Baileys & Coffee Cupcakes
These soft and fluffy cupcakes are enriched with a lovely coffee taste and spiked with an Irish cream whiskey buttercream. They have all the flavors of an Irish coffee in a cupcake form.
My husband and I will often enjoy an Irish coffee made with Baileys Irish Cream liqueur on a weekend morning or after a special dinner. It’s got cream and sugar already in it, so it’s kind of like making a regular coffee, but so much better. The Baileys adds a delightful chocolate and vanilla taste to the coffee. There’s also a warm and comforting aroma of peppery floral notes from the whiskey.
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I decided to create an adult cupcake version of this popular drink. The recipe starts with a light and moist cupcake infused with an intense coffee flavor. Then it’s topped with a rich and buttery Irish cream whiskey frosting.
Baileys & Coffee Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 14
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These soft and fluffy cupcakes are enriched with a lovely coffee taste and spiked with an Irish cream whiskey buttercream.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (125ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp(12g) instant coffee granules
- 1 tbsp (15ml) warm water
- ½ cup (125g) sour cream
- 1 tsp (4g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (3g) baking soda
- ¼ tsp (1g) salt
- 1 + ½ cups (188g) all-purpose flour
For the buttercream
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 tbsp (60ml) Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
- 3 cups (375g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 muffin pans with 14 paper liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together the vegetable oil and sugar with an electric mixer.
- Add in the vanilla and eggs. Beat on medium speed until the eggs become pale. (about 1 minute)
- In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee in the warm water. Add to the wet mixture along with the sour cream. Mix until blended.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir on low speed until just combined. The batter won’t be super thick. Divide the batter amongst the 14 paper liners.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
To make the buttercream:
- Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar, then mix in the Baileys. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mix until blended. Frost as desired. I used a Wilton 1M tip to apply my frosting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 375
- Sugar: 35.8 g
- Sodium: 150.9 mg
- Fat: 19.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.9 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
- Cholesterol: 69.6 mg
Recipe adapted from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt.
I’ll be sharing this at Fiesta Friday #161 hosted by Angie and co-hosted by Laura@FeastWisely.
These are fantastic. One of the best cupcake/frosting recipes I’ve tried.
Thank you! So glad you liked it:)
Maria again. Re-read the recipe. I see that the recipe only yields 14 cupcakes. I have a sicx cupcake pan so will double the recipe and use the 6 cupcakes pan for the remaining 4 cakes. Any suggested changes for doubling the recipe?
No adjustments needed. Just make and bake as instructed:) enjoy!
I am eager to try these cupcakes; however, I was wondering if you can substitute espresso for the instant coffee and is this supposed to be powder or liquid?
I used instant coffee granules, but you can use espresso powder instead. I would only use half the amount since espresso powder is much more concentrated.
Do you taste the coffee in the cupcakes?
Is it best to use full fat or non fat sour cream? I can’t wait to try these!
It’s best to use full-fat or low-fat, not nonfat. I hope that helps and I hope you enjoy the muffins!
These look so yummy! I cannot wait to try them out!
Have you ever made these without the coffee? I tremendously dislike coffee or the smell of it but I loooove Baileys Irish Cream. Do you think it would work if I added 3 Tbs. of Irish Cream to the batter mix in place of the coffee? Thanks!
Hi Lainie,
You can substitute with 4 tbsp of Irish Cream or 3 tbsp of cocoa powder dissolved in 1 tbsp of hot water in place of the instant coffee. Thank you for your question and I hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
Hi.
How can I make the buttercream alcohol free whilst still using the baileys? Can I heat the baileys before hand?
Hello again Nic,
You could try heating the Baileys to remove the alcohol beforehand, or you can use Irish Cream flavored coffee creamer instead. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes and have a fantastic week!
Hi, im new to baking, it look delicious. But i have been wondering how long can the frosting last before i serve it? I use to prepare my cakes the day before thats why afraid to use frosting
Buttercream frostings will last up to a week refrigerated, so you are fine to prepare these cupcakes the day before. Enjoy and have a great weekend:)
Looks amazing!!!
Thanks and nice to meet you:)
These look great Lily! Thanks for sharing your recipe as part of Fiesta Friday 161! I love Baileys Irish Creme – such a treat and what a top pick hero ingredient for adult cupcakes – love it!
Thanks and you’re welcome:)
Do you have any suggestion for Gluten free ? or do you any recipe ?
I’ve heard good things about Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF baking mix. Though I can’t guarantee the exact same results because I haven’t tried it for myself. Feel free to email me back if you have any other questions. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes and have a great weekend!