Irish Cream Cake

While I enjoy making this Baileys Irish Cream Bundt cake for St. Patrick’s Day, it’s also a welcome dessert anytime of year. I like to think of this Bundt dessert as a well-deserved celebration cake for lots and lots of occasions.

I’ve made this Irish cream cake for birthdays, New Year’s Eve, weekend gatherings and so many other times just for fun.

One of my favorite things about this cake is not only how easy it is to make, but how flavorful it tastes. This dessert truly is the perfect ending to a savory meal.

Why I Love This Recipe

• Irish cream is made with a mixture of Irish whiskey and Irish dairy cream. I think it’s the addition of cocoa beans and vanilla that really gives the liqueur its rich flavor and why this cake is so yummy.
• I love making Bundt cakes because they come out looking beautiful.
• By adding Irish cream to the batter, as well as the glaze, I find that every slice is oozing with the gooey flavor everyone is expecting.

Reader SCdawg says …“This recipe is to die for!!! Made it in mini Bundt pans and used Irish whiskey instead of water. I only wish I’d found it sooner!!! I bake a lot…and send extras to my hubby’s coworkers. This was the first time he didn’t share with them LOL! SO good!!!”

I’ve always considered this Bailey’s Irish cream cake an example of a quintessential celebratory dessert. Similarly, my RumChata Bundt cake recipe and my Limoncello lemon syrup cake are also just as festive. Both cakes effortlessly also feel like a party is in the works.

Ingredients 

• Pecans: I prefer pecans for their crispy, buttery texture, making them perfect for this Baileys Irish cream cake.
• Boxed yellow cake mix: I like Duncan Hines, but feel free to use any brand. This cake tastes nothing like a boxed mix and the mix guarantees you cannot mess this cake up. This cake is so delicious no one would ever know it started with the base of a boxed mix.
• Instant vanilla pudding mix: I add this for moisture and it helps hold together the cake’s structure.
• Vegetable oil: Canola oil is fine too.
• Water: Straight from the tap or filtered water is fine.
• Baileys Irish Cream: Any Irish cream brand is fine. It’s going to go in the cake batter and the glaze. Remember that Irish cream is shelf stable, however, once opened it needs to be refrigerated.
• Eggs: – I always use large sized eggs for baking.
• Granulated Sugar: This is going to sweeten your Irish cream glaze.
• Butter: I always recommend using a European butter for the best flavor, especially in a glaze.

How to Make Baileys Irish Cream Cake

Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Making the Cake Batter

1. First, I preheat the oven and then I prepare a Bundt pan for the Baileys Irish Cream by greasing and flouring it.
2. Next, I add pecans to the bottom of the Bundt pan.
3. Then, using a mixer, I combine yellow cake mix, vanilla instant pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and Irish Cream liqueur.
4. Finally, I pour the batter over the nuts in the pan.

Baking the Cake

1. I bake the cake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. In my experience, it always takes the full sixty minutes, but everyone’s oven is different.
2. After a few minutes (at least ten), I will turn the cake out of the pan and cool it completely on a wire rack.

This cake always flips out of the pan so easily, especially if you’ve taken care to grease and flour your pan properly.

Preparing the Cake for Glaze

1. Using a toothpick or a wooden skewer, I will poke holes into the top of the completely cooled cake. This allows the glaze to find its way into the inside of the cake. Another reason why this Baileys cake is so delicious.

How To Make the Glaze

On the Stove

1. First, I combine the butter, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Next, I bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Then, I remove the saucepan from the heat and add the Irish Cream liqueur to the pan.
3. Prick top and sides of cooled cake with a skewer or toothpick.
4. Deliver the glaze to the cake by spooning glaze over top and brushing onto sides of cake.
5. Allow the cake to absorb the glaze and repeat until most of the glaze is used. Save some glaze to pour over sliced pieces.

Over the Cake

1. I deliver the glaze to the cake by spooning it over the top and brushing with a pastry brush onto the sides of the cake.
2. I allow the cake to absorb the glaze and repeat this process until most of the glaze is used. I will save some glaze to pour over sliced pieces.

Pro Tip

How Do I Know the Size of My Bundt Pan?

• I use a measuring cup to pour water into my Bundt cake pan until it is full.
• I keep track of how many cups of water I’ve poured into the pan. This will gives me the cup measurement of my pan.
• Bundt cake recipes are written specifically with cup measurements in mind. This Baileys Irish Cream Bundt cake should be made in a 10-15 cup Bundt pan.

Storage

• If I’m going to have this cake on the counter more than two days, then I will refrigerate it. Otherwise, it keeps well on the counter. It’s always eaten before the two days are up!
• In the refrigerator it will keep for 4-5 days.
• You can also freeze this cake for up to three months. Make sure to wrap it well and thaw in the refrigerator overnight when you’re ready to serve it again.

More St. Patrick’s Day Dessert Recipes

• Lucky Charms Ice Cream
• Chocolate Guinness Doughnuts
• Key Lime Cupcakes
• Potted Chocolate-Mint Puddings
• Guinness Sundae
• Guinness Chocolate Layer Cake

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Print

Baileys Irish Cream Cake

This easy to make Baileys Irish Cream Cake is tender and uniquely flavorful. The Irish cream liqueur in the batter and the glaze is a double whammy of deliciousness.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Irish

Keyword Bailey's Irish Cream Cake

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12 slices

Calories 513kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• measuring cups and spoons
• mixing bowls
• hand mixer
• Bundt cake pan
• Saucepan
• pastry brush

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 package boxed yellow cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Sprinkle pecans over the bottom.
  1 cup chopped pecans
• In a large bowl, with a mixer, combine yellow cake mix, vanilla instant pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and Irish Cream liqueur.
  1 package boxed yellow cake mix, 1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix, 4 large eggs, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 3/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur
• Pour the batter over nuts in pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Flip the cake out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
• While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. Combine butter, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add Irish Cream liqueur.
  1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur
• Prick top and sides of cooled cake with a skewer. Spoon glaze over top and brush onto sides of the cake. Allow the cake to absorb the glaze and repeat until most of the glaze is used. Save some glaze to pour over sliced pieces. (You'll be glad you did.)

Notes

For optimal outcomes when preparing this Baileys Irish cream cake, it's recommended to refer to the recipe details within the post. The recipe post commonly includes valuable notes, expert tips and frequently asked questions, that are not presented in the recipe card, often including how to make this recipe dairy-free, gluten free or vegan and ideas for healthy ingredient substitutions or variations

The provided nutrition information is merely an approximation, as variations can arise depending on the specific ingredients/brands you select.

Nutrition

Serving: 152g | Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 47.1g | Protein: 9.7g | Fat: 30.5g | Saturated Fat: 10.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.4g | Cholesterol: 237.9mg | Sodium: 400.6mg | Potassium: 17.8mg | Sugar: 34.8g | Vitamin A: 6.5IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 10.4mg

Recipe Credit: Recipe Girl with changes and adaptations.

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