the Baileys ganache.
FAQs
Yes, you can use any brand for this recipe.
Yes, you can use Irish Cream coffee creamer in place of the real thing. It won’t taste exactly the same, but if you must forgo alcohol coffee creamer is the best option. There are also Irish Cream coffee syrups available. Mix the coffee syrup with heavy cream to replace the Baileys in the recipe.
Yes, you can wrap and freeze the entire cake or you can wrap individual slices. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
You can bake the cheesecake in a springform pan. Just be sure to wrap the pan tightly in foil to prevent water from leaking into the cheesecake.
I prefer to bake cheesecakes in an ordinary cake pan. It’s much less fussy than baking in a springform pan. Almost every springform pan I’ve ever owned becomes a bit warped over time, making it almost impossible to bake in a water bath without leak.
There are lots of ways to use up a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream. You can make Baileys Pot de Creme, Baileys Mini Bundt Cakes, Baileys Chocolate Macarons
Pastry Chef tips for cheesecake success
- To avoid lumps of cream cheese in the batter, make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature before mixing. Thoroughly scrape the bowl and beater after mixing the cheese and sugar and after each addition of eggs to the batter.
- Do not mix the batter on high speed, especially after the eggs are added. Over mixing aerates the batter, causing it to puff up and crack as it bakes.
- If you use a springform pan wrap the pan in foil so water doesn’t leak into the pan.
- Do not use the convection setting of your oven. Convection baking is great, but not for custards.
- Remove the cake from the oven when the center 3″ or so still “jiggles” when you tap the pan. It will continue cooking as it cools.
- When the cake comes out of the oven run a paring knife around the top edge of the cake to separate it from the pan. This will help prevent cracking as the cake cools .
- Chill the cake completely in the refrigerator before unmolding. As long as the cake is completely chilled it will be firm enough to flip out of a regular cake pan without cracking.
More Baileys Recipes
More Cheesecake Recipes
- New York Cheesecake
- Peach Cheesecake
- San Sebastian Cheesecake
- Butterscotch Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Tart
- Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
- Lime Layered Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Cheesecake
- Banana Cheesecake Cheesecake
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Baileys Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Graham Crust
- 8 oz graham cracker crumbs (1 ½ cups)
- 2 oz granulated sugar (¼ cup)
- 3 oz unsalted butter (melted)
Cheesecake Batter
- 24 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 12 oz granulated sugar (1 ½ cups)
- 8 oz Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur (1 cup)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs (whisked, room temperature)
Glaze
- 4 oz semi sweet chocolate (chopped fine)
- 2 oz heavy cream (¼ cup)
- ½ oz unsalted butter (1 tablespoon)
- 2 oz Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur (¼ cup)
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9"x3" round cake pan with a parchment round. If you're using a springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil.
- Combine 8 oz graham cracker crumbs and 2 oz granulated sugar in a large bowl. Add 3 oz unsalted butter (melted) and toss to combine. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Reduce oven to 325°F.
Batter
- In a mixer bowl, combine 24 oz cream cheese and 12 oz granulated sugar and mix until well combined with no lumps of cream cheese. Scrape the bowl and mixer attachment to make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add 8 oz Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Scrape the bowl and paddle attachment half way through adding the liquor to make sure there are no lumps. With the mixer running on low add 5 large eggs. Scrape the bowl and paddle attachment to make sure there are no lumps. Pour batter into the pan.
- Set the pan into a slightly larger pan. Pour warm water between the cheesecake pan and the larger pan until it comes halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is mostly set, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The center of the cheesecake will still jiggle a bit. Set on a rack to cool. Carefully run a small paring knife or spatula around the top edge of the cake to separate it from the pan.
- Refrigerate several hours or overnight until completely firm.
Assembly
- To remove the cheesecake from the pan, dip the bottom of the pan in a bowl of very hot water. Run a knife or spatula around the sides of the cake and flip it out onto a flat plate or cake board then flip right side up onto the serving platter. Refrigerate the cake while you prepare the glaze.
- Place 4 oz semi sweet chocolate in a mixing bowl. Heat 2 oz heavy cream and ½ oz unsalted butter until scalding hot. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes without stirring. Stir until the chocolate is melted. If lumps of chocolate remain microwave briefly and continue stirring until smooth. Stir in 2 oz Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur. Cool until the ganache is tepid.
- Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator. Ice the top of the cake with the ganache. Refrigerate until the ganache is set.
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This is the first recipe I’ve tried from baking-sense.com. If Eileen’s “Bailey’s Cheesecake” is any indication about the success and excellence with her other recipes, I’ll be a fan for life. The recipes look to have a lot of important details to guide the more inexperienced bakers, and at the same time offer quality and creative recipes for those of us who are already accomplished bakers and take our baked goods seriously. I love to bake, and this baking blog is a gold mine! Thank you!
Wow, thanks! This warms my heart.
This is a great recipe! However, I think you mean 3 T, not 3 oz melted butter in the crust recipe. I also added 1 T sifted pastry flour to the batter to ensure it was sturdy enough to support the ganache topping. Lastly, instead of all Irish cream in the ganache, I used half Baileys and half Kahlua, and it was outstanding! Thanks so much for this recipe!
No, I mean 3 oz (6T).
I made it for my husband’s birthday yesterday. I’ve made many a cheesecake but this one tops them all! The taste, structure, and ease of preparation are simply fantastic. My only slight change was to use Carolan’s Irish cream instead of Bailey’s (half a price!). I made several of your recipes and they were all great. I also love how you repeat the list of ingredients under each and every step, a good reminder at a glance. Thank you so much!