I’m definitely a big fan of a boozy bake, and this Baileys Irish cream chocolate cheesecake is no exception.
What could be easier than a gorgeous no-bake Irish cream cheesecake? With an Oreo cookies base and dark chocolate Baileys ganache on top, this rich chocolatey taste perfectly balances the creamy Baileys cheesecake filing. I love decorating it with big swirls of fresh whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder - delicious!
This easy no-bake cheesecake is the perfect dessert for your next dinner party or even as a part of a pot luck or birthday party celebration.
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✏️ Making a tasty and easy recipe
I first decided to make this recipe after I bought a bottle of Irish cream to make adult hot chocolates – if you’ve not already had these, definitely try them! Chocolate and Bailey’s Irish cream liquor is a dreamy combo, so creamy and sweet with the perfect boozy kick.
I wanted to make a no-bake cheesecake that combined these adult hot chocolate flavours but in a beautifully creamy dessert. Naturally, switching the usual digestive biscuits or graham cracker for Oreos cookies was my first change to the usual cheesecake. I find the Oreos really add a richness to the Baileys Irish cream chocolate cheesecake.
For the filling, I wanted that pure Baileys Irish cream flavour and a thick layer at that! That’s why I recommend making this is an 8 inch Springform tin, so you can have decadently thick layers. Equally, this Baileys Irish cream chocolate cheesecake will be just as tasty in a larger tin if you don’t have an 8 inch size.
I originally tested this Baileys cheesecake without the ganache layer, thinking the Oreo base would be chocolatey enough. But you can never have enough chocolate, am I right? So adding a dark chocolate ganache layer on top was a must!
🥘 Ingredients notes
- Always sieve your flour and baking powder. I used to be a bit lazy and skip this part, but it really makes such a difference to get you a lump-free mixture.
- When measuring your ingredients, I always recommend using weights rather than cups where possible for greater accuracy. Accuracy is important for the amount of flour used.
- It’s important to use full-fat cream cheese, or your no-bake Baileys cheesecake may not set as it will be too liquid. I usually go for Philadelphia cream cheese for this Baileys chocolate cheesecake, but any good brand will give you a delicious cheesecake.
- Using high-quality ingredients will make your Baileys cheesecake taste better. For the dark chocolate in the Baileys chocolate ganache, I like to use fancy Belgian dark chocolate by Callebaut - it's delicious and melts like a dream!
🔪 Equipment notes
- I like to use digital scales for weighing my ingredients as it's easier and more accurate than other scales. I'm a fan of these KitchenAid or Salter ones!
- Use measuring spoons for your tsp and tbsp amounts where possible. Be sure to level off the heaped ingredients in your scoops before adding them to your mix.
🍱 Storage
Once you've made your tasty Bailey's cheesecake, you should keep it stored in the fridge.
I usually keep mine in the cake pan / springform tin with cling film / plastic wrap over the top, but you can also transfer it to an airtight container instead.
Your cheesecake should last up to 4 days in the fridge, depending on how fresh your ingredients used are.
💭 Top tips for success
- A Springform tin can be more confusing than you'd expect. Which way up does the base go?? I turn mine upside-down so that the flat part is higher than the lip. Then I line the base with greaseproof paper before closing the Springform tin sides over the lined lip, letting the paper overhang outside the bottom of the tin. I also grease the inside of the sides of the tin for extra help removing the cheesecake after.
- Be sure to fold in the whipped cream and cream cheese gently so you don’t knock out too much of the stiffness in the whipped cream. These are what give your cheesecake a lot of the structure when it sets.
- Sometimes, your no-bake cheesecake may leak a bit of liquid as it sets. That’s ok! It doesn’t mean it won’t still set beautifully. I recommend putting down some kitchen roll beneath your Baileys cheesecake when popping it into the fridge, just in case.
- To help prevent a soggy base, check whether your Oreo base layer is completely cool before you add the cheesecake filling. If not, pop it back into the freezer for another 10mins until it’s cold.
- To remove your Baileys cheesecake from the tin, run a knife under warm water briefly before drying it off and running it around the edge of your cheesecake. This will give you nice smooth cheesecake edges when you then undo the springform release mechanism.
- Where possible, make the Baileys Irish cream chocolate cheesecake at least a day before serving. This way you can let the cheesecake set overnight to be sure it’s nice and firm.
- If you’d like a smoother finish to your ganache layer, pour your chocolate ganache over your cheesecake filling while it’s still runny and smooth quickly with an offset spatula. This will allow your ganache to smooth off any marks or indents before it has rapidly cooled from contact with the cold cheesecake.
Troubleshooting help:
If you’ve got any specific questions on making the no-bake Baileys Irish cream chocolate cheesecake, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to help out!
Alternatively, you can get in touch via my Instagram or Pinterest – I’d love to hear from you!
♻️ Alternatives and substitutions
If you’re not a huge fan of dark chocolate, swap this out for milk chocolate. I’ve tried this too and it’s just as delicious, and even more creamy – sweet mouth joy!
Another great option to customise this Baileys Irish cream chocolate cheesecake is to try a white chocolate version. Use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate for the ganache, increasing the chocolate amount by 15g and reducing the cream by 10ml.
You can also swap the Oreos in the base for digestive biscuits or graham crackers. For this swap, you can add an extra 60g of butter to make up for the loss of the creamy Oreo centres.
Baileys does a whole range of flavours for their Irish cream! I’d love to try switching it up for one of their other ones such as the red velvet cupcake one or salted caramel. If you’ve tried one of these, let me know how it went in the comments section below!
🧁 Other goodies
So, I definitely recommend that you make this Baileys Irish cream chocolate cheesecake! But as an avid home baker, I’m sure you’re asking yourself “what next?”.
Well, if you love the creamy deliciousness of a good cheesecake, why not check out my white mocha cheesecake or white chocolate orange no-bake cheesecake recipes?
Or if you’re a big fan of all things chocolate and Oreos, take a look at my recipe for an Oreo drip cake – perfect for your next birthday party! They also go great with these Baileys Oreo brownies!
Could anyone else use a drink? I know I sure could! If you're after more boozy bakes, have a look at my recipe for a gluten-free Tequila Rose skull cake. It's a pink gothic beauty with the perfect alcoholic kick!
Looking forward to some new recipes? Check out my Instagram and Pinterest page for a few sneak peeks and some sweet inspiration!
Or if you’d like to hear about our latest recipes, why not subscribe to our newsletter?
📋 Recipe
No-Bake Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake
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Ingredients
Base:
- 250 g (1½ cups) Oreos
- 40 g (⅕ cups) unsalted butter
Cheesecake Filling:
- 600 g (2⅔ cups) cream cheese (full-fat)
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) heavy cream (e.g. double cream)
- 100 g (¾ cups) confectioners sugar (icing sugar)
- 50 ml (3 tbsp) Baileys or other Irish cream liquor
Chocolate Ganache:
- 75 ml (⅓ cups) heavy cream (e.g. double cream)
- 40 ml (2½ tbsp) Baileys or other Irish cream liquor
- 150 g (¾ cups) dark chocolate
Instructions
Base:
- Place the biscuits into a food processor or blender and whizz up until you get small crumbs. Tip these into a mixing bowl.
- Melt the butter in a microwave and pour this over the crushed biscuits. Mix these together until combined.
- Press the biscuit mix into a greased and lined tin (see tips), using the back of a spoon to help firmly press down. Put this in the freezer while making the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake Filling:
- Whip the cream for several minutes, using an electric mixer or stand mixer, until it forms soft peaks.
- 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.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the Baileys mix until smooth.
- 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.
Chocolate Ganache:
- Break up the chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
- 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.
- 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.
- Allow the ganache to cool for 5mins, then pour this over the set cheesecake and refrigerate for 15mins.
- 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.
Nutrition
* The nutrition information provided is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator and actual values may vary.
Not only does it look amazing, but it looks BEAUTIFUL! I'm going to have to try to make this sometime! The look of it alone gets 5 stars from me- mine definitely won't be that pretty! Haha.
Thanks Cori! I'm sure yours will look STUNNING!