Make this Baileys Irish Cream Cake to celebrate the holidays or any occasion. A decadent chocolate layer cake with a sinfully delicious Baileys Irish Cream flavored buttercream frosting. This boozy cake is not only lovely to look at but tastes sinfully delicious.
Baileys Irish Cream Cake is the perfect dessert to make when you want something sweet and delicious. It’s made with rich chocolate, creamy Baileys Irish Cream liqueur, and topped with homemade Baileys Buttercream frosting! This decadent treat will have your friends begging for more.
You can serve this cake at any time of year but it’s especially great during the Christmas holidays, St Patrick’s Day celebrations, and other festive occasions. The best part about this recipe is that it doesn’t require any special equipment, so anyone can make it in their own kitchen! Whether you’re an experienced baker or just getting started in the kitchen, this easy-to-follow recipe makes baking fun. Plus, who doesn’t love eating a slice of chocolatey goodness after dinner?
This is easily one of my favorite chocolate cakes. Right up there with this copycat Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake and Cherry Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting.
What Is Baileys Irish Cream?
Baileys Irish Cream is a cream liqueur made with Irish whiskey, cream, and chocolate. It has a sweet and creamy flavor that makes it the perfect addition to desserts like Baileys Irish Cream Cake. You can find Baileys at most liquor stores so it’s easy to get your hands on.
Is There Alcohol In Baileys Cake?
There is alcohol in Baileys Irish Cream. However, it is a small amount of alcohol, per volume at only 17%. There is only 3 tablespoons of Baileys in the frosting, less than a shot’s worth, that is separated between at least 8 slices of cake. This comes out to very little alcohol per slice.
Cook Time: 36 minutes
Serves: 14
Equipment
- 2″-6″ cake pans
- Cake circle/cake board
- Piping bags (1M tip)
- Offset spatula
- Hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 15 oz box chocolate cake mix
- 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp butter flavoring
- 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
Baileys Buttercream
- 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening crisco sticks
- 1 lb powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp – 1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- Spray two 6″ rounds with non stick spray or use cake release
- Add cake mix, water, oil, both flavorings, and eggs to bowl of mixer . Mix until incorporated.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Evenly distribute between the two cake pans
- Bake for 35-40 mins until a toothpick, skewer or knife comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 4-6 hours, preferably overnight
Assemble the Cake
The next day, make the frosting.
- Cream butter and shortening until smooth.
- Add a cup of powdered sugar at a time, alternating adding a tablespoon of Baileys to each cup of powdered sugar.
- Mix together after each addition.
- After adding the sugar, slowly add one tablespoon of Baileys at a time. You want to smooth the frosting but not make it runny.
- Retrieve cake layers from freezer. Place cake Board on turntable.
- Add a small amount of icing to the cake board and set the first wrapped, frozen layer onto the cake board.
- Add a heaping amount of buttercream to the center and smooth it out.
- Unwrap the second layer and place on top.
- When decorating a cake, especially one with cocoa powder always ice the icing not the cake! The first glob of icing will be the only one that actually touches the cake. As you spin the cake on the turntable ice the cake all the way around. It does not need to be smooth nor perfect.
- Run the cake comb through the frosting to create a spiral pattern.
- Place extra frosting back into the bowl, there should be no crumbs in the icing.
- Fit a piping bag with a tip 1M and add the leftover icing to the piping bag and set to the site.
- Using the Baileys chocolate ganache, add it to a piping bag in a pourable consistency. Cut a small hole at the tip of the bag and pipe a series of drips around the cake.
- Let set for 3-4 mins.
- Pipe 4 rosettes at the 12, 3, 6 & 9 o’clock points on the top of the cake. Add a rosette in between those.
- Allow cake to come to room temperature (2-3 hours) before serving.
FAQs
Sure. If you, for some reason, don’t like Baileys, feel free to use another Irish cream. They all have about the same percentage of alcohol. There are subtleties to their taste but I presume the reason you want to switch up is because you prefer that other taste.
Freezing the cake eliminates crumbs falling off the cake while decorating and getting into the icing. Do not try and decorate this cake at room temperature.
If you don’t want the icing too spiked used 3 tbsp baileys and then add heavy cream to get it to the right consistency.
How Should This Cake Be Stored?
This cake should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay fresh for 3-4 days. You can also freeze this cake for up to 2 months.
I like to slice the cake into individual serving sizes in order to freeze it. Freeze each slice first on a plate so that the frosting will not stick to the plastic wrap. Once the frosting is frozen, you can wrap the pieces well and place them in an airtight container of freezer bag.
When ready to eat, remove the slices of cake from the freezer, unwrap and thaw in the refrigerator.
Baileys Irish Cream Cake
Equipment
- 2-6 inch cake pans
- Cake circle/cake board
- Piping bags
- Tip 1M
- Offset spatula
- Hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 15 oz box chocolate cake mix
- 1/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp butter flavoring
- 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
Baileys Buttercream
- 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening crisco sticks
- 1 pound of powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp – 1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream *see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Spray two 6 inch rounds with non stick spray or use cake release
- Add cake mix, water, oil, both flavorings, and eggs to bowl of mixer
- Mix until incorporated.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Evenly distribute between the two cake pans
- Bake for 35-40 mins until a tooth pick, skewer or knife comes out clean
- Allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 4-6 hours,
- preferably over night *see notes
Assembly:
- After cake is full frozen prepare the buttercream.
- Cream butter and shortening until smooth.
- Add a cup of powdered sugar at a time alternating adding a tablespoon of baileys to each cup of powdered sugar.
- Mix together after each addition.
- After all sugar is added add Baileys by the tablespoon to make it smooth and easy to spread on a cake. It should not be runny.
- Retrieve cake layers from freezer.
- Place cake Board on turntable.
- Add a small amount of icing to the cake board and set the first wrapped, frozen layer onto the cake board.
- Add a heaping amount of buttercream to the center and smooth it out.
- Unwrap the second layer and place on top.
- When decorating a cake, especially one with cocoa powder always ice the icing not the cake!
- The first glob of icing will be the only one that actually touches the cake.
- As you spin the cake on the turntable ice the cake all the way around. It does not need to be smooth nor perfect.
- Use the cake comb after the cake is iced to create the spiral pattern on the cake and to remove excess frosting
- Place extra frosting back into the bowl, there should be no crumbs in the icing.
- Fit a piping bag with a tip 1M and add the left over icing to the piping bag and set to the site.
- Using the baileys chocolate ganache add it to a piping bag in a pourable consistency. Cut a small hole at the tip of the bag and pipe a series of drips around the cake.
- Let set for 3-4 mins.
- Pipe 4 rosettes at the 12, 3, 6 & 9 o’clock points on the top of the cake.
- Add a rosette in between those.
- Allow cake to come to room temperature (2-3 hours) before serving.
Notes
icing.
Do not try and decorate this cake at room temperature.
If you don’t want the icing too spiked used 3 tbsp baileys and then add heavy cream to get it to
the right consistency.