Bailey's Irish Cream Cheese Trifle

With St. Patrick's Day a week away, a group of my fellow food bloggers and I are taking this opportunity to share some Irish inspired recipes.  Now, technically I'm not Irish in the technical sense, if you're going to be all technical about it.  But I do live in New York, a giant melting pot of nationalities, religions and cultures.  Every year we have a huge St. Patrick's Day parade and our Jewish mayor and Italian governor proudly march.  Besides, how technically Irish do you need to be to appreciate delicious food?

When I started thinking about Irish flavors, my mind immediately went to Bailey's Irish Cream.  I've loved it forever but have never tried incorporating it into a dessert.  Why, I'll never know because it's fantastic.  I knew I didn't want to cook it and risk losing the flavor so I paired it with a no-bake cheesecake filling and threw in some chocolate brownies for good measure.  I managed to get the dessert layered in the glasses but it took a strong willpower effort not to just eat the filling with a spoon.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 Pan of your favorite brownies (see below for my recipe)
16 oz. Cream cheese
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur
1/4 Cup milk

Brownie Recipe:
4 oz. Semisweet chocolate
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Stick unsalted butter
2 Eggs
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon salt

To make the brownies, melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler or microwave oven and allow to cool.  Beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth, add in the cooled chocolate / butter mixture and continue to beat until fully incorporated.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and blend until all the flour is incorporated.  Line a baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil and pour in the batter.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

To make the Bailey's cream, combine the cream cheese, sugar, milk and Irish Cream in a bowl and stir until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Assemble each mini trifle by cutting rounds out of the brownies.  I used the rim of the trifle glass I was planning to use so that they would fit.  Place a layer of brownie at the bottom of your dish, layer on a large spoonful of the cream cheese mixture and repeat for as many layers as you like.  Dust the top with a little cocoa powder, if desired.  Makes approximately 8 servings.

This recipe is being shared at The Weekend Potluck , Walking on Sunshine, FoodieFriendsFriday, Thursday's Treasures

Check out some of the other Irish inspired recipes from our group:
1. Key Lime Pound Cake by Joan at Chocolate Chocolate & More
2. Mini Banoffee Pie Tarts by Kelly at Kelly Bakes
3. Chocolate Bailey’s Mousse Tart from Nancy at Gotta Get Baked
4. Irish Carbomb Cupcakes from Susan at Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
5. Pistachio Caramel Cookies from Jen at Jen’s Favorite Cookies
6. Guinness Stout Mini Bundt Cake from Shanna at Pineapple and Coconut
7. Irish Cheese and Bacon Cheesecake with Walnut Crust by Carla at Chocolate Moosey
8. Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheese Trifle from Anita at Hungry Couple NYC
9. Key Lime Pie Ice Cream from Renee at Magnolia Days
10. Pistachio Mousse Cups from Kim at Cravings of a Lunatic
11. Irish Eggs Benedict from Isabelle Crumb Blog
12. St. Patrick’s Day Cookie Stack from Angie at Big Bears Wife
13. Guinness Chocolate Cake from Jen at Juanita’s Cocina
14. Irish Potato Oatmeal Bread from Sarah at What Smells So Good