Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake - Gluten Free

Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake with Baileys Chocolate Ganache

This Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake will keep you from feeling any pain at the next soirée you attend.  The dense rich chocolate cheesecake is blanketed with Bailey’s Chocolate Ganache.  The chocolate walnut shortcrust deliciously replaces the graham cracker crust I might have used in my days before gluten avoidance.  


Maintaining a gluten free diet can often leave one  feeling a bit left out during a party especially when perusing the dessert table.  But let me assure you that the sheer indulgence of this cake will rapidly quell those feelings of deprivation brought on when you realize that you can’t eat Grandma’s famous Wine Balls or Uncle Ric’s luscious looking Black Forrest cake.  

A good strategy for combating any feelings of isolation is to bring your own gluten free indulgence to the party.  Ideally the dessert you choose should be so rich and decadent that you won’t need another bite.  This cake fits the bill quite nicely.  It’s well worth the effort that goes into this epic adventure for your taste buds.              

Ingredients for the Crust: 

      ·         1 cup gluten free flour blend

·         ¼ cup cocoa

·         ½ cup walnuts (very finely chopped)

·         ¼ tsp cinnamon

·         ½ cup butter, 1 stick

·         ½ cup sugar

Ingredients for the Cheesecake:

·         5 packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 40oz

·         1 cup of sugar

·         1/3 cup cocoa

·         1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish cream or heavy cream

·         1 teaspoon of vanilla

·         1 cup sour cream

·         4 eggs

Ingredients for the Topping:

·         4 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream or heavy cream

·         6 oz dark chocolate

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions for the Crust:

1.      Stir together the flour, cocoa, walnuts and cinnamon and set aside.

2.      Cream together the softened butter and sugar then add the flour mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.

3.      Spread the dough along the bottom of the pan and one inch up the sides if you want. 

4.      Bake the crust in your preheated oven at 325°F  or 160 °C for 15 minutes then allow it to cool as you make the filling.

Instructions for the Cheesecake Batter:

1.      In a small bowl mix together the Bailey’s Irish cream, cocoa and vanilla until you have a smooth lump free paste and set aside. 

2.      Use a mixer to mix the cream cheese and sugar together until well blended.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

3.      Add the cocoa mixture and sour cream and continue beating then add the eggs and beat until the whole mixture is well combined. 

4.      Pour the batter over the prepared crust and bake it on a cookie sheet, in the middle of your preheated oven at 325°F  or 160 °C  for 1 hour 15 minutes with a pan of water on the bottom rack.  See notes for bain-marie instructions.

5.      Let the cake cool completely before you refrigerate it for several more hours then you can remove it from its pan and top it with the ganache. 

Instructions for the Bailey’s Chocolate Ganache:

      1.      Add 6oz of dark chocolate to a bowl with ½ cup of the Irish cream. 

      2.      Place the bowl on top of a pot filled with about an inch of water and allow the water to gently simmer.  The indirect heat will melt the chocolate causing it to melt. 

      3.      Stir the mixture until smooth then spread over the top of the cheesecake. 

Notes:

1.      If you’d prefer to bake your cheesecake in a bain-marie versus the method I’ve described I’d suggest wrapping the entire exterior of your spring form pan with foil prior to placing it into the pan with the water.  This will prevent any water from seeping into the cake through the seams of the pan. 

2.      Don’t fret about a few small cracks in your cheesecake since the ganache will cover any imperfections.

3.      If you are transporting the cake, it is a good idea to keep it in the pan until you’ve reached your destination so that it can be easily wrapped without the foil or plastic wrap ever touching the top of the cake. 

4.      The information listed in item 5 of these notes was copied and pasted from the Baileys Website at the time of this blogpost.

5.      Gluten:  The ingredients used in Baileys are Gluten free. On the basis of this and to the best of our knowledge there are no traces of Gluten in Baileys. As we are not qualified to give medical advice persons requiring a Gluten free diet should consult their medical adviser before consuming Baileys.