I am particularly fond of making cheesecake! My dad was obsessed with it. When I was growing up, he would spend countless hours painstakingly watching the cheesecake, making sure that none of the edges cracked or brown spots formed. It took all night, but the next day I always knew that there would be cheesecake to look forward to! And it was my favorite part of the holidays! This Irish cream cheesecake is an alcoholic take on a classic New York-style cheesecake.
This particular recipe is based on a Sherry Cheesecake creation in Dana Bovbjerg's The Joy of Cheesecake. As far as my family is concerned, this is the end all be all of cheesecake recipes. I'm particularly fond of this Irish cream variation during the holidays for a little bit of zest. It's also a little bit smaller than other cheesecake varieties and cooks at a slightly lower temperature. This means that it doesn't run the risk of burning or cracking quite as much as other variations! It's a great starter cheesecake and doable for beginners and enthusiasts alike.
This year I made cheesecake for Thanksgiving along with spinach pie, pumpkin fondue, pumpkin-shaped dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, phyllo baked brie, and sugar-free cranberry sauce. You can check out the entire menu and how to get everything in and out of the oven in time for dinner on my Thanksgiving 2020 During a Pandemic.
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Variations of Irish Cream Cheesecake
I made two cheesecakes this holiday season: an Irish Cream Cheesecake and a Pumpkin Cheesecake. These are both variations of a classic New York-style dessert. I'm particularly fond of this denser variety of cheesecake. So much of what you find in stores and dessert menus is over whipped and more like a cake than a true cheesecake!
I make a cheesecake just about every year for the holidays! This Irish cream version is an alcoholic take on a classic New York-style cheesecake. The Irish Cream adds a little bit of flare, while also being a great substitute for sour cream. It's a little bit lighter and a little bitt more festive. Serve with or without additional Irish Cream!
Heavily coat a springform cheesecake pan with butter. Set aside.I am a purist when it comes to cheesecake. I do not recommend spraying it with olive oil or attempting a cheesecake in anything other than a cheesecake pan! It will not have the same flavor and it will not come cleanly out of any other type of pan.
Add vanilla wafers to food processor and process for 1-2 minutes, or until the wafers turn into fine crumbs.You want 1 1/2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs, so you'll need to add about twice as much whole vanilla wafers to reach this amount.
Add butter and sugar to vanilla wafer crumbs and process for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is fully incorporated and begins to form a ball.
Add wafer mixture to the springform pan and firmly pack down.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside.
Filling
Turn the oven down to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a large baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven and fill with water.DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. An essential part of making cheesecake is creating steam in the oven.
Add cream cheese and sugar to food processor. Process for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth.
Add eggs, Irish cream, and lemon juice gradually. It’s best to add 1 egg at a time and process until barely incorporated, about 10-15 seconds per egg.DO NOT OVERBEAT. I repeat, DO NOT OVERBEAT! There is nothing that will ruin the texture of a cheesecake faster than overbeating the eggs.
Pour filling on top of the crust. Let sit for a couple minutes and tap or shake lightly.This will let the air bubbles rise to the surface and will prevent the bubbles from causing brown spots or cracks in the cheesecake. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be very lightly browned on top.
Check after 30 minutes and turn down the heat if browning too quickly.
Turn off the oven and place a wooden spoon the door to prop it open. Let sit for 1-2 hours, or until cool. This will allow the cheesecake to set without removing it from the oven.I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT TOUCH IT! DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE OVEN! DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE PAN! AND DO NOT CUT!
After the cheesecake is cool, put in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 12 hours. It’s best to bake in the evening and let it set overnight. It will not turn out if you try to cut into it too early.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
Cheesecake will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will technically keep for longer and is still fine to eat. However, after a couple days in the refrigerator the butter will begin to separate, so I advice eating it sooner rather than later.
Bailey’s Irish Cream is a great choice for cheesecake. I’ll even affectionately refer to this as the “Bailey’s Cheesecake Recipe.” However, I rarely actually use Bailey’s when I cook. It’s pricier than other brands and has a slightly bitter flavor. Personally, I prefer St. Brendan’s Irish Cream. It’s about $10-15 less for a 1.75 liter bottle and is made with all-natural cream and aged Irish whiskey. It has a smoother, maltier flavor that pairs well with dessert.
I learned this recipe from my dad who swears by The Joy of Cheesecake recipes. It’s a book by Bovbjerg & Iggers that was published in 1989. It’s out of print now, but if you can still find it, I strongly recommend buying it. The original recipe uses Sherry, but you can substitute any type of liqueur and I personally recommend the Irish Cream version.
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