Baileys St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes
Baileys St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes are moist chocolate cupcakes infused with Baileys Irish Cream and topped with Baileys buttercream frosting. The perfect grown up St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes!
If anyone ever needed a reason to grab a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream, these Baileys cupcakes are it!!
In a family where St. Patrick’s Day rules, it’s often easy to forget that there are exceptions to the ‘green everything’ mantra of the day.
Green hair, green beer, green wigs are all standard fare on March 17th but in addition to those favorite accessories also comes the best part .. the food!!
Guinness Bangers and Mash, Irish Soda Bread, Shamrock Green Crinkle Cookies and Neon Green Mint Chocolate Cheesecake not withstanding (ok.. those last two aren’t exactly “Irish” food but they ARE green..)
… my all time favorite St. Patrick’s Day dessert has to be my Baileys St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes.
Why are these Baileys chocolate cupcakes my favorite?
Easy! These cupcakes are super moist and fluffy and the Irish cream is so rich and decadent.
The cupcake recipe is make using the creaming method so you really want your butter and sugar to cream together perfectly to maximize the light, spongy, fluffiness of your cupcakes.
Top them off with Baileys infused buttercream frosting and you have heaven in a green cupcake wrapper 🙂
WHY THESE BAILEYS CUPCAKES ARE THE BEST
- These Baileys St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes are fast and easy to make and are the perfect grown up St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes!
- Decadent, moist chocolate cupcakes made extra festive with Baileys Irish Cream. If that’s not enough, these St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes are then topped off with homemade Baileys buttercream frosting which makes these the … Best…. Cupcakes… EVER!!!
- By adding in Baileys Irish Cream to both the chocolate cupcake batter and the buttercream frosting, these chocolate cupcakes have a smooth and rich flavor that really plays against the chocolate.
- It complete takes this favorite St. Patrick’s Day dessert to the next level … that next level being the WOW level!!
To make these Baileys Cupcakes, you will need:
Baileys Chocolate Cupcakes
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Dark chocolate cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Espresso powder
- Salt
- Baileys Irish Cream
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs .. room temp
- Vanilla extract
- Hot water
Baileys Buttercream Frosting
- Butter .. softened
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Baileys Irish Cream
- Salt
HOW TO MAKE ST. PATRICK’S DAY CUPCAKE
Easy! To make these Baileys St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes, start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and line your cupcakes tins with paper liners.
Add dark chocolate cocoa, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl and whisk together to combine your ingredients.
Next, add in the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla and Baileys Irish cream.
Using an electric mixer, mix well to combine. Finally, add in your boiling water (two minutes in the microwave is close enough!) and mix well.
Your batter will be extremely thin and that is what you want.
Using a large spoon or a small measuring cup, fill your paper cupcake liners a bit over half way up with your batter and then bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and the cupcake pan and move your Baileys St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.
Once complete cooled, add softened butter, sifted powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and Baileys to a large mixing bowl and mix well until you reach the buttercream frosting consistency you are looking for.
Either frost your cupcakes by hand or move the Baileys buttercream frosting to a large piping bag / zip top bag and frost using a decorating tip.
Serve immediately and leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator…. like you will end up with leftovers?
WHAT IS BAILEYS IRISH CREAM?
Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish whiskey and cream-based liqueur, made in Dublin, Ireland.
It is a cream liquor that guarantees its taste for 2 years from the day it was made, opened or unopened, stored in the fridge or not.
It is perfect to add to hot chocolate, coffee, fudge, cupcakes and cakes or just enjoyed by itself.
NON-ALCOHOLIC BAILEYS CUPCAKES?
Baileys Irish Cream does contain 17% alcohol by volume so these Baileys St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes are definitely grown up treats but what about serving them to a non-alcoholic crowd?
Baileys also offers a non-alcoholic coffee creamer and you can substitute that coffee creamer instead of the Baileys Irish Cream in these cupcakes to be able to share with everyone!
PRO TIPS FOR BAILEYS ST. PATRICK’S DAY CUPCAKES
- I love the rich flavor of using dark chocolate cocoa powder but if you only have regular cocoa powder on hand, don’t make that extra trip to the store. Both flavors make amazing chocolate cupcakes.
- Sift that powdered sugar before adding it to your butter for your buttercream frosting. I know I say it every time.. trust your friend Heather!!! … sift the powdered sugar or you will end up with lumps of sugar in your frosting and no one wants that!
- Don’t have a large piping bag to make pretty whoop-whoop cupcakes? Grab a large zip top bag, snip a bit off the bottom corner, add a decorating tip and then fill that bad boy up with your frosting. I find if I push my bag into a tall tumbler glass, I can fill it a lot easier with a lot less mess. Keep in mind that big fancy frosting jobs take a ton of frosting to accomplish.. double that frosting recipe if you are getting fancy.
- Bring your eggs to room temperature before using them. Room temp eggs emulsify better and are fluffier than eggs right out of the refrigerator.
- You want to make sure you are measuring your flour correctly. If you scoop out a measuring cup of flour directly from the bag, you will pack in way too much flour. To avoid this, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until its overfilled and then use the back of a butter knife to level the measuring cup at the top. Now you have the perfect flour measurement!
- Don’t over-mix your chocolate cupcake batter. Once run your mixer long enough to incorporate the ingredients to avoid tough or dense cupcakes.
- Use a small measuring cup to add your batter to your cupcake tins. This way your cupcakes are all the same size and save on (most) of the mess.
- Buy milk while you are at the store. Chocolate cupcakes needs to be eaten with a big glass of milk. Buy milk.
MORE ST. PATRICK’S DAY DESSERTS
- St. Patrick’s Day Baileys Cheesecake Bars
- Lucky Charms Treats
- Green Cheesecake Brownie Bars
- Baileys Fudge
Enjoy the holiday and don’t forget to be responsible… call that cab!!
If you’ve tried these ST. PATRICK’S DAY CUPCAKES or any other recipe on this website, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you it came out in the comments below.
Share a photo of your creation on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM or save it to PINTEREST and tag #AWICKEDWHISK. I can’t wait to see your work!
Baileys St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes
Ingredients
Baileys Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Baileys Irish Cream
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs .. room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Cup Boiling water
Baileys Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter .. softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- To make these Baileys St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes, start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and line your cupcakes tins with paper liners.
- Add dark chocolate cocoa, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl and whisk together to combine your ingredients. Next, add in the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla and Baileys Irish cream. Using an electric mixer, mix well to combine. Finally, add in your boiling water (two minutes in the microwave is close enough!) and mix well. Your batter will be extremely thin and that is what you want.
- Using a large spoon or a small measuring cup, fill your paper cupcake liners a bit over half way up with your batter and then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and the cupcake pan and move your Baileys St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.
- Once complete cooled, add softened butter, sifted powedered sugar, salt, vanilla and Baileys to a large mixing bowl and mix well until you reach the buttercream frosting consistancy you are looking for. Either frost your cupcakes by hand or move the Baileys buttercream frosting to a large piping bag / zip top bag and frost using a decorating tip. Serve immediately and leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator.
Notes
PRO TIPS FOR BAILEYS ST. PATRICK'S DAY CUPCAKES
- I love the rich flavor of using dark chocolate cocoa powder but if you only have regular cocoa powder on hand, don't make that extra trip to the store. Both flavors make amazing chocolate cupcakes.
- Sift that powdered sugar before adding it to your butter for your buttercream frosting. I know I say it every time.. trust your friend Heather!!! ... sift the powdered sugar or you will end up with lumps of sugar in your frosting and no one wants that!
- Don't have a large piping bag to make pretty whoop-whoop cupcakes? Grab a large zip top bag, snip a bit off the bottom corner, add a decorating tip and then fill that bad boy up with your frosting. I find if I push my bag into a tall tumbler glass, I can fill it a lot easier with a lot less mess. Keep in mind that big fancy frosting jobs take a ton of frosting to accomplish.. double that frosting recipe if you are getting fancy.
- Bring your eggs to room temperature before using them. Room temp eggs emulsify better and are fluffier than eggs right out of the refrigerator.
- A trick for bringing refrigerated eggs to room temperature quicker is to let them sit in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- You want to make sure you are measuring your flour correctly. If you scoop out a measuring cup of flour directly from the bag, you will pack in way too much flour. To avoid this, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until its overfilled and then use the back of a butter knife to level the measuring cup at the top. Now you have the perfect flour measurement!
- Don’t over-mix your chocolate cupcake batter. Once run your mixer long enough to incorporate the ingredients to avoid tough or dense cupcakes.
- Use a small measuring cup to add your batter to your cupcake tins. This way your cupcakes are all the same size and save on (most) of the mess.
- Buy milk while you are at the store. Chocolate cupcakes needs to be eaten with a big glass of milk. Buy milk.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2019 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in February of 2020.
