The only thing I can think of to make a chocolate cheesecake better is a little bit of booze, and the only thing that can top that is to make it no-bake. Done and done. This easy, no-fuss dessert comes together quickly, and it doesn’t require gelatin or any special measures to set up firmly. Chocolate-flavored graham crackers provide a dark, flavorful base for this cheesecake, and the filling is sweetened cream cheese accented with a ton of chocolate and a wee bit of Irish cream liqueur. I’ve used My Dad’s Homemade Irish Creme, the same as we made at Christmastime, but if you want to make it super easy, make a quick run to the liquor store for a small bottle of Bailey’s.
I used a springform pan for this dessert, but I’ll bet you could also make it in a pie plate with sloped sides for easy serving. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and fresh berries or a little bit of Jameson-spiked whipped cream. Or, do what we did and just dig in.
This is a wonderful, sweet finish to our St. Patrick’s Day celebration!
Ingredients
1 sleeve + 3 chocolate graham crackers
4 Tbsp. salted butter, melted
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (plus a bit extra to grease the pan)
Line the bottom of an 8” springform pan with parchment paper, cut to size. Rub unsalted butter on the parchment and sides of the pan. Break up the graham crackers into a food processor and pulse into rough crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse a few times to combine. The mixture should look like wet sand. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and up the sides about an inch. Refrigerate the pan for at least an hour to firm up the buttered crumbs.
Cheesecake filling:
10 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
6 oz. milk chocolate chips* (see notes)
8 oz. pkg. plus 1/2 of second pkg. full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (superfine) caster sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, room temperature
1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur*
*Notes
At our house, we really love the flavors of darker chocolate, but blending with milk chocolate is important for texture. Darker chocolate has lesser amounts of cocoa butter, and it can become gritty in recipes. To ensure the creamy, smooth texture that is a signature of cheesecake, it’s best to include some portion of milk chocolate.
Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur is the simplest thing to use in this recipe, but if you have time to make your own (using My Dad’s Homemade Irish Creme recipe), there’s an advantage to doing so. The homemade Irish creme is twice as thick (less watery), so I was able to incorporate two additional tablespoons of that crazy good flavor.
Instructions
Here we go with a visual walk-through, and full written instructions are included at the bottom.
Note that this recipe is for an 8-inch springform pan. Mine is a bit smaller, so I expect I may have some extra crumbs and filling. 
For my crust, I had planned to add cocoa powder to regular grahams, but I found these heavenly chocolate grahams! You can count on me to use these for homemade ice cream sandwiches this summer! 
The melted butter will help bind the graham cracker crumbs for my cheesecake crust. 
The buttered crumbs should feel kind of like wet sand. Press them firmly into the prepared pan, then chill for at least an hour before filling. 
The superfine sugar blends easily with cream cheese, but it is still best to add the sugar gradually. Stop to scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. 
The chocolate chips hold their shape surprisingly well, but they are already at the melting stage here. Begin stirring them to even out the silky texture. 
This picture was taken exactly one minute later! 
I transferred the melted chocolate to another bowl to cool it down before adding to the sweetened cream cheese mixture. Ideally, you want the ingredients to be about the same temperature when you combine them. 
Blending the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture was a very messy step! Next time, I’ll skip the mixer and use my spatula to fold them together. 
Use a whisk or electric mixer to lightly whip the heavy cream. It does not need to be whipped to the stage of peaks. 
Folding in the whipped cream had its own challenges, and it is “strike two” for the stand mixer. 
My expensive “Artisan” KitchenAid mixer is a disappointment at times. The beater did not reach the bottom of the bowl again (even though I have calibrated it). Time to call in a trusty reinforcement tool… 
Thank you, beloved whisk. I can always count on you to get the job done. (Besides, now I can do another taste test.) 😉 
Pour the silky chocolate filling into the chilled crust, and go slowly enough that you do not disturb the crumbs. 
Smooth the top of the filling mixture, then cover and refrigerate until firm, several hours to overnight. 
The springform ring releases easily, thanks to the butter I applied before pressing in the crust. 
Even a slender slice of this rich no-bake cheesecake is enough to satisfy your post-dinner sweet tooth.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl over the pan and add the semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. I used a steamer insert in between, as an extra measure to keep the heating gentle. Do not let water or condensation into the bowl with the chocolate. Heat until chocolate melts, stir it smooth, then let cool slightly. I transferred the melted chocolate to a second bowl to cool it more quickly.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add caster sugar to the cream cheese, scraping down the sides as needed so that sugar is fully blended. The superfine sugar will dissolve pretty quickly.
- Lightly whip heavy cream in another bowl until thickened, but not peaked. Stir in Irish cream.
- Fold cooled chocolate into cream cheese mixture, then stir in the spiked whipped cream mixture.
- Spoon or carefully pour the filling mixture into the springform pan over the chilled chocolate crust. Smooth the top, cover and chill at least two hours, preferably overnight.
- To serve, run a hot knife around the edge of the cheesecake filling to separate it from the sides of the pan. Carefully release springform ring and transfer cheesecake to a serving plate. Cut into slices as garnish as desired.
Comfort du Jour 
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