1. Home
  2. Traditional Irish foods
  3. Bailey's Cake

Irish Bailey's cake recipe

Baileys Irish creme is one of the most popular liqueurs around, and it's become a popular ingredient among chefs aiming to present truly gorgeous desserts to amuse their clientele.

If you've got a special celebration coming up, or you want to add a real 'treat factor' to a family or friends get-together, you owe it to yourself and your guests to try this Baileys cake!

I've created this recipe from random experiment, and it's now a family favourite. It's also easy to make.

No sophisticated decoration is needed. The cake will be remembered for its taste, not its appearance (although there's no reason to not dress it up, if you want to!)


Ingredients


For the sponge

  • 100g/3½oz margarine or unsalted butter
  • 200g/8oz Castor sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • 2 medium eggs, separated
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 175g/7oz Self raising flour
  • 120ml Baileys

For the cream filling

  • 75g/3ox marg/butter
  • 175g/7oz Icing sugar
  • good slug of Baileys

For the icing top

  • 100g/4oz Icing sugar
  • As much Baileys as needed to make a firm fondant icing.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and grease a 5-or 6-inch round tin.

Sieve the salt, cinnamon, cocoa and flour. Set aside.

Cream the sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, then alternately, blend in a spoonful of the sieved flour mix and a spoonful of Baileys. Continue to mix until the consistency is smooth and even.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the cake mixture.

Turn into the tin and bake in the centre of the oven for between 45-60 mins (the  sponge is ready when a skewer comes out clean).

Once cooled, cut it horizontally to make a top and a bottom layer.

Whisk together the cream filling ingredients and spread over the bottom layer. Add the top layer, and refrigerate for one hour to allow the cream filling to become a little firmer.

Mix the icing ingredients and spread over the top of the sponge and decorate with chocolate chips or shavings.


Ingredients

For the sponge

  • 100g/3½oz margarine or unsalted butter
  • 200g/8oz Castor sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • 2 medium eggs, separated
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 175g/7oz Self raising flour
  • 120ml Baileys
For the cream filling
  • 75g/3ox marg/butter
  • 175g/7oz Icing sugar
  • good slug of Baileys
For the icing top
  • 100g/4oz Icing sugar
  • As much Baileys as needed to make a firm fondant icing.


Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and grease a 5-or 6-inch round tin.

Sieve the salt, cinnamon, cocoa and flour. Set aside.

Cream the sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, then alternately, blend in a spoonful of the sieved flour mix and a spoonful of Baileys. Continue to mix until the consistency is smooth and even.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the cake mixture.

Turn into the tin and bake in the centre of the oven for between 45-60 mins (the  sponge is ready when a skewer comes out clean).

Once cooled, cut it horizontally to make a top and a bottom layer.

Whisk together the cream filling ingredients and spread over the bottom layer. Add the top layer, and refrigerate for one hour to allow the cream filling to become a little firmer.

Mix the icing ingredients and spread over the top of the sponge and decorate with chocolate chips or shavings.