This Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake is a rich and decadent dessert you will love! This incredibly moist and tender cake is infused with the delicious flavor of Baileys Irish Cream and topped with a creamy Baileys buttercream frosting. It makes the perfect St. Patrick's Day dessert!
This Baileys Chocolate Cake is a dreamy, creamy dessert that combines rich chocolate cake and buttercream frosting made from Baileys Irish Cream.
It’s an incredibly indulgent treat that’s surprisingly easy to make!
Everyone will be shocked that you made this from scratch and not from a boxed cake mix!
It's the perfect cake for any celebration or indulgent weekend treat. Whether celebrating a birthday or having friends over for a dinner party, this moist chocolate cake will be a crowd-pleaser.
Serve this cake for dessert on St. Patrick's Day after a delicious dinner of Traditional Irish Shepherd's Pie, Irish Stew, or Guinness Lamb Stew with Irish Soda Bread.
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💗 Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Rich chocolate flavor: This super moist cake is made with unsweetened cocoa powder and espresso powder, resulting in a rich chocolate flavor that's hard to beat.
- Infused with Baileys Irish Cream: Baileys Irish Cream adds a delicious, boozy flavor to the cake that makes it perfect for special occasions.
- Homemade cake: This cake is made entirely from scratch, without any boxed cake mix or pudding, giving you complete control over the ingredients.
- Stunning presentation: A layer of fluffy frosting is spread between two soft layers of moist chocolate cake before being topped off with more frosting.
- Easy to make: This foolproof recipe is surprisingly simple to make. Mix the wet ingredients, then the dry ingredients, combine, bake, and frost!
📋 Ingredients
Only simple ingredients are needed to make this easy recipe, and I bet you have everything in your kitchen already!
- Flour. I used all-purpose flour. I do not recommend using whole wheat flour; it will be too heavy and dense.
- Cocoa powder. You want to make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe.
- Baileys Irish Cream. This is needed to get that great Baileys flavor in the cake and the icing. You can even make homemade Baileys Irish Cream if you feel ambitious!
- Espresso powder. This is my secret ingredient when making a chocolate cake. It adds more depth of flavor, just like in my Coffee Mousse.
For Bailey's buttercream frosting:
- Butter. Use unsalted butter, and make sure it is at room temperature before using.
- Powdered sugar is used to get light and fluffy frosting.
- Baileys Irish Cream liqueur. This flavors the icing to complement the cake perfectly.
- Heavy whipping cream. You can also use half-and-half or regular milk.
See the printable recipe card for exact measurements and a complete list of ingredients.
🥣 How To Make Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter (or cooking spray), and dust liberally with flour. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, Baileys Irish Cream, and vanilla extract until combined.
Gradually add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined (do not overmix).
Next, add the boiling water and espresso powder and whisk until combined (the mixture will be very thin - don't worry, that's normal).
Divide cake batter evenly between prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Once the cakes are done, allow them to cool in pans for 30 minutes, then invert them onto a parchment paper-covered wire rack to cool completely.
When the cakes have cooled completely, prepare the buttercream frosting by creaming softened butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer for about 4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar, cocoa, and Baileys Irish Cream. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.
Add the heavy cream and mix until smooth and creamy.
Once the cakes are cool, place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread a layer of the frosting on top of the cake layer.
Add the second cake layer on top of the frosting and spread another layer of frosting on top of that layer. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake, if desired.
Top the cake with shaved chocolate or mini chocolate chips, if desired.
Tip: You can also use a piping bag and pipe the icing onto the cake as I did. It takes a little more effort, but it looks beautiful.
💭 Expert Tips
- Don't overmix the batter: Overmixing can cause the cake to become dense and tough. Mix the batter until just combined.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature.
- Use an electric mixer to make the frosting.
- Be sure to let the cakes cool completely before adding the frosting. If the cake is too warm, the frosting will melt and slide off.
- Use a piping bag and a star tip to pipe the icing onto the cake. It takes a little more effort, but it looks beautiful.
- If you want to ice the sides of the cake, apply a crumb coat first. A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting applied to the cake before the final layer. It helps to catch any loose crumbs and creates a smooth surface for the last layer. After applying the crumb coat, refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes, then add a thick layer of frosting on top of the crumb coat.
- The Baileys flavor is quite noticeable when you eat this cake fresh on the same day it was made, but the flavor diminishes quite a bit by the second day. If you don't like the taste of Baileys that much, you may consider making this cake the day before.
- To store leftovers, place any remaining cake in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
🧾 Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! While Baileys Irish Cream is the star of this recipe, you can substitute it with any Irish whiskey or even a different liqueur, like Kahlua or Amaretto. However, the Baileys Irish Cream adds a unique flavor to the cake that makes it special.
Yes! This cake can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Yes, you can freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Make sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container before freezing. When you're ready to eat the frozen cake, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
You can omit the Baileys Irish Cream and make a delicious chocolate cake without it. Simply replace it with an equal amount of milk, cream, sour cream, or yogurt.
Yes, you can make this cake in a 9 x 13-inch pan or a bundt pan. While the cooking time for the 9 x 13-inch pan is also 30 minutes, a bundt cake will need to cook for 35-40 minutes.
👩🏻🍳 More Easy Dessert Recipes
This Bailey's chocolate cake is the perfect dessert for any occasion, especially for St. Patrick's Day. With its rich chocolate flavor and creamy buttercream frosting, this cake is sure to be a hit with anyone who tries it.
If you like this post on this Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Cake recipe, please take a moment to rate the recipe 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and leave a comment below with your thoughts!
📋 Recipe
Easy Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 2 round 9-inch cake pans or a 9 x 13 pan or a 10-inch bundt cake pan
- Large mixing bowl
- hand mixer
- Whisk
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup Baileys Irish Cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
For Bailey's buttercream frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup Baileys Irish Cream
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter (or cooking spray), and dust liberally with flour. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, Baileys Irish Cream, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Add the boiling water and espresso powder and whisk until combined (the mixture will be very thin - don't worry, that's normal).
- Divide cake batter evenly between prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Once the cakes are done, allow them to cool in pans for 30 minutes, then invert them onto a parchment paper-covered wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the buttercream frosting by creaming softened butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa, and Baileys Irish Cream. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. Add the heavy cream and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Once the cakes are cool, place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread a layer of the frosting on top of the cake layer. Add the second cake layer on top of the frosting and spread another layer of frosting on top of that layer. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake, if desired.
- Top the cake with shaved chocolate or mini chocolate chips, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Don't overmix the batter: Overmixing can cause the cake to become dense and tough. Mix the batter until just combined.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature.
- Use an electric mixer to make the frosting.
- Be sure to let the cakes cool completely before adding the frosting. If the cake is too warm, the frosting will melt and slide off.
- Use a piping bag and a star tip to pipe the icing onto the cake. It takes a little more effort, but it looks beautiful.
- If you want to ice the sides of the cake, apply a crumb coat first. A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting applied to the cake before the final layer. It helps to catch any loose crumbs and creates a smooth surface for the last layer. After applying the crumb coat, refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes, then add a thick layer of frosting on top of the crumb coat.
- The Baileys flavor is quite noticeable when you eat this cake fresh on the same day it was made, but the flavor diminishes quite a bit by the second day. If you don't like the flavor of Baileys that much, you may consider making this cake the day before.
- To store leftovers, place any remaining cake in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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