Irish Cream Cake Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day

Learn how to make this Irish Cream Cake that is ready for any celebration! 

This cake is perfect for bailey’s Irish cream lovers, and there is Irish Cream in every part of this cake. Yes, it’s a little boozy, but the sweet coffee’s flavor stands out the most; it’s rich and creamy!

This Irish Cream Cake is made with Irish Cream cake layers scented with freshly ground espresso-soaked in Irish Cream simple syrup. It’s then filled with Irish Cream Swiss Meringue Buttercream topped with a white chocolate drip and roasted espresso beans. 

This cake is beautifully balanced between sweet, bitter, and creamy. Your tastebuds will jump for joy! 

Tips for Success: 

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three, 8-inch cake layers.
• In this cake recipe, you need ½ cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use ½ cup whole milk mixed with 2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own. 
• You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. 
• You can make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream several days ahead of time and refrigerate for up to one week. Then take it out to come back to room temperature before re-whipping to achieve the same fluffy texture. 
• Serve the cake at room temperature and enjoy! 

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake: 

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
• 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Piping Bags (I use reusable silicone bags)
• Ateco #844 Star Tip
• Squeeze Bottle 
• Mixing bowls (small & medium)
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Roasted Espresso Beans
• Cake Stand, optional

Here’s how to make this Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake that’s ready for St. Patrick’s Day!

Let’s Get Baking!

How to Make Irish Cream Espresso Cake Layers

1. Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside. 
3. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
5. Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated. 
6. Pour in the buttermilk, Irish Cream, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

Irish Cream Simple Syrup to Soak Cake Layers 

1. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat. Continue to heat for 5 minutes until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from heat and add brewed coffee. 
2. Set aside to cool and pour into a squeeze bottle. 

Irish Cream Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1. On the stovetop, place a medium saucepan filled ⅓ of the way with water over medium heat, bring to a simmer to use as a double boiler. 
2. In a stand mixer bowl (or large glass or metal mixing bowl), add egg whites and sugar mix with a whisk to combine.    
3. Lower the heat on the stove to low, then place the mixer bowl over simmering water. Whisk constantly to prevent eggs from overcooking, continue for 3-5 minutes.    
4. Continue to whisk until the mixture has reached 160 °F on your candy thermometer, or until the sugar has dissolved between your fingertips.    
5. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and add the salt. Begin to mix on medium-high speed to create a light meringue for 10 minutes. 
6. Mix until the meringue is room temperature and has a stiff peak. 
7. Next, lower the mixer speed to low and add the butter a few cubes at a time until all the butter is incorporated into the meringue. 
8. Then whisk on medium speed until the mixture is silky smooth and has doubled in size. It’ll look like freshly whipped butter.  
9. With a rubber spatula, add vanilla extract and Irish Cream and mix by hand until incorporated. 
10. Finally, place the buttercream into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set the buttercream before using it. 
11. Put the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip to create the swirls on top of the cake.

How to Make White Chocolate Ganache Drip

1. In a small microwaveable bowl, combine the white chocolate chips (or melts) and heavy Cream. Melt in the microwave for 30-seconds or until it’s melted. Pour into a squeeze bottle and set aside. 

Putting It All Together

1. Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the cakes’ dome to make the layers flat and even. 
2. Soak both sides of each cake layer with the Irish Cream syrup. 
3. Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one cake layer, cut side up onto the cake board. Pipe ⅔ cup of buttercream and use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream layer.  
4. Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer — Crumb coat with buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes. 
5. Add a thicker layer of buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides and the top as smooth as possible. 
6. Add two rows of espresso beans to the bottom of the cake. 
7. If needed, heat the white chocolate ganache in the squeeze bottle in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. (Test the drip on a tall glass before trying it onto the cake). 
8. Squeeze and drip the ganache over the sides and on top. Use the offset spatula to smooth the top of the cake. 
9. Squeeze the piping bag and move your wrist into a circle making the swirl. The goal is to pipe a circle on top of the previous process until you have covered the cake’s top. 
10. Add espresso beans in the middle of the swirls to complete the cake. 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Common Baking Mistakes & How to Avoid Them (free training)
• Cake Planning Checklist (freebie)
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
• Cake Decorating for Beginners (online course)   

I’m so excited to see your Irish Cream Cake creations. Please feel free to email me here at xokatierosario@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help! 

Happy Decorating! 

P.S. Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out Cake Decorating for Beginners, my online cake program. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s essential to learn from the ground up to build a foundation so that you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/online-cake-course. I will see you there! 

Watch The How-to Video Below: 

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