Irish Coffee Cake with Bailey's Whipped Cream

Why this recipe works

Traditional coffee cake is usually a two-layer, round, coffee-flavored sponge cake with icing between the layers and on top, but what we generally know as coffee cake here in the U.S. often doesn't even have coffee in it! This Irish Coffee Cake is more similar to the traditional version, but with an Irish Coffee twist! This ultimate St. Patrick's Day dessert is a two-layered light and airy brown sugar sponge cake flavored with coffee and Irish whiskey, and frosted with Bailey's whipped cream between the layers and on top.

Ingredients and notes

Coffee - This coffee cake is the best because it actually has coffee in it. The coffee needs to be brewed, but you can use any kind of coffee you'd like! Instant coffee, caffeinated or decaf, cold brew or iced coffee (just take out the ice), whatever you have works - it just needs to be in liquid form (not coffee beans or coffee grounds or espresso powder - if you have one of these, it will need to be brewed first).

Irish Whiskey - A classic Irish coffee uses Irish whiskey, such as Jameson, but any whiskey should still taste great in this simple homemade cake recipe! Even a bourbon or rum could be delicious in place of the whiskey.

Bailey's Irish Cream - The Bailey's is optional, but I highly recommend it! The beauty of making the topping from scratch is that you can choose to make it without Bailey's and this easy cake will still be amazing!

How to make this recipe

Cake

Step 1

Combine butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder, and beat until combined.

Step 2

In a separate bowl or container, combine the whiskey and coffee.

Step 3

Alternate adding the flour and the coffee mixture to the butter mixture until the ingredients are combined.

Step 4

Add eggs one at a time beating each one until combined.

Step 5

Pour half the batter into each of two greased round cake pans and bake.

Step 6

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Filling and Topping

Step 7

Beat heavy cream, sugar, and Bailey's until stiff peaks form.

Step 8

Spread on top of one of the cake layers, then place the other cake on top and spread more on top of the second layer.

Recipe FAQs

Tips & Tricks

• This recipe is for a naked cake, meaning the Bailey's whipped cream serves in place of a frosting and is spread in between the layers and on the top of the cake, but is not covering the sides of the cake. If you want to cover the whole cake, you can double the topping and filling recipe to cover the full cake.
• To make this cake non-alcoholic (is a virgin Irish coffee cake just a coffee cake?!), you can make it without Jameson, and instead replace it with 2 more tablespoons of brewed coffee. You want to replace the whiskey in this recipe with another liquid to keep the cake moist. However, you can simply make the topping without the Irish cream liqueur. You don't need to replace the Bailey's, but you can add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract to replace it if you want. It will be delicious with just the heavy cream and sugar.
• If you don't have round cake pans, you can easily make this recipe in two square 8x8 pans instead!

Related Recipes

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St. Patrick's Day Treats
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This recipe was originally posted on March 17, 2017, but was republished with new photos, additional information about the recipe, step-by-step instructions, FAQs, and tips and tricks in March of 2022.