Delicious Gluten Free Bailey’s Baked Cheesecake

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This gluten free Bailey’s Baked Cheesecake is an old recipe from 2017 that’s had a facelift, if only facelifts were that easy! I was never 100% happy with it because it didn’t taste enough of Bailey’s which is kind of the point of a Bailey’s Cheesecake.

I increased the alcohol content and ran into all sorts of problems when the alcohol argued with the eggs. Then the setting process was all wrong. Three attempts – THREE went into the bin while I tried and failed to get the ratios right AND keep that all important Bailey’s flavour.

Then, as usual with me, I had a eureka moment in the middle of the night. Did the Bailey’s have to go into the baked part of the cheesecake? After all, baking the liqueur would always remove a lot of the spirits va-va-voom so why not add it afterwards?

So that is exactly what I did. Now I can present you with the new and improved Baked Cheesecake with a hint of coffee, topped with a deliciously voluptuous whipped cream laced with luxurious Baileys. I should be narrating an M&S advert!

What’s the different between a baked and no bake cheesecake?

Well one’s baked, the other isn’t. On a serious note the main difference (apart from the obvious) is that baked cheesecakes have egg in them. This is why they need to be gently baked on a low heat to aid with the setting process. Really baked cheesecakes are rather like custard tarts, but with different flavours and added fat in the form of cream or cream cheeses.

A no-bake cheesecake rarely has egg in it (it has been known but not really an ideal option). Instead no bake cheesecakes rely on the fat content of the creams, butters and chocolate, if using it, to solidify during the chilling process to give the cheesecake its structure.

What cream cheese do you use in a baked cheesecake?

Ricotta – yes, this is an okay option for baked cheesecakes. With a low fat content (10%+/-) and relatively flavourless. It is the left over product when making cheese (whey). Generally inexpensive it costs £1.20-£1.50 on average.

Mascarpone – a preferred option for cheesecakes given its higher fat content (40%+/-) and creamy in flavour and texture, this is not a bi-product and is made with cream. Another cheaper option at around £1.20-£1.50 for a 250g tub.

Cream Cheese – examples of this are own brand spreadable cream cheeses or Philadelphia. With a middling fat content (20%+/-) and a slight cheesy twang in taste, this needs a good flavour to go alongside it to overpower the acidic cheese flavour. The more expensive labelled brands are £1.70-£2.00 for a small 200g tub.

So which one did I use? The answer is all of them. But I found the cream cheese to be the best for some reason. There is less risk of your baked cheesecake curdling. This is when the egg and fat content are imbalanced and the eggs scramble and the fat separates. If making a non baked cheesecake I’d be tempted to use the Mascarpone for the fact that it has the highest fat content making it the most likely to set well enough to slice beautifully.

Does the alcohol effect the baking process?

Yes, adding alcohol to a creamy dessert does make a difference. Have you ever added too much alcohol to a trifle and found the jelly refuses to set, or made a vodka jelly that’s remained liquid. The same magical science seems to apply in this case. What that science is I am not entirely sure, but as I mention in my intro, adding more Bailey’s to get that cream liqueur punch was a definite no-no. When you cook with alcohol the heat actually burns the alcohol content off (making it practically non-alcoholic). Maybe this burning off process plays havoc with the setting process?

Is Bailey’s gluten free?

I’m so glad you asked this. Lots of people get confused about spirits, especially malt whiskeys and believe them to be not safe for Coeliac diets. This is not the case at all. All spirits are gluten free and made so purely by accident in the distillation process – yay for happy accidents!

PLEASE NOTE: if you have an intolerance to BARLEY for example, then there is still barley present, it’s just the protein ‘GLUTEN‘ that’s been removed so if you still react you may find that this is an issue for you (not a Dr, get it checked professionally).

Can I make this Cheesecake dairy free?

Technically, you can make this dairy free, you could sub the cream cheese for dairy free cream cheese. I’d use a Sainsbury’s or Tesco own brand. You would also need to substitute the butter in the base to a dairy free butter.

The next bit gets complicated. You would need a dairy free Bailey’s Recipe. Incidentally I have just the thing here Homemade Delicious Dairy Free Baileys Liqueur Recipe. You would also need a dairy free whippable cream for the topping.

But wait, that’s not all. You would need to add a solid fat to the cream to ensure is solidifies so more dairy free butter or solid white fat such as TREX or shortening if in the USA.

Alternatively, you can wait for me to do all the hard work and come back to you with a recipe. Let me know in the comments if you’d like me to do that and make sure you’re signed up to my Newsletter to hear about it when I do!

Can I make this Cheesecake vegan?

Believe me, if I can make it dairy and egg free for you I will. Just give me a while to play with the ingredients. If not a baked vegan Bailey’s Cheesecake, I certainly have plans to make a no bake version that’s you and I friendly.

What biscuits should I use for a baked cheesecake base?

Because you are going to pre-bake your biscuit base, it’s better to keep things simple when it comes to choice of biscuits. Adding a cookie with chocolate chips will mean the chocolate will melt and possibly even burn. Blitzing a whole cookie that is sandwiched with cream, for example gluten free Oreo’s, would not be ideal either.

I keep things simple and use gluten free digestive biscuits or at a push gluten free shortbread. Ideally you don’t want the biscuit base to steal the show so keep the flavours to a minimal.

How do you prevent cracks in a baked cheesecake?

The key to a successful baked cheesecake it to cook it low and slow and then do the same with the cooling process. Baked cheesecakes freak out when introduced to extremes of temperature. Imagine dipping your toes into an iced bath and recoiling, well a baked cheesecake does the same.

The trick is to let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door ajar until it is body temperature and cool enough to touch the sides of the tin. This way, you will see minimal cracking (if any).

But even if you do get the odd teeny crack, this recipe saves the day because we add a Bailey’s topping to cover all manner of mini disasters so relax, I’ve got your back.

Where does baked cheesecake come from?

But wait Rebecca, where does the humble baked cheesecake originate?

Is what you’d be asking if you’ve been to my website before. To add some context, I love to research into the origins of recipes and have found some fascinating facts over the years.

In the case of the history of cheesecake I’ve answered this before in the recipe write up for my No Bake Vanilla Cheesecake made gluten free and dairy free. But I found this equally interesting explanation here;

Over 4,000 years ago in the fifth century BC, the ancient Greeks on the island of Samos created the earliest known cheesecake. This rudimentary cheesecake was made with patties of fresh cheese that were then pounded smooth with flour and honey. The creation was then baked on an earthenware griddle before being enjoyed by the masses.

Back then, cheesecake was considered a great source of energy and there is evidence showing it was served to athletes during the first Olympic Games in 776 BC. Cheesecake was also popular as a wedding dessert!

The history of cheesecake – Jonathan Lord Cheesecakes & desserts

How do I store my baked cheesecake?

How smelly is your fridge?

Too personal a question? Well your answer (no need to tell me in the comments) will depend on how you keep your cheesecake fresh. If your fridge is fragrance free then stand it on the serving plate and keep in the fridge until you plan to serve it.

If your fridge smells of smoked sausage and onions then I would strongly recommend you store the cheesecake in a large Tupperware container to keep said aroma’s from your beautiful cheesecake.

This cheesecake will keep for up to 5 days, if it is physically possible not to have eaten it all by then.

Other cheesecake recipes you will love

Gluten Free Bailey’s Baked Cheesecake Recipe

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