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 on Christmas day sitting around the table playing a game of Canasta. Something warm, yummy, and a bit nostalgic about sipping on a cup of Baileys and coffee. Inspired by those holiday coffees, this Baileys & Coffee Cake is the most delicious thing you’ll eat this holiday season.
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Cinnamon Baileys & Coffee Cake Inspiration
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 actual Baileys and coffee and quite possibly my favorite flavor of the year.
Doctored Cake Mix Baileys Cake Layers
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.
Baileys & Coffee Buttercream
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. The key to a fluffy and indulgent Bailey’s buttercream frosting is to whip the butter on high for a solid 5-10 minutes first. You want it to be light, fluffy, and cloud-like before adding the remaining ingredients.
Coffee-Infused Baking
Coffee fan? I bet you’d go caffeine crazy for these fun caffeinated recipes.
- Espresso Molasses Cookies
- Double Chocolate Cake
- Boozy Marshmallows
- Better Box Mix Brownies
- Espresso Oreo Cake
Baileys & Coffee Cake
- Total Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Yield: 10 Slices 1x
Description
An easy recipe for the most delicious Bailey’s & Coffee cake using a doctored cake mix. Full of cinnamon chips and indulgent Bailey’s liqueur this cake tastes like a warm cup of holiday cheer. The perfect Christmas celebration cake or party dessert.
Ingredients
Bailey’s & Coffee Cake
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1 box (461 grams) yellow/golden cake mix
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1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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½ cup Baileys Vanilla Cinnamon liqueur *
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4 egg whites, room temperature
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⅓ cup greek yogurt or sour scream
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⅓ cup vegetable oil
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¼ cup milk
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 cup cinnamon chips **
Baileys & Coffee Buttercream
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2 cups salted butter, room temperature
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6 cups icing sugar
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¼ cup instant coffee powder
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1 teaspoon 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
Bailey’s & Coffee Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 6-inch round cake pans with baking spray and parchment paper.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer add in the yellow cake mix and ground cinnamon 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.
Bailey’s & Coffee Buttercream
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In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Approximately 5-10 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!
Notes
* Any flavor of Bailey’s liqueur will work for this recipe.
** If you cannot find cinnamon chips you can swap them for chocolate chips or simply go without.
- Prep Time: 2 Hours
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- 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: baileys and coffeee cake recipe, baileys & coffee cake, baileys & coffee cake recipe, baileys and coffee cake recipe, baileys cake, baileys cake recipe
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!
Hello Katie. I made the Baileys and coffee cake. It was delicious!! 🤗
★★★★★
I am so happy to hear you made this cake and enjoyed it, Betty. Thank you for sharing.
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.
I’m so sorry to ask again haha but do you think you could make it a two layer cake instead of 3?
I would recommend doing two 8 or 9-inch pans then.
Could you please tell me or maybe video (?) how you do your swirls on top? Mine never look that good! Thank you!
Hi Jill, are you on instagram? I have a few videos there of me doing these swirls.
Delicious and easy to make.
I used chocolate chips, as I couldn’t find cinnamon chips anywhere, and the little hint of chocolate was perfect.
My husband really enjoyed it fir his birthday.
★★★★★
Chocolate chips sound like the yummiest idea Jodi!
Can you use any replacement for the cinnamon vanilla baileys I can’t find it anywhere
Hi Casey. Yes, you can use any baileys you want! The original flavor or salted caramel definitely won’t steer you wrong.
This is one of my favorite cakes from my favorite cake site! I made this gorgeousness for my sister’s birthday and presented it along with a new bottle of Bailey’s – everyone was absolutely wowed. Thanks, Katie – your cakes are so perfect and so inspiring – and so helpful when baking for those with food sensitivities.
★★★★★
Yay! That thrills me to hear Steph. And I love that you gifted her some bailey’s along with the cake.
This looks so good! What a fun combination of flavors to make for friends!
Perfect for a holiday party!
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it ?
You could make it and freeze the entire cake for up to 6 months if you really wanted to. I always make the cake layers a few days before, freeze them, and then thaw them overnight and stack/decorate them the day before serving.
This looks amazing. I’m just wondering why the recipe omits the yolks and only uses the egg whites. It’s an interesting omission.
Keeps the cake fluffier!