No-Bake Bailey’s Cheesecake

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Rich no-bake Bailey’s cheesecake, incredibly creamy and delightful. An easy crust, decadent cream cheese, and mascarpone filling, topped with chocolate and coffee whipped cream. A cheesecake can hardly get any better!

This gelatin-free, no-bake Bailey’s cheesecake is the perfect dessert for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year.

But you will probably like it so much, you will keep making it! Again and again! I know I do, I just love the creaminess, the flavor, the simplicity of the recipe… Anything about it, actually.

I love baking with Bailey’s (have a look at this Bundt Cake or these Muffins), the only drawback about it is that every time I do, I have to bake something extra for the kids. But no stress there either, just stir the batter for the Sour Cream Muffins or for this Apple Cake in just a few minutes and you can be sure that your kids will be happy as well.

Recipe ingredients

Crust

• Butter biscuits or butter cookies: I use them most of the time because I live in Germany and they are the most common thing to use for such crusts here. They are usually from Leibniz or better said their cheaper alternative.
• However, if you live in the US Graham crackers are the best choice.
• If you live in the UK, you would probably choose digestive biscuits.
• You can also make an Oreo crust, it is delicious as well.
• I never add sugar to this kind of crust, the biscuits are always sweet enough.
• You will also need butter. Make sure it’s unsalted.

Filling

• Cream cheese – Philadelphia style.
  • If you live in the US, use a block of cream cheese, not whipped cream cheese.
  • In Germany or anywhere else where blocks of cream cheese don’t exist, use the regular cream cheese in a tub, again, making sure it’s not whipped. Which probably isn’t, regular cream cheese is not whipped, if it is it will be written on the tub.
  • When opening the tub, drain the small amount of liquid if there is any. Philadelphia is usually liquid-free, but cheaper alternatives often have a tiny amount of liquid on top.

• Mascarpone: It makes the no-bake Bailey’s cheesecake really rich and creamy and helps with the setting as it’s sturdier than cream cheese.

• Baileys: You will need some both for the filling and the topping.

Topping

• Double/heavy cream for whipping. Not sweetened, vegan/vegetarian, or diet. Just the pure thing.
• Bittersweet chocolate: use good quality, you will be able to taste it.
• Instant coffee granules: just 1 teaspoon. You might think it’s not enough to really matter, but it does. It enhances the chocolate flavor and adds some coffee flavor you would love as well.
• However, if you don’t feel like buying a whole jar of coffee for just 1 teaspoon, you can leave it out.
• Chocolate sprinkles or other chocolate decoration of choice.

Step-by-step instructions

Crust:

• Crush the cookies/crackers/digestives in the food processor. Alternatively, place them in a freezer bag, close the bag well and crush the biscuits using a rolling pin. Transfer to a bowl.
• Pour the melted butter on top and mix until the crumbs are completely coated.
• Line the bottom of a small springform (20 cm/ 8 inches) with baking parchment.
• Tip the crumbs into the tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer.
• Chill until you make the filling.

Filling:

• Place cheese and mascarpone in a bowl.
• Add sugar and Bailey’s and mix to combine. Don’t overmix. (1)
• Pour the mixture onto the crust. Smooth the top down with the back of a spoon or spatula.
• Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight. (2)

Topping:

• Make sure that the double/heavy cream is cold before whipping, it whips much better when refrigerator-cold.
• Chop the chocolate very finely. (1)
• Place it in a small saucepan. Add the Irish cream and coffee granules. (2)
• Heat very gently while stirring continuously until the chocolate is melted and the coffee granules are completely dissolved. (3)
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes, it will not take long.

• In the meantime, whip the cream until stiff. Set aside.
• Once the chocolate is cool, fold in the whipped cream.

• Spread the topping on the cheesecake. You can also pipe it if you like. Be creative!
• Decorate with chocolate sprinkles, shavings, or other decorations of choice.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Expert tips

• Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking, it guarantees for best results.
• The cheesecake is made without gelatin. This makes it soft and incredibly creamy.
• And don’t worry, it will keep its shape even without the help of gelatin. The block cream cheese and the even sturdier mascarpone will take care of that.
• Allow the no-bake Baileys cheesecake to set long enough in the fridge, I always leave it overnight.
• Use pure heavy cream for whipping. As mentioned above nothing sweetened, vegetarian, or diet. I always use fresh cream from the refrigerator section of the supermarket.
• Make sure that the cream is refrigerator-cold before using, it makes it stable and better for whipping.
• On the other hand, the cream cheese and mascarpone should have room temperature. This way they are easier to mix and the filling won’t be clumpy.

Recipe FAQ

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