Baileys Cupcakes {filled with Irish cream ganache}

Baileys Cupcakes are an easy vanilla cupcake recipe with an Irish cream chocolate ganache filling. The Irish cream ganache also serves as the topping for these delish, lightly boozy cupcakes.

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This Baileys cupcake recipe is quick and simple to put together! The soft, from scratch yellow cupcake is filled with a rich and decadent Irish cream ganache. The ganache also works as the easy frosting.

These lightly boozy cupcakes taste delicious and would be perfect if you are baking for St. Patrick's Day, but they are incredible for anytime you need a special dessert. The cupcake is tender and moist and the ganache is bursting with Irish cream flavor!

why you will love this easy cupcake recipe

• An incredibly moist and soft buttery vanilla cupcake!
• Made with simple ingredients.
• The Irish cream ganache is quick and easy to make.
• The ganache serves as both the cupcake filling and topping.

ingredients and substitutions

• Unsalted butter ~ this needs to be at room temperature.
• Granulated sugar ~ provides sweetness and structure to the cupcake.
• Eggs ~ two large eggs, I prefer them at room temperature. I have not tested this recipe with any egg alternatives.
• Vanilla ~ pure vanilla extract is recommended for the best flavor.
• Sour cream ~ this should be at room temperature. Full fat sour cream is needed, full fat plain yogurt can be substituted.
• Cake flour ~ if you don't have cake flour you can use all-purpose flour plus cornstarch. Measure the flour, then remove 3 tablespoons. Add three tablespoons of cornstarch and sift the flour and cornstarch together two times before using.
• Kosher salt ~ just a little to balance the cupcake. If you don't have kosher salt, you can do a straight substitute of table salt in this recipe.
• Baking powder ~ gives a little lift to the cupcakes.
• Milk ~ I use 1%, but 2% or whole milk will also work. I don't recommend fat free milk.
• Milk chocolate ~ {not shown} Use a chocolate baking bar. 8 ounces is needed, which is typically two baking bars sold near the chocolate chips.
• Heavy whipping cream ~ {not shown} heavy whipping cream or heavy cream can be used. Half and half or milk will not work as the ganache will not set up correctly.
• Irish cream liqueur ~ {not shown} such as Baileys, Carolans or your favorite brand. I have not tested it, but I suspect that an Irish cream coffee creamer could work if you need a non-alcohol version.

how to make irish cream ganache

I recommend making the ganache first, as it needs time to cool before you can use it.

Start by finely chopping the milk chocolate bars and placing them in a heat proof bowl.

Then heat the heavy cream and Irish cream over medium heat until simmering, but not boiling. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes before stirring until smooth. Then allow the chocolate ganache to cool and thicken, about 1-2 hours at room temperature.

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let's make moist vanilla cupcakes

Start by preheating the oven and lining a 12-cup muffin tin with liners. These cupcake liners are my very favorite for cupcakes and muffins.

Then cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes until it gets nice and combined.

Next add the eggs and vanilla and mix again until well combined.

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Now add the sour cream and mix another 30-60 seconds. The batter can look a little curdled at this point.

Finally add in the flour and mix on low until just a little flour is still showing. Then with the mixer running on low, slowly add the milk, mixing just until the batter comes together.

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Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners and bake.

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how do you put filling inside a cupcake?

To fill a cupcake, one has several options. A paring knife, apple corer, or piping tip are all easy methods for creating the space for the filling. {And I'm guessing you have at least one of these tools already in your kitchen}.

The most important thing to remember is to make sure you leave the bottom of the cupcake intact! It is also important that your cupcakes are completely cool.

To use a knife, simply cut out the center of the cupcake by holding the knife at about a 45° angle. It will be a cone shape piece that comes out.

To use an apple corer, push the corer into the center of the cupcake and remove.

To use a piping tip, use a large open star piping tip {like a Wilton 6B} and press down with the sharp end. Then twist and pull it out to remove the cake piece.

You will need to trim a little off the piece you remove before placing back over the top of the filling. I just use a spoon to fill the cupcakes with the chocolate ganache.

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easy topping for frosting

Instead of an Irish cream buttercream frosting, the remaining Irish cream ganache is used as the topping for the Baileys cupcakes.

Once you have filled the cupcakes, place the remaining chocolate ganache in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. You can then either spoon and smooth the ganache over the cupcakes or make a simple rosette like the photos in this post. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip for this look.

do baileys cupcakes contain alcohol?

The cupcake portion does not contain alcohol, but the Irish cream ganache does.

The ganache uses 6 tablespoons of Irish cream liqueur, which works out to about a teaspoon and a half of alcohol per cupcake.

Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Baileys Cupcakes {filled with Irish cream ganache}. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more boozy desserts to enjoy!

• Rum Coconut Cupcakes
• Tom & Jerry Tiramisu
• Fudgy Irish Cream Brownies
• Cherry Bourbon Crumble No Churn Ice Cream
• Margarita Pie