Baileys Cheesecake is soft, smooth, and made flavorful with everyone’s favorite Irish spirit! This elegant cheesecake features an Oreo cookie crust flavored with a hint of espresso, smooth and creamy Baileys cheesecake filling, and topped with Baileys whipped cream frosting!
If you love Baileys desserts, check out my Baileys Cream Puffs and Baileys Cheesecake Doughnuts.
Table of Contents
What Is Baileys Cheesecake
Calling all Baileys lovers – this recipe is for you! This is a rich and decadent dessert flavored with just the right amount of Baileys Irish cream throughout.
The Baileys Irish cream flavor is present in both the cheesecake filling itself and in the whipped cream that’s piped on top of it. And yes, homemade whipped cream is SO much better than the canned! It’s thick, creamy, and the perfect way to adorn such an incredible homemade dessert. Oh, and the espresso-Oreo crust? Swoon. It compliments the Baileys flavor in the most amazing way. (But of course, it’s optional.)
While this is the perfect cheesecake to serve on St. Patrick’s Day, you don’t have to make it just once a year. Make it for a Christmas dessert, a birthday party, or just because. This cheesecake is made from scratch, but fear not! I promise that the steps are clear and a lot easier than you may think. I’ve also included plenty of tips and tricks to help guide you.
Ingredient Notes
Oreo Cookies – I recommend you get the chocolate Oreo cookies because it will compliment Baileys flavor the best. If you need to keep this cheesecake gluten free, use gluten free Oreo cookies.
Instant Espresso Powder – This is optional, but I highly recommend it! It really deepens the chocolate flavor and beautifully compliments the Baileys.
Cream Cheese – Use full fat, original cream cheese and make sure to take it out of the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before starting to bake.
Eggs – take the eggs out of the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before cooking to let them warm up to room temperature.
Baileys Irish Cream – If you keep your Baileys in the refrigerator, measure the right amount needed for the recipe and let it warm up on the counter. This spirit will need to be room temperature. You can use either store-bought or homemade Irish cream.
Heavy whipping cream – white it’s best to use heavy whipping cream, you can use half and half but do not go any less fat than that. Note that half and half is thinner than heavy whipping cream so use about a tablespoon less.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Baileys Cheesecake
First things first – prepare!
Preheat your oven to 325°F and grease a 9-inch springform pan. You’ll also need a larger roasting pan to place the springform pan inside of when you create a water bath. Wrap the springform pan in aluminum foil to help ensure no water gets in.
Make the Oreo crust.
Pulse the Oreo cookies in a blender or food processor until you only have crumbs. Mix together the espresso powder and Oreo crumbs. Stir in the butter until combined.
Spread the Oreo crust mixture on the bottom of the prepared springform pan (1). It should be spread in an even layer across the bottom. Pat it evenly along the bottom and a little up the sides.
Make the cheesecake filling.
Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Stop and scrape as needed. While beating, pour in the sugar and add the eggs, one at a time. Continue beating until smooth. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl.
Beat in the Baileys and vanilla extract until combined. Lower the speed of your mixer to low and beat in the cornstarch, cocoa powder, and espresso powder (if using). Stop and scrape as needed to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan with crust (2) and spread the mixture evenly into your springform pan (3).
Bake the cheesecake.
Place the large roasting pan in the oven first, then place the cheesecake filled springform pan inside of it. Add hot water to the larger roasting pan until it’s about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
Bake for 85-90 minutes. Once the timer’s up, turn off the oven and open the door halfway. Let the cheesecake rest like this for about 10 minutes, then take it out of the oven. Remove the foil wrap from the pan.
Gently run a greased butter knife between the cheesecake and the pan to separate it. Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for about an hour. Then, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 6 hours.
How To Make Baileys Whipped Cream
It’s important to only pipe your whipped cream onto a COLD cheesecake. If it’s still warm at all, the whipped cream will melt. Also, it helps if your clean mixing bowl is also chilled.
Beat the cold whipping heavy cream, cold Baileys, and powdered sugar with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed. Continue mixing as you slowly pour in the vanilla extract.
Once stiff peaks form, it’s ready! Use half of the whipped cream to spread into an even layer over the cheesecake and the other half to pipe into swirls.
Alcohol Warning
This cheesecake as it’s made per recipe contains alcohol. While most of the alcohol in the cheesecake filling cooks out, there is Irish cream in the whipped cream that does not get cooked. If you do not wish to use Baileys whipped cream, you can make a simple whipped cream to decorate this cheesecake, a vanilla whipped cream, a whipped cream cheese frosting (which can also be chocolate), or a mascarpone whipped frosting.
Storing Instructions
Store your Baileys cheesecake in an airtight container (or wrapped in plastic wrap) in the refrigerator. Properly stored, your cheesecake should be good for up to 5 days.
I recommend simply storing it in the same pan it was baked in. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and be sure to cover it tightly every time you reach in there and remove a slice!
Freezing Instructions
Make sure to freeze the cheesecake WITHOUT any Baileys whipped cream or other toppings! Don’t top it off at all until you’re ready to serve it.
Once the cheesecake has been cooled to room temperature, run a butter knife along the inside of the springform pan to separate the cheesecake from the pan. Place the pan with the cheesecake into the freezer and freeze for about an hour. (Set a timer!)
Next, remove the side portion of the springform. At this point, you can either keep the bottom of the springform with the cheesecake or transfer it onto a piece of thick cardboard cake holder covered with aluminum foil.
Wrap the cheesecake and the bottom of the pan with plastic wrap. I recommend using about 2-3 layers. Then wrap the whole thing tightly with aluminum foil. You can even place the whole things in a large, zip-top freezer bag, but that’s not necessary.
Make sure to date and label before placing cheesecake back in the freezer! Baileys cheesecake will last in the freezer for 2-3 months.
How to Take Cheesecake out of the Springform Pan
When I make cheesecakes for someone’s birthday or to bring with me to a holiday party, I have to make sure that I am able to take it out of the springform. It’s very hard to do without breaking it in half if you don’t prepare for it ahead of time. There is one simple trick the will make the whole process very easy.
Separate the springform side and bottom part. Then, take the bottom part of the pan and lay it down on a sheet of parchment paper. Use a pencil to trace around the bottom of the pan. Keep in mind that the circle will need to be just a little bigger than the bottom of the pan.
Cut out the circle you traced and put the springform pan back together. Spray the springform with cooking spray and fit the parchment paper circle on the bottom.
When you’re ready to take the cheesecake out, make sure to use large, hard spatula. Be sure to have the serving dish or the cardboard cake circle ready!
Carefully slide the spatula in between the parchment paper and the bottom of the springform pan. Gently pull the cheesecake off of the springform and right onto the serving dish. Keep them side by side and make sure you don’t tilt the cheesecake pan!
Recipe FAQs
Some options to decorate your cheesecake include:
chocolate covered espresso beans,
shaved chocolate,
chocolate ganache,
coffee candy,
chocolate sprinkles and pearls,
chocolate truffles,
cocoa powder,
chocolate drizzle.
Baking in a water bath technique is called “bain-marie.” This technique is done to prepare delicate desserts like crème brûlée, custards, and cheesecakes. The main reason for using a water bath for these desserts is to keep direct heat away from baking dish.
Because these desserts are heavy on the cream and eggs, if not baked evenly and slowly but exposed to direct heat, it would not be baked uniformly. The outside will be overdone and inside will still be gooey. Water bath ensures even baking throughout the whole dish by keeping layer of protection between the baking dish and oven heat.
Without the water bath, cheesecake will be sagging in the middle, is likely to crack, and most importantly, it will be overcooked on the outside and under-cooked on the inside.
The only part of this cheesecake that contains gluten is the Oreo cookie crust. Use gluten free Oreo cookies, they are usually ready available in the grocery stores. If you don’t see the Oreo brand, you can use another brand chocolate sandwich cookies. Pulse them into crumbs to create a gluten free crust. Remaining ingredients should already be gluten free but double check the labels and nutritional information.
As far as Baileys Irish cream, their website states “Baileys is produced with ingredients that do not contain gluten however we cannot guarantee that the product is gluten free.”
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Baileys Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
- Wide heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Measuring cups
Ingredients
Oreo Crust:
- 8.5 oz chocolate Oreo cookies 24-26 cookies
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder optional
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 32 oz full fat cream cheese softened
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup Baileys Irish cream room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
Baileys Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Baileys Irish cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Before Starting the Cheesecake:
- Preheat the oven to 325° and grease a 9 inch springform pan.You will need a large roasting pan that’s bigger and longer than the springform pan. (You can even use the aluminum foil disposable ones).If you are not sure about your springform holding up in water, you can wrap the outside of the springform pan in heavy duty aluminum foil from bottom up to the sides. Try to use a wide kind of foil so you would only need to use 1 solid sheet. (I recommend wrapping the outside of the springform in foil before adding the crust and cheesecake batter.)
- Although, there is a chance that a small amount of water will leak in, this will NOT ruin the cheesecake.
Oreo Crust:
- Pulse the Oreo cookies in a blender until it's just crumbs.
- Mix the cookie crumbs and instant espresso powder until evenly incorporated and then mix in melted butter until thoroughly incorporated.
- Spread crumb mixture in the bottom of the springform pan, evenly, pressing it over the bottom and about half way up the sides.
Cheesecake Filling:
- In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese (with the vanilla beans) on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. I give it a good 2-3 minutes of beating to get is soft and smooth. Scrape sides and bottom on the bowl and beat for another minute.
- Pour in sugar while beating and add eggs, one at a time. Beat it until smooth. Stop to scrape bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add Baileys and vanilla extract and beat, still on medium-high speed, until all mixed very well.
- Lower the speed to low and beat in corn starch, cocoa powder, and instant espresso powder. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
- Transfer batter into the springform and spread in evenly.
Baking The Cheesecake:
- Place a large roasting pan into the oven and place cheesecake springform inside the roasting pan. Carefully add hot water to the roasting pan, about half way up the side of the springform.
- Bake for 85-90 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door half way. Let cheesecake rest for 10 minutes and take it out of the oven. Take the foil wrap off the pan.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter and then gently run a butter knife between sides of the cheesecakes and the springform to carefully separate it. (You don’t actually have to take the cheesecake out of the pan until ready to serve.)
- Cool cheesecake for an hour and then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Baileys Whipped Cream:
- Make sure to frost COLD, chilled cheesecake so whipped cream doesn't begin to melt.NOTE: Make sure the bowl and the whisk attachment are clean and dry. Chill the bowl of the electric mixer in the refrigerator for a few minutes and don’t take the heavy whipping cream out until ready to whip.
- Beat cold heavy whipping cream, Baileys Irish cream, and powdered sugar with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed. Slowly pour in vanilla extract while it's mixing and keep mixing until stiff peeks form. (Don't walk away, whipped cream forms pretty fast.)
- Use half of the whipped cream to spread over the cheesecake and another half to pipe rosettes or other decorative shapes.
- You can decorate the cheesecake with chocolate covered espresso beans, shaved chocolate, coffee candy, chocolate sprinkles and pears, or any other decorations you prefer.
Notes
- Storing: Store your Baileys cheesecake in an airtight container (or wrapped in plastic wrap) in the refrigerator. Properly stored, your cheesecake should be good for up to 5 days.
- Gluten Free Note: The only part of this cheesecake that contains gluten is the Oreo cookie crust. Use gluten free Oreo cookies, they are usually ready available in the grocery stores. If you don’t see the Oreo brand, you can use another brand chocolate sandwich cookies. Pulse them into crumbs to create a gluten free crust. Remaining ingredients should already be gluten free but double check the labels and nutritional information.
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