The first thing you do is at least 20 minutes before you start, take out your cream cheese, butter and eggs out of the refrigerator so they will be at room temperature for this recipe.

Ingredients for your Irish Cream Cheesecake:

Crust:

• 1 cup cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tsps. white sugar
• 3 tbsps melted butter

First Layer:

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur
• 4 eggs

Second Layer:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar

(NOTE: When I make this again, I will not put on this second layer. I will just put on the topping below.)

Topping:

• 1 cup sugar
• water
• 1/2 Irish cream liqueur

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Take cinnamon graham crackers and use your food processor to make into crumbs. Mix the graham cracker crumbs together with 3 tsps. sugar.

Melt the butter in the microwave and then pour it into the graham cracker crumbs and sugar and thoroughly blend together. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Bake until the crust is brown. This will take approximately 8 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and put on a rack to cool while you prepare the filling.

Do not turn off the oven.

Beat together the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla in large bowl using an electric mixer until blended. Add in 1 cup sour cream and the irish cream liqueur.

Add your eggs one at a time. Also, whisk each egg before you add it to the mixture and beat it into the mixture just until combined.

Pour your irish cream cheesecake filling over the crust in the pan and put into the oven. You want to bake it for 70 to 80 minutes depending upon your oven. I would check it at 70 minutes for doneness.

You want to bake it until the edges are puffed and the center no longer moves when the pan is shaken.

NOTE: What is interesting about this irish cream cheesecake is when it comes out of the oven, it is higher than the sides of the pan. As it cools, it shrinks back down into the pan.

When you take your cheesecake out of the oven, put it on a rack and cool for 10 minutes.

Do not turn off the oven. The cheesecake will be returning.

While your irish cream cheesecake is cooling, mix together 1 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl until completely smooth. Press down the edges of the cheesecake if it has not shrink down by itself. Spread the sour cream mixture on top of the cheesecake and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes, take the cheesecake out of the oven and transfer back to the cooling rack. Immediately take a knife all around the edge of the cheesecake to release it from the pan. This will keep it from cracking. Let cool. Then, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The following is optional and it takes a little time, but my family really thinks it makes the cake:

Irish Cream Carmel Topping:

Put 1 cup sugar in a fairly large saucepan and just cover the sugar with water. We are using a large pan because when the irish cream is added, the carmel will expand and you will need the extra room.

You will be cooking this on medium heat. Do not stir during this step. You want the carmel to reach soft ball stage or approximately 234 - 240 degrees F. Use a candy thermometer for this.

Next, take the carmel off the stove and add 1/2 cup of irish cream. Stir until completely incorporated. Return to the heat once again and stir while it is cooking this time. You do not have to stir constantly. You need to keep a close eye on it.

The candy thermometer should again be in the pan and the temperature should reach 234 - 240 degrees F. Keep stirring occasionally. Before removing from the pan, drop a little bit of the carmel in a cup or bowl of cold water to see if it starts to form a ball.

After you remove the carmel from the stove, put some ice in a bowl and put the pan on top of that while you stir. Now you are stirring the mixture constantly.

As soon as the carmel gets to the consistency of a glaze, it is ready to put on your cheesecake. It will be gooey. Your cheesecake is ready to eat.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, but my husband and son said it made the cake. You do not taste much of the irish cream in the cheesecake itself. You do in the topping. So if you want more of the taste of the liqueur, you will want to add the carmel topping.

My husband gave this irish cream cheesecake 5 stars and our son, James, gave it 4 stars. James said the only reason he gave it 4 instead of 5 is that he likes a more denser cheesecake.