Bailey’s Irish Cheesecake Recipe

I have some very fond memories of Sunday Treats as a child (it was the only day of the week we were allowed a bit of sugar!) After our big Sunday lunch we’d always get dessert – my favorite was Mammy’s homemade Cheesecake.

Today I’ve adapted Mammy’s recipe to add my very own little bit of Irish magic for that wow factor – a generous splash of creamy Irish Baileys.

Nothing beats the gorgeous texture of the creamy topping against the crunch of the biscuit base as your taste buds explode in sheer delight.

My Irish Cheesecake is something you can experiment with, according to your tastes. All the ingredients are approximate but the main rule is don’t go thinking about making a low fat variety – it’s just not the same  – if feeling guilty, just eat a bit less!

You can add any fruit or flavour to the cheesecake; just don’t forget to add my touch of Irish magic to it…

So…It goes a little something like this:

Preparation time 1 Hour

Chilling time 2 Hours

Ingredients:

• 100g butter
• 250g digestive biscuits, crushed
• 600g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 20mls Baileys (or more to taste!)
• 100ml Caster sugar
• 300ml Double/Whipping cream, whipped!
• If you want you can add grated chocolate – I usually use dark Organic Green & Black’s Chocolate – Yum Yum!

To garnish

• Grated dark chocolate

Preparation method

1. Melt the butter in a pan and add the crushed digestive biscuits. Mix together well until the biscuits have absorbed all of the butter.

2. Press the mixture into the bottom of a lined tin (preferably one with a removable bottom or it will be impossible to get the cheesecake out!)

3. Allow it to set in the fridge for about 45 minutes. – Sometimes when I’m in a rush, which is more often than not, I just add the creamy topping and let it all chill together.

4. Meanwhile, I prepare the filling. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together. Then in a separate bowl whip the cream until pretty stiff. Fold in the whipped cream and grated chocolate and Bailey’s into the cheese mixture.

5. Spoon evenly over the biscuit base and place back in the fridge for at least another hour. Really this should be made the day you intend to eat it to get it at its best!

6. When ready to serve, remove from the tin and place on a pretty plate and decorate with chocolate shavings.

We regularly come across yummy Irish treats on tour with Explore Ireland Tours, which I will be sharing with you in my blog.

Some of my favourites include the Wild Berry Crumble served in the café in Drumcliff or the Brown Bread Ice-cream served in Langton’s Pub in Kilkenny. (it sounds awful, I know, but just try, it’s amazing!)

And sometimes just a nice, plain and simple ‘99’ whipped Ice cream with chocolate flake can be just as nice. 99s can be found just about anywhere in Ireland and are made with the milk of happy Irish cows. This is what makes them so special. Yum, yum, yum…