Baileys Irish Cream Bundt Cake
This rich and festive Baileys Irish Cream Bundt Cake uses less than 10 ingredients and is a simple, yet elegant dessert to impress guests with for St. Patrick’s Day or any celebration. By using a box cake mix as the base, it’s a foolproof dessert recipe for any beginner baker.
This Baileys Irish Cream Cake is an impressive dessert that looks like a professionally made cake from a bakery, but it’s actually beyond simple to whip up. It’s outright delicious with the perfect hint of Irish cream flavor, making it a crowd favorite for St. Patrick’s Day, the holidays, or any special occasion.
Rich, delicious, no-fail boxed cake mix, is used for a stress-free base to this bundt cake. I add buttery pecans and Irish cream liqueur to make a super simple batter with a big flavor payoff. Then it’s baked in a beautiful bundt pan before being glazed with even more Baileys deliciousness. I shouldn’t forget to mention that this cake is best served after it’s soaked in the glaze for a couple of hours, so it’s the ideal make-ahead dessert.
If you like this simple and stunning cake, try these sweet treat recipes, too. We love this decadent Crock Pot Fondue, our easy and impressive Dessert Board, and don’t miss this no-bake Banana Cheesecake Delight.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy and Impressive: This no-fuss cake is super easy to mix together, yet looks impressive and bakery-made. You’ll have all of your friends and family fooled!
- Moist and Tender Crumb: With a simple batter made with rich ingredients, this cake is moist, decadent and tender. It’s a real treat and next to impossible to dry out.
- Subtle Irish Cream Flavor: With rich and creamy Irish Cream mixed into the batter and glaze, this cake has a subtle festive flavor that feels extra special.
- Holiday Cake To Serve Year Round: This cake is great for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, but can easily be served for any holiday or occasion, all year long.
Leanna’s Tip: To keep the cake mix nice and moist, I like to add a packet of vanilla pudding mix. It truly elevates the texture to melt-in-your mouth!
Watch How to Make It
Ingredients
For The Cake:
- Cooking Spray: Really make sure you liberally grease the bundt pan. This ensures the cake will come out clean and easily, with a stress-free flip!
- Pecans: Rich and buttery, and adds nice texture.
- Yellow Cake Mix: One of my favorite foolproof store-bought shortcuts. Use any brand you prefer.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: Another pantry staple to keep on hand. This keeps the cake moist and helps the cake keep its structure.
- Eggs: I suggest using large eggs for baking. They’re the binder here.
- Irish Cream Liqueur: Rich and creamy with notes of vanilla and whiskey. This is the star of the show! Remember to refrigerate after opening.
- Vegetable Oil: Any neutral oil works.
- Water: To hydrate the cake mix
- Vanilla Extract: Essential when baking, use the real stuff.
For The Glaze:
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar sweetens this glaze.
- Butter: Use unsalted here.
- Water: Just a splash is needed.
- Irish Cream Liqueur: Rich and creamy, for even more of that signature flavor in the glaze.
How To Make Baileys Irish Cream Cake
For The Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over the bottom of the pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix.
3. Add eggs, Irish cream liqueur, vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract.
4. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes, until smooth.
5. Pour batter over pecans in the prepared pan.
6. Bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
For The Glaze:
1. Combine sugar, butter, and water in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in Irish cream liqueur.
Finish The Cake:
1. Invert cake onto a serving plate and prick the top and sides of the cake with a toothpick.
2. Spoon and brush glaze over the cake, letting it soak in. Repeat until all glaze is used.
Expert Tips
- Keep Cake From Sticking: For a clean, stress-free flip of your cake, be sure to generously grease the inside of your bundt pan to prevent the cake from sticking. It’s important to use cooking spray with flour for this reason.
- Balanced Flavor: Bailey’s Irish Cream is delicious but you want to make sure it’s not too overpowering of a flavor. Adding it to the cake batter and glaze helps to balance everything out. You can also add in espresso powder, chocolate chips, or extra vanilla extract to help enhance the coffee, chocolate, and caramel flavor notes in the Bailey’s.
- When To Glaze: Glaze the cake once it’s been removed from the pan and has cooled completely. If you do this too soon, the glaze will become a runny mess and the cake will be soggy. Bonus Tip: If you poke a few holes in the top with a toothpick before glazing, the cake really soaks up all of that delicious glaze.
- Non-Alcoholic Substitutions: If Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur isn’t your thing, no problem. Easily sub in Irish cream flavored coffee creamer, or a mixture of cream, sugar, and a touch of vanilla for a similar, equally as delicious flavor.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover cake on the counter for up to 2 days (it usually goes this fast anyways!). Otherwise, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze this cake. Wrap it well or store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to serve it.
FAQs
If you want a similar flavor, but don’t prefer to use Irish cream liqueur, you can easily use Irish cream flavored coffee creamer, or a mixture of cream, sugar, and a touch of vanilla.
Irish cream makes the cake super rich and creamy, and adds a slightly boozy flavor note to the cake. It also keeps the whole cake moist and decadent.
A traditional Irish cake is a simple, spiced cake made with fruit or dried fruit. A popular, well-known version is made with apples, a crumble topping, a custard sauce, and can be served warm, chilled, or at room temperature.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Baileys Irish Cream Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- Cooking spray with flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 15.25 oz yellow cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup Irish cream liqueur
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup Irish cream liqueur
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix.
- Add eggs, Irish cream liqueur, vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract.
- Beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes, until smooth.
- Pour batter over pecans in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Glaze Instructions
- Combine sugar, butter, and water in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in Irish cream liqueur.
Finish the Cake
- Invert cake onto a serving plate.
- Prick the top and sides of the cake with a toothpick.
- Spoon and brush glaze over the cake, letting it soak in.
- Repeat until all glaze is used.
