I’d originally planned this cheesecake after Christmas, but this weekend a perfect occasion sprung up – Rob and I got engaged! In the middle of a snow field on a glacier in Iceland, with a big sparkly ring, of course we are very happy
Rob asked what he would get out of the engagement, I had a shiny new ring, could he have… a guitar? Not really seeing the romance in a guitar I offered to make us a celebratory cheesecake on our return home, one of his favorite desserts.
I looked online for quite a few recipes but was quite disappointed by the lack of alcohol in most of them! 25ml of Baileys? It would barely even touch the sides, let alone add a good flavor to the cheesecake! So this recipe is of my own making, it was perfect in an 8 inch square tin, you could easily use a round or slightly smaller square as long as it had high sides.
Ingredients250g digestive biscuits, crushed
100g butter, melted
300g cream cheese
200g creme fraiche
100ml Baileys irish cream
20g sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 eggs
Chocolate and edible glitter to decorate, if required
Method- Mix together the crushed biscuits and melted butter, and press firmly and evenly into the bottom of a loose-bottomed or springform tin
- Beat together the cream cheese, creme fraiche, Baileys, vanilla and sugar until completely smooth
- Add the the eggs and stir in until just mixed – don’t over-mix at this stage.
- Pour the mixture over the top of the biscuit base
- Bake at 180 degrees for around half an hour, until the top is set, and not liquid. It should still have a slight wobble, like jelly
- Run a knife all the way round the edge, so the cheesecake can ease away as it sets. Leave to cool in the tin.
- When cool, top with grated chocolate and edible glitter, if required
And to taste… I’m not sure if it was the use of creme fraiche instead of yoghurt, or the Baileys, or some special engagement magic, but this was one of the lightest, fluffiest cheesecakes I have ever tasted! Yum!
In answer to the many questions we’ve had since getting back… no we haven’t set a date yet, or found a venue, or even thought about a cake! For now we are happy to celebrate in our own sweet time
