Rich chocolate cupcakes infused with Baileys Irish Cream Liquor and topped with a Baileys buttercream frosting. These Baileys cupcakes are a perfect St. Patrick’s Day or Christmas treat.
If you aren’t a fan of Baileys, this may not be your jam. BUT if you are a fan of Baileys Irish Cream, you are going to LOVE these cupcakes. There’s a hint of Baileys in the cupcake itself and the buttercream frosting is bursting with that Irish cream flavor.
Looking for more creative ways to use up your adult beverages? Check out these Red Wine Brownies, RumChata cookies, or Amaretto Cupcakes.
Jump to RecipeIngredients
All measurements are listed in the recipe card below, but here’s a list of things to grab from your pantry.
Dry Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Granulated sugar
- Baking Soda
- Salt
Wet Ingredients:
- Vegetable Oil
- Buttermilk* (See note below if you don’t have any)
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Baileys Irish Cream Liquor* (see note below for substitutions)
- Hot Water
Variations & Substitutions
This chocolate cupcake recipe is adapted from my Best Chocolate Cupcakes recipe only this version has a little less cocoa powder and a little more alcohol. 😉
Buttermilk: Don’t have buttermilk? No problem. I rarely do. Instead I use whatever milk I have (I usually have almond milk or oat milk) and add a splash (or a Tbsp) of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then use it like normal buttermilk!
Baileys Irish Cream Liquor: Want an alcohol-free version? You’re in luck. Baileys makes all of their liquor flavors in a coffee creamer. So you can get all the flavors of Irish cream without the booze. I guess that means you can eat these cupcakes for breakfast. 😉
How to Make Baileys Cupcakes
Step 1a: If you are making a homemade version of buttermilk, combine the milk and vinegar/lemon juice first and set aside.
Step 1b: Preheat the oven to 300F and line a cupcake pan with liners.
Step 2: Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: all purpose flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: In a separate, medium-sized bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla.
Step 4: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined (about 1-2 minutes).
Step 5: Add the hot water. The batter will be very thin after adding the water. The hot water allows the cocoa powder to “bloom” and produces a rich, chocolatey flavor. Once you add the water, your batter will smell delicious!
Step 6: Add in the Baileys Irish Cream. I used 3 Tbsps which allowed a hint of Irish cream to come through in the cake itself. But don’t worry, once you add the frosting, you will definitely taste the Baileys.
Step 7: Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Or the cupcakes are only slightly noisy when you listen to them.)
Jump to Recipe
How to Make Baileys Buttercream Frosting
While I LOVE this chocolate cupcake recipe, honestly this frosting is the star of the show. Baileys is so flavorful and creamy and plays super nicely with the texture of buttercream.
The trick to getting creamy buttercream every time is to mix it longer than you expect. While after 2-3 minutes it will look like frosting, if you let that mixer run for another 5 minutes, you will get fluffy buttercream heaven.
Step 1: Take your room temperature butter and beat it until it is light and fluffy. 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: Add in all that powdered sugar. Mix for another 2-3 minutes until it light and fluffy.
Step 3: The fun part. Add in that Baileys goodness. I used 2 Tbsps and it was PLENTY but if you are a Baileys lover, by all means, you do you and add as much as you like. If you’re a casual fan, 2 Tbsps is more than enough. Mix that bad boy up for another 3 minutes until it is cloud-like. It should increase in volume about 50% or so due to all the air you’re adding to it.
Step 4: Frost the cupcakes. If you want to splurge, you can fill the cupcakes with the buttercream as well or you can just pile it on high. When I made these, I did half and half and either way was delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s go to the source. Baileys describes their liquor as: Original Irish Cream blends Irish whiskey and spirits with Irish dairy cream and a touch of rich chocolate and vanilla flavors. So basically, delicious.
Keep these in an air tight container for no more than 5 days. They can stay on the counter or be kept in the fridge. Have more questions about storing cupcakes? Check out this post on how to store cupcakes, whether fresh, frosted or frozen.
Yep! Baileys has a coffee creamer version of their flavors so you can get the flavors of their Irish dairy cream with chocolate and vanilla, without the taste of alcohol.
Looking for more cupcake recipes?
Baileys Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 electric mixer
- 2 mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk*
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 5 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream Liquor
- 1/2 cup hot water
Bailey's Buttercream Frosting
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream Liquor
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 °F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Add the hot water (105 °F – 110 °F). Mix together for 30 seconds. Batter will be very thin.
- Lastly, add the Baileys Irish Cream Liquor and mix for another 30 seconds.
- Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Baileys Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time and mix together until fluffy.
- Let your mixer run for 3-5 minutes, ensuring a light and fluffy frosting.
- Then add 2 Tbsps Baileys Irish Cream Liquor. Mix for another 2-3 minutes.
Notes
Last Updated on April 29, 2023 by Kari Bakes
