Chocolate Baileys Cheesecake

 

Every Easter since 2008, I’ve baked a cheesecake (you can see all the previous ones on this tbt post from last week).  I’ve tried to make a different kind every year, so I have tons of cheesecake recipes saved on Pinterest.

This year I baked a chocolate cheesecake with Baileys, topped with chocolate chips and chocolate covered espresso beans.  Like the chocolate peanut butter kind I made in 2012, this one was super rich. 

We drove down to Fort Myers to celebrate with Lance’s family this year.  After spending the afternoon at the pool, we headed to his aunt & uncle’s place for dinner.  They have an Easter tradition of crafting bunnies out of pears with maraschino cherry noses, marshmallow tails, clove eyes, and paper ears.  We ate those along with a huge dinner, so we barely had room for cheesecake afterwards. 

 

 

 

I’d never baked this flavor before but I’m very happy with how it turned out!  When cut, it showed all the layers really well – chocolate graham cracker crust, chocolate cheesecake, sour cream topping, and the chocolate chip/espresso bean garnish. 

Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake (adapted from Cozy Country Living)

Crust:

·        2 cups chocolate graham crackers crumbs (about 12 whole crackers)

·        8 T butter (1 stick), melted

Cheesecake:

·        4 – 8oz pkgs cream cheese

·        1½ cups granulated sugar

·        1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

·        1 tsp vanilla

·        4 eggs

·        ½ cup Baileys Irish Cream liquor

Topping:  

·        1 – 16oz container sour cream

·        ¼ cup granulated sugar

·        ¼ cup Baileys Irish Cream liquor

·        1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

·        About 50 chocolate covered espresso beans

 

Directions:

1.  Grease a 9” springform pan (I used coconut oil spray) and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grind your graham crackers in the food processer.  Mix with melted butter and press into the bottom of your pan evenly and part way up the sides. 

3. Bake crust for 8 minutes, then allow to cool while you prepare the filling.    

4. In a small saucepan, heat chocolate chips on low, stirring until just melted.  Set aside to cool slightly. 

 

5. In a large bowl with a hand-mixer (or this year I was able to use my KitchenAid mixer!), blend the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. 

6. Slowly add the melted chocolate by the spoonful, scraping the sides to make sure it combines well. 

7. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition.

8. Add the vanilla and Baileys and mix together until combined. 

9. Pour filling over crust and spread out evenly.  Bake for about 60 minutes, or until almost set.  Remove and let stand for 5 minutes. 

 

10.  Blend together the sour cream, sugar, and Baileys for the topping.  Spread evenly over cheesecake and bake 5 more minutes. 

 

11. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Carefully go around the edges of the pan with a knife to loosen, and move the cheesecake, still in the springform pan, to a cooling rack and let sit another 30 minutes. 

12. Top with chocolate chips and chocolate covered espresso beans. 

13. After another hour, you can cover the cheesecake with foil or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight. 

14.  Remove the sides from the springform pan, cut in slices & enjoy!