It will take you dozens of bites of Guinness Chocolate Cheesecake before you’re able to even think about putting your fork down. This recipe is a perfect pairing of creamy, rich chocolate and velvety, tangy stout.
This is the post where I only talk about THE FOOD because, COME ON, read that title. What else is there to say?
When a dessert is this awesome, it should not have to share it’s story with my stories.
And I don’t have any stories this particular day. Except maybe just a sentence to let you know that this was a high-anxiety dessert. (Although, don’t let that deter you! It really shouldn’t be…)
The batter was not quite the right consistency for cheesecake. And I always have trouble with my oven anyway and especially cheesecakes in general I feel like it’s hard to get them just perfect and not over-cooked or under-cooked. So about 10 minutes into my Oh-My-Gosh-This-Isn’t-Going-To-Turn-Out-Right-And-The-Ingredients-Are-So-Expensive freakout, I gathered myself and thought critically about my next step and decided to find out if other people had similar concerns when making this.
Answer: Yes, they did. I read the reviews on the original recipe.
My take-away: TRUST THE RECIPE. Don’t make changes. Just make it the way it says to make it and trust that it will turn out.
What did I do? I made changes. I ran out of graham cracker crumbs and had to add some steel-cut oats to make enough crust. I doubled the butter in the crust because I didn’t quite think it was sticky enough to set. I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese, despite my reservations about messing up the texture and flavor. And I did not cook it in a water bath.
Despite it’s consistency, you cook the cheesecake and you let it set and cool and chill and then you are finally ready to take the pictures. You set it up and the initial photos look pretty good, but you still haven’t sliced into it or tasted it and you’re worried that the middle isn’t even set, that maybe when you take your knife to it, it won’t even be a cheesecake any more, but will fall into a chocolate-cream cheese puddle, which duh – of course it will still taste good, but it will be un-picture worthy and thus un-blog worthy and an embarrassment to share with anyone and then – Gosh Darn, you’re going to have to eat this all by yourself!
Except, that wasn’t the case. As it turns out, the cheesecake held up perfectly when confronted with a knife. It did not hold up as well when confronted with my fork. I took one bite and then it took me several more (dozens more…?) to figure out the perfect Guinness Cheesecake to Bailey’s Whipped Cream ratio.
Don’t be shy, take a bite. It’s all creamy and rich chocolate until you’re hit with that velvety, slightly tangy stout. That Guinness makes it a man’s dessert.
So even if I couldn’t do it, definitely save a slice for your Valentine’s Day date. Any true man who is worth your heart on Valentine’s Day will love this boozy, chocolatey cheesecake.
Guinness Chocolate Cheesecake with Bailey's Whipped Cream
It will take you dozens of bites of Guinness Chocolate Cheesecake before you're able to even think about putting your fork down. This recipe is a perfect pairing of creamy, rich chocolate and velvety, tangy stout.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
For the cheesecake:
- 12 ounces dark chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3 packages cream cheese 8 ounce, I used Philadelphia 1/3 Less Fat
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup Guinness
For the whipped cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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For the crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder, sugar, and butter and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
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For the cheesecake: In a double boiler, melt the chocolate into the whipping cream. Meanwhile, in a KitchenAid mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until whipped and creamy. Add sugar, chocolate, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and Guinness and beat until creamy. Pour over the crust.
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Bake for 60 minutes. Then turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar for 60 minutes. Remove cheesecake from the oven and cool completely. Refrigerate overnight.
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For the whipped cream: Combine the cream and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Using a KitchenAid mixer or a hand mixer, whip the cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the Bailey's and mix on low just until combined.
