Saint Patrick’s Day Cheesecake Recipe

Saint Patrick’s Day is a chance for us all to honor the Irish culture. So, we wear green, eat corned beef and cabbage, and drink Irish beer. Why not serve cheesecake this year? It’s a definite crowd pleaser and with some modifications, you can make it look festive and ready for the party!

Of course, you make any cheesecake recipe St. Patrick’s Day worthy by adding green food coloring to the batter. You could also follow the recipe below, which uses Irish cream liqueur to make it extra decadent. The chocolate chips are optional. If you like, you can add a few drops of green food coloring to the batter to make it extra festive.

Irish Cream Cheesecake With Chocolate Chips

Adapted from Very Best Baking

If you don’t want to make the crust from scratch, you can purchase it already made in the store.

Ingredients

For the Crust

1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs, crushed fine
6 T butter, melted

For the Filling

3, 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/3 c. Irish cream liqueur
¾ cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 t. flour, if using chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a nine-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, add graham cracker crumbs and melted better. Stir until well combined – it will still have a crumbled appearance. Using your fingers, press the mixture into the bottom spring form pan and one-inch on the side of it.

Add cream cheese and sugar to a large bowl and beat until it achieves a creamy texture. With the mixer still on, add the eggs one at a time, beating each egg into the mixture until well combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the Irish cream liqueur.
If you are adding chocolate chips, add the chocolate chips and flour to a small bowl and mix until flour is well distributed. Stir into the cream cheese mixture and add to the pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 40-50 minutes.

You’ll know it’s finished when the edge is completely cooked but the center looks unfinished. It will finish cooking after you take it out of the oven so let it cool for ten minutes in the pan before removing it. To make your cake look extra festive, garnish it with whipped cream that has been colored with a few drops of green food coloring. You can also sprinkle some Irish cream liqueur over each slice after you serve it to give it some extra flavor.

Some variations: To give your cake an extra kick, substitute 1/6 of the Irish cream liqueur for Irish whisky. Also, instead of using semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can try stirring in nuts, white chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips.