No bake Baileys cheesecake is an easy and decadent treat to make. This soft set Irish cheesecake boasts the unmistakable flavour of Baileys Irish Cream and includes chunks of Irish cream truffles within the filling.
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This no bake Baileys cheesecake recipe is a must for lovers of Irish cream liqueur. There’s a generous glug of Baileys included and nuggets of Irish cream truffles really add to the luxurious nature of this Irish cheesecake.
This Baileys no bake cheesecake recipe can be made year round but it’s particularly popular over the winter months. Picture a roaring fire, a glass of Irish cream and a generous serving of cheesecake alongside. PJs and fluffy blankets are optional but highly recommended.
Why you’ll love this Baileys no bake cheesecake recipe
Irish cream lovers will adore this no bake Baileys cheesecake for a number of reasons:
- Taste: it’s creamy, indulgent and gently flavoured with the joy that is Baileys Irish cream.
- Texture: the cheesecake is soft, smooth and decadently creamy. However, there’s the crunch of the biscuit base plus nuggets of Irish cream truffles mingled into the cheesecake to add contrast and interest.
- Appearance: It’s understated, elegant and sure to please.
- Ease: no bake cheesecakes are usually a breeze to make and this Irish cheesecake is no exception. It’s a quick and easy recipe.
- Feeds a crowd: expect 12-15 portions from this bake.
Try a slice with a lovely Baileys drink alongside it. I’ve got a few to choose from including my Irish hot chocolate, Baileys mocha, Irish latte and my Baileys espresso martini.
Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients notes
Irish Cream: for me there is no substitute to Baileys when it comes to Irish cream liqueur. Call me a snob if you like, I won’t be offended. If you prefer a different brand of this creamy liqueur, feel free to use it.
Butter: real butter rather than baking margarine makes a big difference to the biscuit crumb base of this dessert.
Biscuits: I’ve used classic digestive biscuits for my base and included a handful of milk chocolate chips to create a lovely base to my Irish cheesecake.
Cream Cheese: I cannot stress enough how vital it is to use full-fat cream cheese rather than lower-fat versions for this no bake Baileys Irish cream cheesecake. Only the former will enable the dessert to set fully. I always use Philadelphia for my no bake desserts as it’s thick, creamy, has great flavour and, in my opinion, it sets better than other brands.
Cream: you’ll need to use double cream to ensure that the batter can be whipped sufficiently to set. Double cream has a fat content of 48%, so if you are elsewhere in the world, ensure you seek out a cream of around this level too.
Chocolates: I’ve used a crushed Cadbury Flake and Irish cream truffles in my cheesecake. Baileys, Lindor and M&S make Irish cream truffles, but these can be hard to find outside of the Christmas period. If you can’t buy them either leave them out entirely or substitute with alternative chocolates. Caramel chocolates are a good option.
Equipment notes
You’ll need electric beaters to whip the ingredients well (or a balloon whisk and a very strong arm).
For best results use a springform 8-inch (20cm) baking tin. Using a smaller tin will result in a deeper cheesecake (and there may be too much filling to fit into the tin). Using a larger tin will result in a flatter cheesecake and a very thin biscuit base.
How to make no bake Baileys cheesecake
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
This Baileys no bake cheesecake recipe is very easy and it should take you no more than 30 minutes to assemble it. Just follow these steps:
Make the biscuit crumb base
- Prepare your baking tin by flipping the base over if it has a lip and securing the springform mechanism. Now lightly grease the base of the tin and line it with baking parchment.
- Next break up the biscuits. It’s easy to do this in a food processor and you can add the chocolate chips at the same time. If you do not have a food processor then put the biscuits into a freezer bag and crush them using a rolling pin. You’ll need to roughly chop the chocolate before adding to the biscuit crumbs.
- Melt the butter in a small pan and pour it into the biscuit crumbs.
- If using a food processor, pulse until it is well mixed and the chocolate has melted. If not using a processor mix the biscuit crumbs, chocolate and melted butter together in a bowl.
- Now tip the mixture into the prepared baking tin and press it down using the back of a metal spoon.
- Put the cream cheese into a large mixing bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla bean paste. Use electric beaters to whisk until just combined.
- Pour in the Baileys Irish cream and whisk briefly.
- Now add the double cream and whisk until the cheesecake batter is very thick. It is ready when it needs encouragement to fall off of a metal spoon.
- Scoop a third of the cheesecake batter onto the biscuit base and spread it out all the way to the edge of the tin. A small offset palate knife is a good tool for this task.
- Roughly chop 3 of the chocolates and scatter them over the filling. Lightly press them into the batter.
- Add another third of the batter, spread it out and scatter 3 more chocolates (roughly chopped) over it.
- Add the remaining batter and spread it out. Smooth the top.
- Cover the tin and place the cheesecake in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, but preferably overnight, to set.
- Crush the flake and chop the 4 remaining chocolates.
- Sprinkle the crushed chocolate over the top of the cheesecake and scatter the chopped chocolates over the top.
- To remove the dessert from the baking tin run a blunt knife around the edge of the tin to loosen the cheesecake. Now slowly unclip the springform mechanism and remove the tin. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate, removing the baking paper from the base if you can.
Expert tips
- Be meticulous when it comes to measuring the ingredients in this no bake Baileys cheesecake recipe. The alcohol makes it softer set than most no bake cheesecakes, so do not alter the quantities of the cream cheese, double cream or alcohol. If you do, it may not set sufficiently.
- For this reason, use digital kitchen scales and use them to measure in grams. This is by far the most accurate way of measuring ingredients for baking. Please do not convert the measurements to cups as this is a highly inaccurate method of measuring ingredients out.
- Use a springform cake tin if possible. You can use a loose bottomed tin but it will be harder to remove the cheesecake from it.
- Whip the cheesecake filling until it is very thick and needs encouragement to fall off of a metal spoon (a tap or shake). If it is not sufficiently thickened then the cheesecake simply will not set.
- If you are worried about removing the cheesecake from the tin consider making individual Baileys cheesecakes in glass bowls, jars or ramekins.
Frequently asked questions
One of the most common reasons for no bake cheesecake not setting is using the wrong type of cream cheese. You need to use full-fat cream cheese rather than lower-fat versions. I only ever recommend using Philadelphia as it is reliably firm.
Another reason is that the ingredients were not whipped sufficiently. Keep on whipping the cheesecake batter until it needs encouraging to fall off of a large spoon by shaking it slightly.
Incorrect measurements can also cause this no bake Baileys Irish cream cheesecake not to set fully. Be careful to measure accurately.
I don’t advise adding more alcohol to this recipe. This is already a soft set cheesecake, due to the inclusion of alcohol which makes it harder to firm up. Adding more Baileys would make it looser and likely to fall apart as it is served.
I always use springform cake tins when making no bake cheesecakes as they are easier when it comes to removing the cheesecake from the tin than loose-bottomed tins.
Run a blunt knife around the edge of the tin. Next, unclip the springform mechanism slowly and lift off the tin. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate, removing the baking parchment from the biscuit base if you can do so.
A small serving of this dessert is unlikely to harm your child or get them tipsy. However, use your own judgement and standards.
Yes, you can. You’ll need to swap the biscuits for gluten-free biscuits (or you can make your own gluten-free digestives). Ensure that any chocolates you decide to include are gluten-free too and check the labels on the other ingredients to ensure they do not contain gluten.
Yes, that’s possible. In fact, Domestic Gothess has created the perfect recipe. You can find it here.
Variations
- Leave out the Irish cream truffles – these can be hard to find outside of the Christmas period, so if you cannot find them, it doesn’t matter.
- Swap the truffles for caramel chocolates instead.
- Fold an entire crushed flake into the cheesecake batter in place of the Irish cream truffles.
- Replace the digestive biscuits with an alternative. Biscoff, Hobnobs and gingernuts would all work well.
- Pipe rosettes of double cream onto the top of the cheesecake and press chocolates into it.
- Dredge the top of the cheesecake with sieved cocoa powder.
- Dress the cheesecake for St Patrick’s Day using green shamrock sprinkles.
- Make individual Baileys cheesecakes by dividing the mixture between numerous small ramekins or glass jars. Aim for 10-12 portions.
More Baileys Irish cream recipes to enjoy
Have you made this no bake Baileys Irish cream cheesecake recipe? I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know how you got along with the recipe by leaving a rating and/ or comment below.
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📖 Recipe
No Bake Baileys Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 x 8-inch (20cm) deep-sided springform cake tin
Ingredients
For the biscuit base
- 200 g Digestive biscuits
- 100 g Butter
- 30 g Milk chocolate chips
For the cheesecake filling and topping
- 525 g Cream cheese full-fat
- 85 g Icing sugar
- 1½ teaspoons Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 100 ml Baileys Irish cream
- 300 ml Double cream
- 1 Cadbury Flake bar or 2 tablespoon grated milk chocolate
- 10 Irish cream chocolate truffles or other chocolates of choice
Instructions
Make the biscuit base
- Prepare your baking tin by flipping the base over if it has a lip and securing the springform mechanism. Now lightly grease the base of the tin and line it with baking parchment.
- Next break up the biscuits. It’s easy to do this in a food processor and add the chocolate chips at the same time. Process until the biscuits are reduced to fine crumbs. If you do not have a food processor then put the biscuits into a freezer bag and crush them using a rolling pin. You’ll need to roughly chop the chocolate before adding to the biscuit crumbs.
- Melt the butter in a small pan and pour it into the biscuit crumbs.
- If using a food processor, pulse until it is well mixed and the chocolate has melted. If not using a processor mix the biscuit crumbs, chocolate and melted butter together in a bowl.
- Tip the mixture into the prepared baking tin and press it down using the back of a metal spoon. Avoid pressing it down really hard thought as it will be difficult to cut when served.
Make the Cheseecake filling
- Put the cream cheese into a large mixing bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla bean paste. Use electric beaters to whisk until just combined.
- Now pour in the Baileys Irish cream and whisk briefly.
- Add the double cream and whisk until the cheesecake batter is very thick. It is ready when it needs encouragement to fall off of a metal spoon (a shake or a light tap of the spoon).
Assemble the cheesecake
- Scoop a third of the cheesecake batter onto the biscuit base and spread it out all the way to the edge of the tin. A small offset palate knife is a good tool for this task.
- Roughly chop 3 of the chocolates and scatter them over the filling. Lightly press them into the batter.
- Add another third of the batter, spread it out and scatter 3 more roughly chopped chocolates over it.
- Spoon the remaining batter over the top and spread it out. Smooth the top.
- Cover the tin and place the cheesecake in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, but preferably overnight, to set.
Decorating the cheesecake
- Crush the flake and chop the 4 remaining chocolates.
- Sprinkle the crushed chocolate over the top of the cheesecake and scatter the chopped chocolates over the top.
- To remove the dessert from the baking tin run a blunt knife around the edge of the tin to loosen the cheesecake. Now slowly unclip the springform mechanism and remove the tin. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate, removing the baking paper from the base if you can.
Notes
- Be meticulous when it comes to measuring the ingredients in this no bake Baileys cheesecake recipe. The alcohol makes it softer set than most no bake cheesecakes, so do not alter the quantities of the cream cheese, double cream or alcohol. If you do, it may not set sufficiently.
- For this reason, use digital kitchen scales and use them to measure in grams. This is by far the most accurate way of measuring ingredients for baking. Please do not convert the measurements to cups as this is a highly inaccurate method of measuring ingredients out.
- Use a springform cake tin if possible. You can use a loose bottomed tin but it will be harder to remove the cheesecake from it.
- Whip the cheesecake filling until it is very thick and needs encouragement to fall off of a metal spoon (a tap or shake). If it is not sufficiently thickened then the cheesecake simply will not set.
- If you are worried about removing the cheesecake from the tin consider making individual Baileys cheesecakes in glass bowls, jars or ramekins.
- A small serving of this dessert is unlikely to harm your child or get them tipsy. However, use your own judgement and standards.
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