I’m not generally a shot of Baileys (or any liqueur) in my coffee kind of gal. But that said, I do find myself enjoying one or two over the holiday season. Especially if I’m over at my dad’s house Christmas day sitting around the table playing a game of Kanasta. Something warm, yummy, and a bit nostalgic about sipping on a cup of Baileys and coffee.
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When Inspiration Hits!
I found myself humming and hawing over what cake to create for our weekly Sunday Family Cake tradition when I went to go drop off a few things at my dad’s house. We were chatting in his kitchen when I spied a bottle of cinnamon vanilla Baileys on the counter by the coffee pot and WHAM! Just like that! Cake inspiration hit.
Luckily for me, my dad is a generous sort, and let me take the bottle home of that creamy smooth liqueur yum to bake away. And let me tell you…this cake turned out so dang good! 1000% better than an actually Baileys and coffee and quite possibly my favourite flavour of the year.
Never Enough Baileys!
First, I loaded these doctored cake mix cake layers up with Baileys and oodles of cinnamon chips to bring out those warm cinnamon notes in the liqueur. And seeing as how it’s already decadent, I went on ahead and sliced each layer into two for a total of 6 layers all lightly brushed in a second helping Baileys.
Next up was the buttercream and again, it was all Bailey’s vanilla cinnamon liqueur paired with instant coffee powder to round out that well-known and loved holiday drink. Top to bottom Baileys & coffee and all bold cake delight in every bite!
Coffee fan? I bet you’d go caffeine crazy for these Espresso Molasses Cookies!
Baileys & Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 2 Hours
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Yield: 10 Slices 1x
Description
The best baileys and coffee cake from a doctored box mix full of cinnamon chips and covered with whipped baileys and coffee buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
BAILEY’S VANILLA CINNAMON CAKE
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1 box (461 grams) yellow/golden cake mix
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1 tsp. cinnamon
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½ tsp. fine sea salt
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½ cup egg whites
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⅓ cup greek yogurt
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⅓ cup vegetable oil
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¼ cup milk
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1 tsp. vanilla extract
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1 cup cinnamon chips
BAILEYS & COFFEE BUTTERCREAM
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1 cup salted butter, room temp
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1 cup vegetable shortening
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8 cups icing sugar
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¼ cup instant coffee powder
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2 tsp. fine sea salt
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optional: extra instant coffee powder for decor
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optional: extra Baileys for brushing on cake layers
Instructions
EQUIPMENT:
BAILEYS VANILLA CINNAMON CAKE:
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 6-inch round cake pans.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer add in the yellow cake mix, cinnamon, and salt and give it a quick whisk to break up any clumps.
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Add in all the remaining wet ingredients and mix until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
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With a spatula gently fold the cinnamon chips into the cake batter until just combined.
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Divide batter between the cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
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Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then invert on a cooling rack to fully cool.
BAILEYS & COFFEE BUTTERCREAM:
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In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter and shortening on high speed until light and fluffy. Approximately 5 minutes.
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Add the icing sugar, instant coffee powder, salt, and Baileys liqueur and mix on low until combined.
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Turn the mixer up to high and let mix for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.
CAKE ASSEMBLY:
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Level each cooled cake layer and then with the cake leveler cut each layer into half creating 6 total cake layers.
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Place one leveled layer of Baileys vanilla cinnamon cake on a cake board or plate. With a pastry brush, brush on a little bit of the Baileys liqueur directly on the cake layer. Top with approximately 1 cup of buttercream.
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Repeat with the remaining layers and apply a thin coat of buttercream all over the cake. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
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Cover the cake with another layer of buttercream and smooth the sides with a cake smoother.
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Decorate the cake as you please. I used my offset spatula and, with the tip, dragged it gently diagonally on the cake from the bottom to the top. I topped the cake with Wilton 2D buttercream swirls and sprinkled on a bit of extra instant coffee powder. Enjoy!
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Slice
- Calories: 860
- Sugar: 97 Grams
- Sodium: 788 Miligrams
- Fat: 47 grams
- Saturated Fat: 23 Grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 grams
- Trans Fat: 3 Grams
- Carbohydrates: 111 Grams
- Fiber: 6 Grams
- Protein: 3 Grams
- Cholesterol: 51 Miligrams
Keywords: baking, cake, cake mix, Bailey’s, Bailey’s cake, Baileys and coffee cake, liqueur cake, Christmas cake, layer cake
Baileys and cake. My two favorite things in life and this cake was the tastiest combo. It’s a must-bake!
★★★★★
I couldn’t agree with you more Britt! This cake was one of my favorites from last year!
This is my new number one cake! The flavours in this cake are amazing. The layers are fluffy and moist, and the buttercream is smooth and perfectly boozy and a huge bonus is that it’s so easy to make. I can not say enough good things about your cake Katie 😊 the people in my life thank you!
★★★★★
Baileys and cake belong together like peanut butter and jam, right?! I am so glad you tried this one out and loved it as much as I did!
This will be my new go to boozy birthday cake bake. It was so so so good.
★★★★★
I appreciate you letting me know that Kristin.
Fluffy and delicious with that perfect amount of baileys. I made a second one and gave to a friend… she hid it in the back of the fridge from her husband😂😂
★★★★★
Haha oh my goodness that’s too funny. I would be tempted to do the same as your friend.