Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake

This was my very attempt at making a cheesecake. I was fortunate that it turned out so well!


This cheesecake has a chocolate graham cracker crust, Baileys-flavored filling, and a chocolate drizzle on top. Cheesecakes are a lot more labor-intensive than my standard dessert fare of cupcakes, but they're worth it. Some tips:

• Let the ingredients come to room temperature. Especially the cream cheese. It needs to be super-soft to blend without leaving lumps in the batter.


• Use full-fat ingredients. This is not the time or place to bring out the reduced-fat cream cheese from the depths of your fridge.


• Definitely make the extra effort to bake your cheesecake in a water bath. I've never had any cracks in my cheesecakes, and I'm pretty sure it's because I always use a water bath.


• Be careful not to overbake the cheesecake. Get an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is pre-heating to the right temperature. And leave the cheesecake in the oven only for the time specified by the recipe. The cheesecake might not look done when you pull it out (it may jiggle in the center), but it will set as it cools.


• Let your cheesecake chill overnight in the fridge before serving it!

So, I am thinking next time I make this, I might use the chocolate mint flavor of Baileys instead, and add crushed Andes mints on top for garnish. What do you think?