Bailey's Cheesecake

This year's Stour Music brings new puddings to the groaning table, and this Bailey's Cheesecake was particularly popular, even for people who (like me) don't actually like Bailey's!   I have a particular affection for an easy cheesecake, having been brought up on those impossible ones with lots of gelatine, whisked eggs and such flummery.   Having said that, I might blog my mother's blackcurrant one, just for the retro value. 

In the era of Magimixes, it is pointless trying to whisk cream separately and then incorporate it, so this is the simplest kind of all-in-one recipe, with a few extra touches to make it extra special. 

Bailey's Cheesecake

Bailey’s and Chocolate Cheesecake

8oz/225g digestive biscuits, crushed to crumbs (gluten free biscuits work well)

4oz/110g butter

4oz/110g dark chocolate

8oz/225g cream cheese or soft cheese (full fat)

8oz/225g Mascarpone cheese (or just more cream cheese)

3oz/75g icing sugar

10floz/280ml double cream

Baileys Irish Cream

2 sheets gelatine softened in water

5 floz/140ml Bailey’s Irish Cream

2oz/60g dark chocolate

Line the base of a 9” spring clip tin with parchment.   Melt the butter in a bowl, add the biscuit crumbs, mix well and spread them over the base of the tin.  Chill in the fridge until set.   Melt the chocolate and spread it over the chilled biscuits.  Allow to set.

In a Magimix, beat together the cream cheese, Mascarpone, icing sugar, cream and a glug of Baileys (unmeasurable, but you know what I mean).  Beat until the cream thickens up.  Scoop this mixture into the tin and level it.   Allow to chill for at least an hour.  Now take the gelatine and soften it in water.   Warm the Baileys to approx. blood heat before melting the gelatine into it – if it doesn’t dissolve, heat the Baileys a bit further).  Wait until the gelatine has started to cool and set, then pour it over the cheesecake.

Chill for a couple of hours until set.   

To make the chocolate scribble, melt the chocolate and pipe it onto baking parchment.  Chill in the fridge.  Simple designs work best. 

To remove from the tin, run a knife or thin spatula around the edge so that, when you remove the clip, the jelly layer does not break (nor do you lose a lot of the cheesecake on the sides of the tin, though that’s a cook’s bonus!).  If you can't remove the parchment, remember it is there when you cut into the cheesecake...