#3 Samantha I first met Sam when we were 13 and as desk mates at school, we drove each other crazy every day. It's been 9 years since our fateful meeting and even though we hardly see each other now, we've always shared a love for baking. Just last week, Sam came down to London for a few days while on exchange in Sweden and we arranged to bake together. She brought along a massive bottle of Baileys and I see myself either getting tipsy by drinking it neat or churning out Baileys related baked goods for the rest of the month. Thanks Sam! ^^
I decided to make this particular cheesecake because 1) we now have a huge bottle of Baileys 2) Maltesers and cream cheese were on sale at Sainsbury's. And I kid you not, the key to the creation of this boozy gem is to wing it. Sam and I pretty much made the cake by taste - we kept pouring in Baileys till we could distinctly taste it in the cream cheese, and added just enough sugar so that it wasn't too sweet. We ended up adding a lot more Baileys than is called for in most recipes, but that's the whole point of a Baileys cheesecake - it has to be boozy enough to be satisfying. To retain the alcohol, I made this cheesecake non-baked as well, even though I usually prefer baked cheesecakes.
Baileys & Maltesers Cheesecake
(makes a 7 inch cake)
Base
200g - Digestive biscuits
100g - Melted butter
~ Crush the biscuits and mix with melted butter.
~ Press it firmly into the base of the springform tin.
~ Refrigerate for an hour.
Cheesecake
500g - Philadelphia cream cheese*
250ml - Double cream
175ml - Baileys
275g - Icing sugar
5 sheets - Leaf gelatine
1 box (120g) - Maltesers
Dark chocolate or cocoa powder (Optional)
~ Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5-10 minutes.
~ Gently beat the cream cheese, Baileys and icing sugar till smooth. (Over beating the cream cheese makes it runny)
~ Remove the gelatine from the water and give it a squeeze to remove excess water. In a bowl, add 3 table spoons of boiling water to dissolve the gelatine completely.
~ Gradually add the gelatine to the cream cheese, mixing well with each addition otherwise the gelatine may become lumpy.
~ Whip the double cream separately and fold it into the cream cheese.
~ Using a knife, cut the Maltesers in half. (Leave a some whole, to decorate the cake)
~ Remove the springform tin from the fridge and pour half of the mixture on top of the biscuit base. Sprinkle the halved Maltesers on top of the cream cheese mixture. Cover the Maltesers with the rest of the mixture.
~ Refrigerate overnight before serving (or 2 days for maximum flavour).
~ Drizzle with melted dark chocolate or dust with cocoa powder.
*If you prefer a less tangy cake, swap out the cream cheese for mascarpone instead.
