This Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake with Whipped Frosting is a surprisingly easy homemade cake that’s blissfully delicious. Here’s an Irish Cream Chocolate Cake that is wonderfully tender, moist, and ultra chocolatey.
I mentioned why I super-like March, right?
Despite Minnesota’s notorious “spring” consisting of an eclectic mixture of ice-snow-rain-mud (and more slushy mud)…March is a big birthday month for us. Tons of my family and friends celebrate their birthdays this month. I personally added another number to my own youthful years this week.
I loved getting all the birthday wishes, texts, cards, etc. The Littles were super cute and bought their mama enough dark chocolate, to [hopefully] last me til summer. I’ve absolutely been having a blast enjoying all my restaurant fan club freebies for coffee, ice cream, and slices of cake 😇
By the way, the concept of a birthday week is totally a thing. Around here, we celebrate in simple ways all week long. One single day is just not enough time to pay tribute to the awesome moment our favorite people entered the world, am I right?
All that’s to say… we’re temporarily indulging in chocolate cake all this week, and it’s fully legit. And if we’re going to indulge, let’s do it right. Every single luscious bite of this Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake is blissfully worthwhile…
All week, we’ve been tasting a variety of chocolate cake recipes from favorite restaurants because (a) birthday week and because (b) we normally don’t make room for dessert.
This Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake? It’s notably better than pretty much all the other chocolate cakes we’ve been tasting. There’s something quite magical and irresistible about this ultra tender, moist, chocolatey cake infused with Baileys Irish Cream. Frosted with Baileys whipped cream frosting.
We stabilize the whipped cream frosting so that you can frost the cake ahead of time and not worry about it becoming runny. Stabilized whipped cream is a cake’s best friend and we use it on every dessert possible.
The fluffy light whipped cream frosting is the perfect accompaniment to the decadent dark chocolate cake.
Some of us are very willing supporters of coffee, chocolate, and Irish Cream. If you’ve never tried that combo, it’s time. This trifecta is destined for victory.
Oh, and happy almost St. Patrick’s Day. ☘
There may be no green in this amazing Baileys cake, but there’s definitely plenty of Irish involved.
You may want this recipe, too:

Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake with Whipped Frosting
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: One 9" double layer cake 1x
- Category: dessert, cake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake with Whipped Frosting is a surprisingly easy homemade cake that’s blissfully delicious. Here’s an Irish Cream Chocolate Cake that is wonderfully tender, moist, and ultra chocolatey. You can make this cake completely the day before, cover, and chill until ready to serve.
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
- 1 cup very strong black coffee (decaf is fine)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup 100% unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 TB baking soda
- For the Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup Baileys Irish cream, very cold
- 2 tsp unflavored gelatin (Knox) dissolved in 2 TB water, in small glass bowl
- Optional Garnish: chocolate curls or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Generously grease and flour two 9″ nonstick cake pans along the bottom and sides. Gently tap off excess flour; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, buttermilk, Baileys, and coffee. Whisk until fully incorporated; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda until well combined. Add dry mixture to the bowl with wet ingredients. Use hand whisk to gently stir mixture until no streaks/lumps of dry flour remain (some tiny lumps are fine.) Batter will be runny.
- Divide batter evenly between greased/floured cake pans, ensuring that pans have even distribution of batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few tender crumbs attached. Let cool completely in pans.
- Meanwhile, make the Frosting: Place a metal mixing bowl and beaters into fridge/freezer to chill 5 minutes. Add cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and cold Baileys to the chilled bowl. Beat on medium-high until frosting holds together with stiff peaks. If dissolved gelatin is no longer liquid, microwave it for 5-10 seconds just until it becomes a lukewarm liquid (not hot.) Give the gelatin a stir and very gradually drizzle into the frosting bowl as you continue to beat on medium-high (try to drizzle gelatin into the beaters so it gets fully blended into the frosting. Cover and chill until ready to frost.
- Once cakes in pan have fully cooled, run a thin knife around the edges to loosen; carefully remove first cake from pan, and turn it onto serving plate. Frost with half of the frosting. Top with second round cake and remaining frosting on top. If desired, garnish with chocolate curls or chocolate chips. Cake keeps well covered in fridge.
Notes
* If needed, pound hard on back of inverted cake pan to release cakes once cooled.
* This cake’s texture and flavor become even better the next day, so if you want to make it completely the day before, including frosting/assembling, just cover airtight and chill finished caked until ready to serve.
Kitchen Stuff We Love:
Soul Food:
Chocolate and Chocolate:
Bakery Style Double Chocolate Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting
Chocolate Dump-it Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
This cake is everything I would want my birthday cake to be, chocolate, coffee, and moist (and the bailey’s, yum!). We don’t normally do desserts around here either, but when we do we go all out. Happy belated birthday, and enjoy the warmer temps 🙂 We enjoyed watching the melted snow running down the road and into the drain on our Minnesota walk earlier today.
We think alike 😉 When we DO desserts, it’s gotta be worth every bite! Yes, enjoying the gradually warming MN thaw 😉
I just saw this on IG and literally drool myself to dehydration! lol!
Awesome, GiGi! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Just bookmarked this link! Hubby’s birthday is coming up and he looooves chocolate. I think I’ll score some points with this one!
This looks absolutely divine! I am going to try to make it this weekend for a (me) treat for surviving this week!
This is my kind of chocolate cake! I am drooling just by looking at those lovely chocolate shavings. 😀
Oh my, this looks incredible. Definitely one for St Patrick’s Day that is coming up with the Irish cream! Yum yum.
This looks delicious! We have a party to go to tomorrow and I may just give this a try!
I had to pin this as well, it’s worth keeping!
The cake looks absolutely wonderful. I am loving the recipe and the pictures, perfect timing to try it on the weekend.
You had me at Baileys! I swear it makes everything better! I hope you have a great birthday month! I celebrate the entire month, not only a week haha
Omg, ok I’ve been missing out. I’m going with bday month now!!
This cake looks good! Love the layers!
Birthday weeks are totally legitimate!!! And OH MY WORD. This cake looks SO AMAZING and there is no way anything I make to satisfy my now raging sweet tooth will ever live up to this!! *drooools*
The cake looks super delicious! I’m saving the recipe and putting it into shortlist of cakes for bday!
Oh my so so yum! And your photos are beautiful, with it being St Patrick’s Day this would be perfect!
I can’t have Baileys but that doesn’t stop this cake from looking absolutely amazing! It looks like such a yummy and naughty treat!
This looks amazing. Perfect for st. Patricks day. I’m not a huge sweets eater but love those chocolate crinkles.
I wish I could celebrate my birthday a all week long ♀️
Let’s do that, Pauline! 🙂
This cake really looks incredible! I love sweets too so i will definitely be sharing this. Great job girl!
This cake is seriously close to perfection … Love your photography by the way!
I really love sweet a lot and this made me like saliva is almost drippin’. Anyway, I wish to learn how to bake before and would surely bake something like this. I envy you for owing a talent like this, will try in the future. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
So many great recipes here! I am absolutely saving this for my next girls night! We get together and trade recipes and they are all going to LOVE that Bailey Irish Cream Cake – even though it’ll be well after St. Patty’s Day! 🙂
Ha, LOL – Jen, this is one of those cakes where St. Pat’s is only an excuse to make it…. but honestly, this cake is so so good anytime all year ’round. Nobody will be mad at you for making it 🙂
Saving this link to make this later! It looks and sounds absolutely delicious and amazing!! I can’t wait to try it out!!
yum! I’ve been craving chocolate and this looks so delightful.
I love chocolate flavour and and want to say you thank you for sharing this . The yummy pics of this Cream chocolate cake is making me go crazy to have a bite of it.. SLURP!!!
I’m not sure if I can get Bailey’s Irish Cream here in Singapore, but it doesn’t really look that difficult to make. I think the coffee will be the thing that makes the cake taste yummy!
I made the Irish Cream Chocolate cake yesterday. The cake came out well, had a good texture, was moist and tasty. But the frosting was kind of curdled, but still tasted light and good. I followed the recipe as instructed, added gelatine to the cream when it formed stiff peaks. Could you advise what could be the problem please? I whipped the cream by hand using a whisk.
I am guessing you whipped the cream too long and it started to turn into butter.
Looks wonderful. Can this be made into cupcakes?
Absolutely! 🙂
Just made this! Half of a piece is currently sitting in front of me so I can stop and write this wonderful review! My husband says it’s the best cake I have ever made! Absolutely delicious!!!
Awww, Chelsea, that is amazing!! So happy to hear you guys liked the cake so much, thank you!
Nice recipe. What’s the use of gelatine?
Manju, the gelatin helps whipped frosting to stay stable so that it doesn’t melt or become watery with time. It’s the best trick ever 🙂
This is a REALLY moist & delicious cake. I went with the melted coconut oil when I made it, plus in between my cake layers I added some Raspberry pie filling, absolutely YUMMY! Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Aww, that makes my day, Cindy! I’m so so happy you guys loved this cake 🙂 🙂
Oh my gawd this looks so ridiculously good! I’m going to make it this weekend!!
It’s my birthday and I literally could not have found a more delicious recipe to try! Thank you so much! 🙂 x (p.s your photos are stunning!)
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Kylie! 🙂
I love Baileys! I bet this tastes heavenly!
This looks absolutely delicious!! I will totally be baking this. YUM!
Oh my, this looks super divine! I never had Baileys Irish Cream but it looks so good with the chocolate cake.
The cake looks so yummy and I love Billie. It’s like an icing on the cake. Thanks for this – would try it out
OMg that looks so good. Thank you for sharing.
Oh my God, it looks divine! It is like those they are selling in coffee shops! You nailed it!
★★★★★
Thank you!! 🙂
Your Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake recipe is so decadent! It would be a perfect addition to my Sunday brunch!
Wow Nice super tasty cake. I’ll surely bookmark this link.