Baileys Irish Cream Cupcakes are rich, moist chocolate cupcakes infused with smooth and creamy Baileys Irish Cream liqueur. The Baileys cupcakes are then topped with a velvety, sweet Baileys buttercream frosting and chocolate shavings. It all comes together to create a delicious boozy dessert that's perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any special occasion.
Boozy cupcakes are always fun especially when you can match them to a holiday. And these Baileys Cupcakes are fabulous for St. Patrick's Day. I'm part Irish, Irish Cream is Irish and so is St. Patrick's Day. And while St. Patrick's Day has been around a lot longer than Irish Cream, why not celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a little Irish Cream? It's super smooth and awesome for adding to desserts especially desserts with a little chocolate. Therefore, chocolate Baileys cupcakes are perfect for any St. Patrick's Day celebrations. See the logic there? Yes! But, these are so yummy that you'll want to make them during the rest of the year too.
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Ingredients for chocolate Baileys cupcakes
- Cake flour
- Cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- White sugar
- Salted butter
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Baileys Irish Cream
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredients for Baileys buttercream
- Salted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Baileys Irish Cream
- Heavy whipping cream (optional)
- Semi sweet chocolate bar for chocolate shavings (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for brushing Baileys on the cupcakes
Step 1: Pour 3 tablespoons of Baileys into a small bowl. While the cupcakes are still warm, use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the cupcakes with the Baileys. Let the Baileys soak in and repeat again for each cupcake.
Variations
- Baileys - try your favorite Baileys flavor. It doesn't have to be the regular Irish Cream flavor. You can use another brand of Irish Cream. Kavanagh brand is highly recommended too.
Storage
Store the cupcakes with Baileys in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Next Level Tips
- Use a high quality cocoa powder. Like I mentioned in my Chocolate Sweet Rolls recipe, my very favorite cocoa powder is the Valrhona brand which can be found on Amazon and at Whole Foods among other places. After Valrhona, I'd recommend Guittard or Ghirardelli brands which can be found in regular grocery stores.
- For buttercream frosting, my favorite piping tips for frosting are the Wilton 1A for a round tip and a Wilton (or Ateco) 1M for a star tip. If you only have two piping tips, these are the two to own!
- Instead of disposable piping bags, I recommend reusable piping bags. They're easy to wash, you won't unexpectedly run out and it's less waste going to the landfill.
- Don't limit yourself to making these Baileys cupcakes on St. Patrick's Day. They're great for any time of the year.
- We brush Baileys on to the warm, baked cupcakes as that retains more of the alcohol flavor than baking the Baileys inside the cupcakes. Alcohol can have a drying effect when baked inside of baked goods too.
FAQ
Yes. And if you are making a lot of cupcakes (many times I've made hundreds in a day), I highly recommend baking the base cupcakes the day before and then frosting the cupcakes the day you will be eating them.
Semi sweet chocolate in the 50-65 percent range works best for chocolate shavings. Milk chocolate is too soft and very dark chocolate is too hard and won't shave nicely. You may need to press hard with the peeler or chocolate shaver.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Baileys Irish Cream Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 Stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
Cupcake base
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- ½ cup cocoa flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups white sugar
- 10 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cup buttermilk room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream for cupcake tops
Frosting
- 8 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream optional
- 1 semi sweet chocolate bar for shaving optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two 12-cup or one 24-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.
Cupcake base
- Add the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt to a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to the mixing bowl. Mix on low until fully incorporated.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, to the mixing bowl. Mix on low until incorporated.
- Alternate adding half of the flour mix and half of the buttermilk. Mix on low until incorporated.
- Use a large 4 tablespoon cookie scoop to fill each muffin tin.
- Bake for 18-19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. [If you are using two 12 cup muffin pans on different oven racks, rotate pans halfway through.]
- Let the cupcakes cool for 5-10 minutes. Pour the Bailey's Irish Cream into a small bowl. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of each cupcake with the Baileys. Brush each cupcake twice. Move the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Frosting
- Add the room temperautre butter to a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar and three tablespoons of Baileys to the mixing bowl. Mix on medium high until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides several times, about 7-8 minutes. [Depending on the temperature of the butter and the humidity of the kitchen, you may need to add an additional tablespoon of Baileys or heavy cream if the frosting is too heavy/thick.]
- Add the frosting to the cupcakes by using an icing (offset) spatula, a regular knife or by piping it on.
- Optional: top with chocolate shavings. To make chocolate shavings, use a vegetable peeler or a chocolate shaver to peel small pieces off the side of a semi sweet chocolate bar. (Handle the shavings minimally and quickly to avoid melting.)
Notes
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