chocolate liquer cheesecake

Cheesecakes have never really been my thing, perhaps because there isn't a 'bite' to the dessert.  But liqueur in food, now that is always enticing.  I love cooking with alcohol, be it desserts, cakes or savoury dishes, alcohol always adds an extra dimension to the flavor of a dish, particularly a cake and especially when there is no cooking involved. The smooth, creamy liqueur gives this celebration cheesecake the wow factor.  

A mess free way of crushing biscuits is to put them into a zip-lock bag and then another (you'll know why in a min!!!) and then let your four year old go mental with them. If you don't have a four year old, a rolling pin will do just fine.  If you're not into the whole booze thing, I s'pose you could substitute Baileys with a thick concoction of drinking chocolate or even mixing condensed milk with melted chocolate.  I haven't tried it but it would be worth experimenting.  If I do, I'll update this post.  But in the meantime, for those who enjoy chocolate and Bailey's and cheesecakes, here's one with a little piece of heaven in each 'bite'.

chocolate liqueur cheesecake

adapted: BBC food by Rob Burns
Ingredients

• 100g butter
• 250g digestive biscuits, crushed
• 600g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 25ml Baileys
• 100ml icing sugar
• 300ml double cream, whipped
• 100g grated chocolate 

To garnish

• 200ml double cream, whipped
• cocoa powder, to dust

Preparation method

1. In a large bowl, tip in the crushed biscuits and add melted butter.  Mix well until the biscuits have absorbed all the butter.
2. Press into the bottom of a lined 18cm/7in spring-form tin. Place in the refrigerator and allow to set for one hour.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Lightly whip the cream cheese then beat in the Bailey's and icing sugar. Fold in the whipped cream and grated chocolate. When smooth, spoon evenly onto the biscuits.
4. Refrigerate and allow to set for a further two hours. 
5. Once set, remove and decorate with whipped cream and cocoa powder dusted over the top.