No-Bake Baileys Cheesecake!
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A DELICIOUS chocolate biscuit base with a smooth thick Baileys cheesecake topping – a no-bake Baileys cheesecake!
Yes. That’s right. BAILEYS CHEESECAKE! I can explain why there is another cheesecake recipe – I had oodles and oodles of requests for a Christmas/Baileys cheesecake so how on earth could I disappoint?! Plus – I made this just in time for my Mums birthday, so it doubled up as her birthday cake! See – the perfect excuse.
This recipe seemed like the perfect way to kick off my Christmas baking and recipe stint on my blog after the recent success of my no-bake chocolate orange cheesecake that is spreading across social media like wildfire (which to me is also a Christmas recipe!) – I really hope you all agree because I am damned chuffed with this one – it really is so yummy!
Festive Baking
Festive baking is by far one of my favourite themes in the world, and I always just want to post more and more desperately fun festive recipes. Mainly, they should always taste great, but I have so many festive recipes that you will be spoilt for choice, I promise.
My Christmas NYC Cookies are always a festive treat, especially my gingerbread chocolate tart, with my Christmas drip cake, and my no-bake chocolate orange tart… there are endless ideas, to suit everyone and every taste you need to please.
Baileys Recipes
So when it comes to baileys, it’s just even better. I adore baking with Baileys and probably have too many baileys recipes already, if there even is such a thing? I doubt it. I love the thick strong flavours it brings to a bake, from rocky road, to a chocolate tart, to bread and butter pudding, and even my baileys fudge.
Often, baileys acts a bit like double cream in a recipe because of its thick dairy based nature, and it’s perfect. I use it to flavour and often thicken a recipe, but with this cheesecake it works wonderfully combined with the cream cheese, double cream and icing sugar.
The base
I figured, with the help of my lovely Facebook followers, that Baileys would be a delicious flavour for a Christmas cheesecake – I don’t know about anyone else, but there is always a bottle of Baileys around at my Christmas events, and this is a delicious way to use some up.
It is super simple to make too – crush the biscuits to a fine crumb, and mix with the cocoa powder. The, mix this with the melted butter to a wet sand texture, and press & mix with melted butter – press into the base of your tin. I really recommend using an 8″/20cm Deep Springform Tin for this recipe as it makes life so much easier. If you use a Springform tin, it helps when you unclip as the tin comes away from the edge of the cheesecake making it less awkward to come out! I personally don’t line my tin, however, but you can if you wish.
The topping
The cheesecake mix itself is four simple ingredients or a full fat mascarpone or soft cream cheese, icing sugar, double cream and then the baileys. It’s incredibly important to use full-fat product when making a cheesecake like this, but especially one where your flavour is also a liquid.
I mix together my cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and combined, and then pour in my baileys and my double cream. I add the double cream in liquid, and then whip the entire bowl to stiff peaks. It can take some time, but just keep whisking and moving the mixture about to thicken evenly.
If you struggle to make cheesecakes set, you can whip the double cream to stiff peaks separately and fold through the mix, or you can use a setting agent such as gelatine. This cheesecake does not use chocolate to help it set – I tried it a couple of times with chocolate in, but I felt like it overpowered the flavour of the baileys, and drizzling the chocolate on top worked far better.
Tips & Tricks
This recipe was updated mostly for new pictures that I liked, but also to be in keeping with my Baileys strawberries & cream cheesecake! The only difference to this recipe now is using 600g of mascarpone, instead of 750g, but you can still use 750g if you wish!
The cheesecake is delicious and super creamy, and if you’re a Baileys/Irish Cream lover than you will LOVEEEE this one. You may also like my Baileys truffles recipe! Basically, if you love Baileys then you have plenty of choice on this blog.
- This cheesecake will last for 3+ days in the fridge
- This cheesecake will freeze for 3 months
- I used this springform tin for my recipe
No-Bake Baileys Cheesecake!
Ingredients
Biscuit Base
- 300 g digestives
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 25 g cocoa powder (optional)
Cheesecake Filling
- 600 g mascarpone (or full-fat cream cheese)
- 100 g icing sugar
- 300 ml double cream
- 125 ml Baileys Original
Decoration
- 150 ml double cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 50 g dark chocolate
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Biscuit Base
- Blitz your biscuits in a food processor, or bash them up as finely as you can. Add in your cocoa powder if using and blitz again.
- Mix in the melted butter, and press down firmly into the bottom of an 8"/20cm deep springform tin.
- Leave to set in the fridge whilst you do the rest.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a stand mixer, add your mascarpone and icing sugar and whisk until smooth.
- Add in your double cream and Baileys and whisk again until thick and combined. It doesn't take that long at all, and it's better to be slightly under whisked than over whisked.
- If thick enough, it should still be smooth, but hold itself. So check often to see if its thick enough.
- Add onto your biscuit base and smooth it over. Chill in the fridge for 5-6 hours, or preferably overnight.
Decoration
- Whip up the double cream and the icing sugar to soft peaks.
- Melt your dark chocolate, and drizzle over the cheesecake.
- Pipe the cream around the edges, and sprinkle on your favourite sprinkles!
Notes
- I used the new Baileys Original, but you can easily use the strawberry one, chocolate one, or even try the almond one, etc!
- If you are unsure if it has set correctly, you can add in gelatine to help it set. Use packet instructions to do this.
- The cream on top is optional, but I think it looks pretty!
- If you're worried its not set properly, you can freeze it for an hour or so before serving!
- I recommend using this 8″/20cm Deep Springform Tin!
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J x
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Hi Jane! Planning on making this tomorrow- should I whisk/whip the double cream before adding to the mixture? Or just pour it in and whisk when I add it in alongside the baileys? Thank you!
I pour it in and then whisk, but if you prefer to whisk separately that’s totally fine too! Some prefer it that way! xx
I made this for Christmas as none of my family are big Xmas pudding fans and it was beautiful. Super easy, I made the cheesecake on Christmas Eve and it set perfectly for the big day. It leaked liquid a bit in the fridge but I think it was just the liquid in the cream cheese and the icing sugar reacting. It didn’t effect the taste or presentation though. Thanks Jane for the great recipe, I’ll be giving your mint aero one a go next!
Recipe even! 🤣
Merry Christmas to you and yours Jane!
Followed the receipt exactly and let set in fridge over night. Decorated today however base fine but the top hasn’t set as it should. Well it looks fine and it looks set but when I cut into it it’s gone soft and a bit runny! Can’t understand it. Looks great until I cut in. I’ve popped in freezer now as see you said can put in freezer for an hour before serving but it had already set overnight in fridge and and take it the base will be hard after freezer?
Not sure what could do? Do you add gelatine to that part? So I can try again.
For the future you can definitely use gelatine (you can dissolve a satchet of powder gelatine in boiling water and add to the mix) but for now the freeze trick is the only thing possible to do unfortunately! Because of the added liquid from the baileys this cheesecake will never set completely solid unfortunately, but it shouldn’t melt or go runny x
Hi Jane, I’m in the middle of making your delicious baileys cheesecake, however I’ve only 400gms soft cheese. Do I need to reduce the icing sugar, double cream and baileys and if so by how much?
Yes – I would reduce the other ingredients by 1/3 as well so the proportions are the same x
Hi Jane – I’m planning to make this yummy dessert for Christmas! If I wanted to make it more chocolatey would you recommend melting some chocolate and folding through the cheesecake mixture? If so, how much do you recommend? Thank you for all of your amazing posts!
I would use about 200g, and it would be so tasty!
Going to make this recipe tomorrow but I was wondering how long does it last?
As long as the fresh product dates are good, I say 3 days in the fridge x
Hi Jane
Does the double cream need to be whipped on its own first prior to combining with the other ingredients?
Thanks!
Yes for sure!
Thanks Jane. I didn’t see your reply until today and made it last night without whipping the cream first; I put the unwhipped cream and baileys with the whisked mascarpone and icing sugar, and whisked them all together. It turned out perfect and set fine! I’ll try whipping the cream first next time. Great recipe- thanks for sharing it!
Gutted I followed the recipe but it didn’t set, left in the fridge overnight and tried putting it in the freezer for a few hours too but when I took the tin off it ran down the drain. Such a waste of time and money. The mixture I salvaged didn’t taste of much either. So sad as I’ve never been disappointed with any of Jane’s recipes before
That sounds like it wasn’t whipped correctly unfortunately – if you wanted to make it again it would be worth using gelatine if you struggle with it. x
Did you use full fat cream cheese? If you use low fat it won’t set and just goes runny
Hi, I’m going to try and combine this recipe but using my GU glass pots to make mini versions, would I have to change this recipe at all or just distribute it out into the glass containers??
I would just distribute it!
My go to baileys cheesecake which I get asked a lot for 😁
Hi Jane,
Love your recipes! I want to make this but in a smaller version. If I want to half this recipe what size tin would you recommend?
I usually say 6″ round is good for half the recipe!
Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes. Will the extra thick baileys cream work in this recipe in replacement of the baileys and double cream?
Thanks.
I haven’t tried this, but as long as the cream can whip it should be fine!
Did you try this? Did it work?
Hi Jane. Love this recipe and plan on making it for Christmas treat boxes.
Would it be possible to make this and use mini plastic pots instead of a tin? So I can make lots of mini ones Instead?
Also is Philadelphia cheese okay to use?
Hey! Yes you can indeed! And yes, as long as it’s the full-fat one x
Hi Claire, I’ve been wondering the same, did this work?
OMG scrummy, this was very easy to make and got a thumbs up from everyone, will definitely make this again without a doubt