Recipe: Soundside Restaurant Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake

EGGY - I found another recipe - sounds REALLY good, I think I'm going to make it this week for a friend's birthday, if I do I'll let you know how it comes out. I think I'm going to use an Oreo crust though.

Soundside Restaurant Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake

Cheesecakes have been a favorite dessert for hundreds of years. They were reportedly on the menu at Henry IV's coronation banquet in 1399.

The vast number of variations on the seemingly simple mixture of cream cheese, eggs and sugar are fascinating. Soundside Restaurant's owner and chef Stephen Sellers has shared his version of Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake.

Seller's cake is as thick and rich as any New York-style cheesecake with the unmistakable creamy flavor of Bailey's. Topped with fresh whipped cream and slivers of semisweet chocolate, this cake is sure to please any cheesecake lover.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 1/4 pounds cream cheese, softened
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
1 to 2 ounces semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan with the softened butter.

In a medium bowl, stir together cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup sugar and melted butter until well blended. Evenly press cracker crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar; beat until smooth. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed.

Add eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape sides after each addition. Beat well on medium speed until well incorporated and very smooth. Beat in vanilla and Bailey's Irish Cream.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The center will have consistency of set gelatin when done. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. When completely cool, remove from springform pan and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, whip heavy cream with confectioner's sugar. Garnish cake with whipped cream rosettes. Shave chocolate over top.

Makes 12 servings.