Friday, February 23, 2018

Irish Cheesecake

Well, I sort of promised you an Irish cheesecake, after I made a hazelnut one recently. I also mentioned that almost every recipe I found included Bailey’s Irish Cream, which I’ve never been a big fan of (it has a bit of chocolate syrup in it, and I find myself wishing they’d just stuck to the Irish whiskey flavor), but it seems to proclaim “Irish!” to the world.

The nice twist to this recipe is that it uses crumbled Irish shortbread cookies (which I posted here last October) for the crust, so you get a double hit of Irish.

Irish Cheesecake with Shortbread Crust


Crust:

3 cups Irish shortbread crumbs
3 Tblsp melted unsalted butter



Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan (especially the sides, so the cake won't stick).


Mix the crumbs and melted butter, than press the mixture into the pan. Bake for about five minutes or until the crust just begins to brown. Remove from oven, let cool, then chill.

Filling:

3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream


Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Beat the mixture well, for about four minutes. Add the Irish Cream.


Pour the filling mixture into the chilled crust and bake for about 80 minutes. The center should still be a bit jiggly.



Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside to cool slowly (helps to prevent cracking).




And there you have it! A handy recipe for Saint Patrick’s Day.

And here's the source for all that butter
and cream cheese in the recipe--part of
the dairy herd at a farm where I stayed a
a couple of years ago. I loved to watch
the whole milking process from my window.
I find myself in a weird position about coming books. I expect to publish three more (plus a novella, I think) before the end of 2018, and the next County Cork book will be out in January 2019. But the only one of all of those that has both a a title and a cover is Murder at the Mansion, the first of my new Victorian Village series, coming from St. Martin's in June. Here's what it will look like:


Don't worry--I'll tell you more about it as the date gets closer.

9 comments:

  1. You are busy! Cut yourself a slice of cheesecake and keep on tapping out the stories! Do all Irish desserts have liquor in them? Just wondering...

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    1. It does get addictive, which is why I don't make it too often. I've always loved the contrast between a crunchy crust and a smooth filling.

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    2. Re the liquor--I think the English are neck and neck. If you watch the Great British Baking Show, there are all sorts of shots of one or another liquors in the cakes.

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  2. Looking forward to the new books and series. The recipe sounds great. I needed something for a St Patrick’s Day gathering.

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    1. I regret that I have yet to visit Ireland in time for St. Patrick's day, and can't make it this year. Maybe next year! I've never been sure whether the Irish actually celebrate it, or all the fuss is for benefit of tourists (must do some onsite research!).

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  3. I'd happily help you eat this!
    What about using straight Irish Whiskey in place of the Bailey's? You might need to slightly adjust the sweetening, but wouldn't it work?

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    1. Worth a try, although it might change the texture a bit too. Bailey's has cream in it (and I've seen one DIY recipe that has both cream and condensed milk).

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  4. I love that this uses shortbread cookies for the crust! Yum!

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    1. I'm hooked on the darn things, especially the ones made with Irish butter--they smell wonderful! (And they hold up well in the crust.)

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