Espresso Cake with Baileys Frosting

I love Baileys in my coffee. It’s one of my favorite weekend morning treats! So the flavor combination of espresso and Baileys was really a no-brainer for me! This cake is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, but honestly it’s really amazing all year round! I can’t wait to make this for my birthday next year!

For the cake, I wanted a rich and delicious espresso flavor. Think sitting in a Parisian cafe drinking a cappuccino. If you’re a Baileys in your coffee kind of gal, you definitely need to try this cake! Cover with festive sprinkles for St. Patrick’s Day, or serve on its own – either way you really can’t go wrong! Want to make it even fancier? Consider drizzling dark chocolate ganache down the sides! Yummm!

Cake Ingredients: 

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2/3 cups sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons espresso powder

Frosting Ingredients: 

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup Baileys
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar

Cake Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease three 6″ cake pans. Line the bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar. Mix the espresso powder into the buttermilk. Add the eggs, vanilla, sour cream and buttermilk mixture into the butter mixture, and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool 10 minutes in the pans, and then let the cool the rest of the way, upside down on a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, wrap each cake layer in plastic wrap, and put in the freezer.

Frosting Directions:

Whip the butter until light and fluffy, and add the Baileys and vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to high for about 3-5 minutes.

Frost the cakes, and top with festive sprinkles! I used these ones.