Espresso and Irish Whiskey in a Creamy Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a perennial favorite – and why not? A little bit of crispy crust and a creamy center make for a delectable classic. This spin on cheesecake is just in time for St Patrick’s Day with Irish coffee flavors. All the flavors of Irish coffee…rich coffee, a little Irish whiskey with a shortbread crust makes our very adult Irish Coffee Cheesecake.
This recipe calls for a springform pan, which allows for easy unmolding. One big helping hint here – if you take the cake to a party or somewhere don’t leave the bottom of the pan behind! I can’t tell you how many bottoms of these pans I have misplaced.
For the crust, I know shortbread is Scottish so I am taking liberty here, but it makes a great crust as an alternative to graham crackers. Here we have purchased shortbread that we have ground up fine and combined with melted butter, then it is simply pat into the pan.
This cake, as with most cheesecakes, will cut better when chilled overnight first. Top with whipped cream right before serving. The image below was taken on the set of The Better Show is JD Roberto.
- 2 cups finely ground shortbread cookie crumbs (such as Nabisco Lorna Doone)
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 24 ounces (three, 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, at room temperature, softened
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ cup Irish whiskey
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee
- Sweetened whipped cream
- Pastry bag
- Star tip
- Chocolate covered espresso beans
- Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat the inside of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
- For the Crust: Stir the cookie crumbs and melted butter together in a small bowl and then press into bottom of prepared pan in an even layer.
- Bake crust for about 15 to 20 minutes or until it is just beginning to color and turn light golden brown. Cool on rack while you prepare the filling. Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
- For the Filling: In stand mixer bowl fitted with flat paddle, beat the cream cheese until very smooth on a medium-high speed. Add sugar gradually and keep beating until smooth and creamy. Beat in flour then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl once or twice. Beat in cream. Combine the instant espresso and the whiskey in a small bowl (or right in measuring cup) and stir until the coffee is dissolved. Beat into batter until everything is completely mixed and texture is smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust and bake for 10 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 250°F and continue baking for 35 minutes to 45 minutes. The edges might have puffed and risen a litter and begun to brown but the center will still look moist; that’s okay. Remove from oven and immediately use a thin blade paring knife to run around the edges of the cake, loosening it from the pan. Cool pan on rack until it reaches room temperature then refrigerate overnight.
- Right before serving top with whipped cream rosettes and chocolate covered espresso beans – or for a more casual approach, simply mound the whipped cream in the center and sprinkle a few beans on top.
Bakepedia Tips
- If the cake does crack, take the latter approach with the whipped cream topping. No one will know that there is crack under that lovely cloud of whipped cream.
Is there sour cream or whipping cream in the filling? In your instructions, it says “add the cream”, but there is no cream in the ingredient list for the filling!!!!
Thank you for pointing out the omission and we apologize for the timing. It has been edited.