Bailey’s Irish Cream Layer Cake

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Bailey Irish Cream Layer Cake has such an amazing flavor. With a rich chocolate cake as the base, topped with a delicious Bailey’s buttercream frosting, this 3 layer cake is a truly special cake that is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

Love the flavor of Bailey’s Irish Cream Desserts? Baileys Pound Cake RecipeBaileys Irish Cream Cake and Baileys Cheesecake are just a few of my favorites.

Bailey's Irish Cream Layer Cake

Bailey’s Irish Cream Layer Cake

This fabulous chocolate cake will look amazing when you cut it into slices for your St. Patrick’s Day party. Add a few gold or green sprinkles if you want to add a touch more St. Patrick’s Day flare to this cake. Don’t be pressured into only eating this scrumptious cake at St. Patrick’s Day. It is a great dessert any time of year.

Ingredients

  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Special dark chocolate cocoa powder
  • Baking soda
  • Kosher salt
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Canola oil
  • Water
  • Espresso powder
  • Vanilla extract
  • Unsalted sweet cream butter
  • Powdered sugar
  • Bailey’s Irish Creme
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Mini chocolate chips
  • Semi sweet chocolate chips

How to make an Irish Cream Layer Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare 3 9 inch cake pans with baking spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the espresso powder and water until it is combined.

Using a mixer, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together until it is well combined.

Slowly add in the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, espresso mixture, oil, and vanilla until it is mixed together.

Divide the batter between 3 pans and bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool for 20 minutes.

After the cakes have cooled, using a mixer, cream the butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, Bailey’s and heavy whipping cream until it is combined and forming stiff peaks.

Scoop 1 cup of the frosting into the piping bag and get ready to build the cakes.

chocolate layer cake

Place the first layer of cake on the cake board.

Use an ice cream scoop and place 4-6 scoops of frosting on the cake and spread it smooth it over the cake.

chocolate layer cake

Place the next layer of cake on top and repeat with more frosting.

Add the 3rd layer of cake and frost the rest of the cake.

chocolate cake layers

Coat the bottom sides of the cake in the mini chocolate chips and then make the chocolate ganache.

chocolate ganache over a cake

Use a small pan and heat the heavy whipping cream until it starts to steam. Meanwhile, pour the chocolate chips into a heat safe bowl. Once the cream is steaming, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Then whisk it together until it is smooth.

Bailey's Irish Cream Layer Cake

Pour the ganache into the squeeze bottle and then pipe dollops of the ganache around the edge of the cake.

Sprinkle some of the mini chocolate chips all over the top of the cake and then cut and serve.

Bailey's Irish Cream Layer Cake

 

Can I Use Ready-Made Frosting For This Cake?

The difference between this frosting recipe and a store bought frosting is that there is no Bailey’s in the store bought version. You can add some of the Bailey’s Irish Creme to the frosting but you might need more powdered sugar to keep the frosting from being to thin.

Tips for Icing a Layered Cake

When you are ready to frost the layered cake, you want to chill the cake. This makes it easier to add the frosting. Be sure to cut off the domes so that the cake layer lays flat against the other layers. Then, using an angled spatula, spread the frosting over the cake evenly. Then use the excess frosting to create a crumb coat on the sides of the cake.

Bailey's Irish Cream Layer Cake

Bailey's Irish Cream Layer Cake
5 from 2 votes

Bailey's Irish Cream Layer Cake

Bailey Irish Cream layer Cake has such an amazing flavor. With a rich chocolate cake as the base, topped with a delicious Bailey's buttercream frosting, this 3 layer cake is a truly special cake that is perfect for St. Patrick's Day.
Servings: 8
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Decorating time: 30 mins
Total: 1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients
  

Bailey's Cake Ingredients

  • 2 C flour
  • 2 C sugar
  • 3/4 C special dark chocolate cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ C milk
  • 1 C canola oil
  • ¾ C warm water
  • 1/2 tsp espresso powder
  • 1/2 C canola oil
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Baileys Frosting ingredients

  • 2 C unsalted butter softened
  • 6 C powdered sugar
  • ¼ C Bailey’s Irish Creme
  • 4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5-7 TBSP heavy whipping cream
  • 1 ½ C mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:

  • 1 C semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 C heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Cake Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray three 9 in cake pans with pam baking spray
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the espresso and the warm water until combined
  • Using your standing mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt until combined
  • Gradually add in the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, espresso, oil and vanilla extract until combined
  • Divide the batter between the 3 pans
  • Place in the oven to bake for 25-35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean
  • Allow cakes to cool for 20 minutes

Bailey's Frosting Directions:

  • Using a standing mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, Bailey’s and heavy whipping cream until combined and creamy and stiff with peaks
  • Scoop 1 C of frosting into the piping bag

Directions to build the cake

  • Place 1 layer of cake onto the cake board
  • Using the ice cream scooper, scoop out 4-6 scoops of frosting and smooth evenly on one layer of cake
  • Place another layer of cake on top and spread more frosting
  • Place the last layer on top and frost the remaining cake with remaining frosting
  • Coat the bottom sides of the cake in the mini chocolate chips

Chocolate ganache directions

  • Using a small pot, heat up the heavy whipping cream until steaming
  • While heavy whipping cream is heating up, place chocolate chips into a heat-proof bowl
  • Once the heavy whipping cream is heated, pour over the chocolate chips
  • Allow to sit for 1 minute before whisking until smooth
  • Pour ganache into the squeeze bottle
  • Pipe dollops of ganache over the edge of the cake
  • Pipe dollops of frosting onto the top of the cake
  • Sprinkle some mini chocolate chips all over the top of the cake
  • Cut and serve and enjoy

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Baileys Irish Cream Layer Cake

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2 comments on “Bailey’s Irish Cream Layer Cake”

  1. 5 stars
    The recipe looks delicious and I want to surprise my husband with it, but I have a couple of questions. Is the total canola oil 1 1/2 cups? You have it listed as 1 C in one spot and 1/2 C in another. So there is no Baileys in the actual cake, just the frosting?

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