Desserts Part III
Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

This is a favorite cheese cake.  It is elegant and rich - you will enjoy it a lot.  It is not original with us, credit goes to Chef Dean Fearing.  We adapted it from a recipe that appeared in Bon Appetite in the 1980's.

Ingredients for Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Ingredients for Filling
2-1/4 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1-2/3 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 cup Irish Cream Liqueur - Baileys or Devonshire
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Ingredients for Coffee Cream
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

Ingredients for decoration
Shavings from a semisweet chocolate bar

Heat oven to 325ºF.

Crust:  Lightly grease a 10" spring form pan with butter.  Combine crumbs and melted butter in a bowl, then press into bottom and 1" up the sides of pan.  Bake until light brown, about 7 minutes.

Filling:  Using an electric mixer or food processor fitted with a metal blade, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually incorporate sugar.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time.  Blend in Irish Cream Liqueur and vanilla.

Sprinkle half chocolate chips over bottom crust.  Spoon in filling.  Sprinkle on remaining chocolate chips.  Put cake in oven and bake until puffed, center springs back, and golden brown, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Cool cake completely.

Cream:  When cake is completely cool, beat whipping cream, sugar, and coffee powder until peaks form.  Spread mixture over cake.

Garnish:  Decorate top with chocolate shavings.