This dessert is scrumptious anytime but it would be wonderful for St. Patrick's Day. The cheesecake has an Oreo cookie crust, the filling has Bailey's Irish Cream and the cheesecake is topped with a yummy chocolate ganache.
Crust:
2 c. Oreo cookie crumbs, with their filling
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
3 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened (24 oz.)
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. Bailey's Irish cream (or non-alcoholic Irish cream)
Chocolate Ganache:
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
12 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together cookie crumbs with their filling and melted butter. Press mixture into 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes; set aside to cool.
Once crust is cooled, wrap pan with 2 layers of aluminum foil*, bringing foil up the sides of the pan and making sure it's tight and secure so that no water gets in during the baking process.
With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add cornstarch; continue to mix until fully incorporated; decrease speed to low; add eggs 1 at a time; add vanilla extract and Bailey's.
Pour batter into prepared pan; place in a roasting pan; fill roasting pan about a quarter of the way up with hot water. Bake for 55-65 minutes, rotating once halfway through until cheesecake is set around the edges and slightly loose in the center.
Remove springform pan from water bath; set on a cooling rack to cool; remove aluminum foil; refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight. When completely cooled, run a thin knife around the edge and take off the ring of springform pan.
Over double boiler, melt chopped chocolate until completely smooth and has no lumps; stir in heavy whipping cream from the refrigerator. It should be very thick and creamy so that it can be spread on top of the cake and also on sides without dripping.
Use 2/3 of the ganache on the cake. Set the cake in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden the ganache. Remove the cake from the freezer.
Reheat the remaining ganache, but this time it should be smooth but not too thin, so that it can be poured over the cake to make a smooth and shiny surface.
To keep the shine of the ganache, let it cool at room temperature; store the cake in refrigerator.
10 servings.
*To prevent water damage, oven baking bags for turkeys could be used instead of aluminum foil. Place the cake pan in the bag, then roll the excess down to make a cuff,