No-Bake Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake

🥘 Ingredients

This Bailey's chocolate ganache cheesecake recipe calls for the following ingredients:

Oreo base:

• Oreo cookies
• Butter: use unsalted for a low-salt and sweeter base.

Bailey's cheesecake filling:

• Cream cheese: must be full-fat cream cheese (I like Philadelphia for its low water content too). Use room temperature for ease of mixing.
• Heavy cream (e.g. double cream): use cold cream straight from the fridge for whipping success.
• Powdered icing sugar: sieve for a smoother cheesecake filling.
• Bailey's Irish cream: Bailey's original or another flavour of choice.

Bailey's ganache:

• Heavy cream (e.g. double cream)
• Bailey's Irish cream
• Dark semi-sweet chocolate: use cooking chocolate or melting wafers for ease of melting.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Top tip: For accuracy, it’s best to weigh your ingredients rather than using cups.

♻️ Substitutions / Variations

You can swap Oreos for graham crackers or digestive biscuits for your cheesecake base. Add an extra 60g (4 tbsp) of butter to make up for the loss of the creamy Oreo centres.

For a softer and creamier Baileys ganache topping, swap the semi-sweet dark chocolate for milk chocolate. Or use white chocolate and increase the amount of chocolate by 40g (¼ cup).

Baileys does a whole range of flavours for their Irish cream! Try switching it up for one of their other flavours such as red velvet cupcake or salted caramel.

Base:

1. Place the cookies into a food processor or blender and whizz up until you get small crumbs. Tip these into a mixing bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a microwave and pour this over the crushed cookies. Mix these together until combined.
3. Press the cookie mix into a greased and lined tin, using the back of a spoon to help firmly press down. Put this in the freezer while making the filling.

Cheesecake Filling:

1. Whip the cream for several minutes, using an electric mixer or stand mixer, until it forms soft peaks.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, then add the icing sugar and Baileys and continue to beat together until just combined.
3. Gently fold the whipped cream into the Baileys mix until smooth.
4. Spread the filling evenly over the biscuit base, then cover the tin with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2hrs or overnight. After this has set and is firm to touch, make the chocolate ganache.

Baileys Ganache:

1. Break up the chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the cream and Baileys in the microwave until almost boiling (30secs at a time) and pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate, allowing this to sit for 2-3mins.
3. Stir the ganache until smooth. If some pieces of chocolate remain un-melted, heat the mix in the microwave for 10secs and stir again. Repeat until your ganache is smooth and lump-free.
4. Allow the ganache to cool for 5mins, then pour this over the set cheesecake and refrigerate for 15mins.
5. Add any additional optional decorations, such as swirls of whipped cream, grated chocolate, cocoa powder dusting, etc. and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

💭 Top tips

• Using a springform tin (or loose-bottom tin) is easier to get your Baileys cheesecake out after. Check out these springform pan lining tips to see how best to line your cheesecake tin.
• Instead of a food processor, you can crush your cookies by placing them into a plastic food bag and bashing them with a rolling pin.
• To help your no-bake Baileys cheesecake set, whip cold cream to soft peaks and fold it into your filling mixture gently.
• For a smooth finish to your ganache layer, pour it over your set cheesecake while it’s still runny then smooth quickly with an offset spatula.
• Where possible, make your Bailey's chocolate cheesecake the day before serving. Setting it overnight means you can be sure it’s nice and firm.
• To remove your Baileys cheesecake from the springform pan, run a knife or spatula around the edge. Place the cheesecake on top of a mug or cup. Unclip the pan and slowly lower the sides of the pan down.
• Decorate your Bailey's ganache cheesecake with big swirls of fresh whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder - delicious!