Irish Cream Cheese Cake

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Back in the day, some friends and I would always get together on St. Patrick's Day and have a pot luck. One year I was designated to bring desert. I was on a cheese cake kick and descided to make an Irish Cream Cheese cake. I searched all over (this is looooong before there were food blogs, and on-line recipe finders) and could not for the life of me find a recipe, so made up my own.

Ingredients

9" spring form cake pan

Filling

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Crust

8 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a food processor, combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, whipping cream, vanilla and liquer. Pulse until thoroughly mixed. Next combine butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl, mix together using a fork. Once the butter, sugar and crumbs are thoroughly mixed, press them into the bottom of your cake pan. Bake crust for 10minutes to make firm. Once your crust is done baking allow to cool for a few minutes. Add filling to your cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 and a quarter hour, or until center is firm.

If you want to decorate your cheese cake mix some powdered sugar with green food coloring. It's easiest to mix with a fork. Be careful not to add too much food coloring or your sugar will get soggy. Then sprinkle over your cheese cake using a small strainer. To do this place your green sugar in the strainer then tap it with a fork or knife as you sprinkle it over your cake.

Serve with a cold pint of Guinness, and enjoy!