Luck of the Irish
Get ready for St. Patrick's Day by treating yourself to a slice of Bailey's Cheesecake with a salted caramel topping and a hot cup of Irish coffee! You'll need:
Crust:
- 2 cups of crushed chocolate wafers (or oreos)
- 3 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 7 tbsp of butter, melted
Filling:
- 4 blocks of cream cheese (8 oz), room temperature
- 2 tbsp of flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp of Bailey's Irish cream
- 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
Caramel:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp of water
- pinch of salt
Start by crushing the wafers for the crust. I couldn't find the chocolate wafers at my grocery store, so I used Oreos and just removed the cream filling. Put the cookies in a large ziplock and start crushing (a rolling pin also works great). Then melt the butter and combine the crushed cookies, sugar and butter together.
In a 9 inch spring form pan, pour the cookie mixture into the bottom and spread evenly and two inches up the sides. I used the bottom of my measuring cup to spread and press against the sides. Once packed firmly, bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees.
While the crust cools you'll make the filling. In a large mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, flour and a pinch of salt and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, frequently scraping the sides down. Mixture will be come light and fluffy with no lumps. Next, add the sugar and beat until well incorporated.
Add the Bailey's and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. Quick Tip: Whenever using a mixer and a recipe that requires eggs, I always crack them into a glass bowl prior to adding to a mixture. (This will save you if you accidentally crack some egg shell into the bowl. Nothing like fishing through batter to find a tiny piece of shell!) Add each egg individually, letting mix only a few seconds in between eggs. Once the eggs have been added, be careful not to over mix!
Bake cheesecake on 300 degrees for 55-65 minutes, depending on oven. Quick Tip #2: Don't ever bake a cheesecake until it is "done"! Though the cake might look Jello-o like in the middle, or jiggle when moved, it will continue to cook once taken out of the oven.
I learned this last tip AFTER making this recipe, so follow this one or you'll end up like my finished product! Quick Tip #3: Once taken out of the oven, run a butter knife along the edges of the pan before it cools. This will help the cheesecake to not crack while cooling --- unlike mine...
This next part is optional, as you can totally use store bought caramel. (I actually bought some as a back up incase my homemade batch failed!)
Start with the sugar and water on low heat and allow the sugar to completely dissolve, stirring frequently. Once the sugar is clear, turn the heat to medium/high and bring to a simmer without stirring. The sugar will begin to turn a golden color. Swirl the pan around to disperse the color until amber throughout. Next, remove from heat and add the butter and heavy cream and stir until smooth, adding back to the low heat until combined. Set aside and let cool for 15 minutes.
Pour the caramel over the top of the cake and smooth over the edges. When slicing the cake, run a knife under warm water and wipe off excess in between each slice.
The last step before enjoying is making the coffee. My version of Irish coffee is a little bit different because I don't like Irish whiskey, so my twist is just coffee and Bailey's topped with whipped cream!
Add the Bailey's to your liking and top with whipped cream and green sugar sprinkles, if you're feeling' festive! Happy St. Patrick's Day -- Enjoy!
Where to buy it:
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