I love these Irish cream cupcakes! With a rich dark chocolate and coffee cake base, topped with a creamy Irish cream buttercream, you won’t believe they’re completely dairy free! These cupcakes are perfect for birthdays, St Patrick’s Day, or a festive Christmas treat.
When Baileys released a dairy free version made from oat milk this year, obviously the first thing I did was make a mudslide cocktail. But next on my list was baking with it!
Every year, whether at Christmas or around St Patrick’s Day, I see all sorts of treats made with the delicious addition of Irish cream liqueur. And because you know I hate missing out, I’ve created my own dairy free Irish cream recipe that I love. But sometimes convenience is key, which is why I’m so happy you can now pick up a bottle at the shop.
These cupcakes take the rich flavours of coffee and chocolate from the Irish cream and enhance them in a dark chocolate coffee cupcake and a creamy, sweet buttercream frosting, both letting the Irish cream shine through.
This is an indulgent, adults only cupcake that is perfect for a holiday party or for the birthday of a friend who loves a Bailey’s on the rocks after dinner.
Key Ingredients
These Irish cream cupcakes are dairy free and use the new plant-based Baileys. Of course, you can use Original Baileys if you don’t need them to be dairy free. We have two components, the dark chocolate cupcake and the Irish cream buttercream.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Irish cream – for this recipe I am using the new Baileys Plant Based Coffee Toffee which is made with oat milk. If you can’t find it, you can also make your own dairy free Baileys.
- White sugar/granulated sugar – not only making our cakes sweet but also locking in moisture and keeping the texture super soft.
- Canola oil – this keeps the cupcake soft and moist. You can use any light tasting vegetable oil.
- Eggs – giving these cupcakes structure.
- Vanilla extract – really enhances the flavour of the Irish cream and the chocolate.
- Cocoa powder – always use a good quality cocoa powder for the best, rich, chocolate flavour. I’ve used Cadbury Bournville cocoa powder my entire life because it’s made from the same beans Cadbury uses to make their chocolate so you know it’s going to taste good. For those in the US, this is a Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US.
- Bicarbonate of soda/baking soda and baking powder – allows the cupcakes to rise and keeps them light and soft.
- Coffee – just gives the cupcakes a subtle coffee undertone but mainly enhances the chocolate flavour to create a super rich chocolate cupcake.
The irish cream buttercream is based on my go-to vegan vanilla buttercream recipe. You’ll need;
- Dairy free butter – use a quality dairy free butter substitute here for the best flavour. I love and always use Nuttelex Buttery which is an Australian product. In the US, the closest alternative is Earth Balance which I understand to be very similar.
- Icing sugar/powdered sugar – I use the icing sugar mixture from the supermarket, not the pure icing sugar. The only difference is the mixture has a little bit of cornflour added which means it’s less likely to clump together and turn rock solid.
- Irish cream – flavours the buttercream as well as giving it that creamy texture. As this is not cooked, there will be alcohol in the buttercream so while it’s not a lot, just keep that in mind when serving them.
- Vanilla extract – enhances the overall flavour of the buttercream.
- Salt – American buttercream is quite sweet, so a little salt will cut that edge and balance it.
Make it alcohol free! Replace the Irish cream with oat milk or try a non-alcoholic Baileys for the same great flavour.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To get started, line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a large mixing bowl, use electric beaters to beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.
I like to keep this a simple, one bowl cupcake recipe so sift in the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt, directly into the mixing bowl.
Gradually add the coffee and Irish cream, mixing slowly until the batter comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well incorporated.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about halfway. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Make sure to allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Making the Irish Cream Frosting
I’ll be honest, American buttercream isn’t always my favourite. But this Irish cream flavour is so good! Especially when paired with the rich dark chocolate cupcake.
It’s made like any other dairy free buttercream recipe on my site as I tend to follow the same basic recipe as it never fails me. I do find mixing it using my stand mixer makes the process so quick and easy, but if you just have handheld electric beaters that will work as well.
Once your frosting is thick and creamy, add it to a piping bag fitted with your preferred tip. For the cupcakes pictured I used a 6B to pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes. And just because we have to make them look pretty, I grated over some dark chocolate but you could also add your favourite sprinkles.
How to store cupcakes
These cupcakes will be fine covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for about 5 days. You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes ahead of time and let thaw overnight at room temperature before frosting on the day of serving.
Cupcakes are the perfect dessert to make when you want something pretty but with minimal effort. They store and travel much easier than a full size cake and take a fraction of the time to make so are a great option if you need to whip something up after work one day.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, instead of the cupcake recipe here, make my vegan chocolate cupcakes and reduce the dairy free milk to ½ cup and use ¼ cup each of brewed coffee and plant-based Irish cream. The buttercream frosting in this recipe as written is vegan already.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More special occasion cupcakes:
Celebration Cupcakes
Vegan Gingerbread Cupcakes
Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
Irish Cream Cupcakes (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
For the chocolate cupcakes:
- ¾ cup white sugar/granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup plain flour/all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup strongly brewed coffee cooled to room temperature
- ¼ cup Irish cream plant-based baileys
For the Irish cream buttercream:
- 125 grams (½ cup) dairy free butter
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons Irish cream plant-based baileys
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- Dark chocolate shavings to finish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, use electric beaters to mix the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the coffee and Irish cream, mixing slowly until the batter comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about halfway. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the buttercream, beat the dairy free butter in a stand or hand mixer for 1–2 minutes until creamy. Gradually add 3 cups of icing sugar and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Add 2–3 tablespoons of Irish cream and a pinch of salt, mixing a little at a time. If the frosting is too thin, gradually add the remaining icing sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your preferred tip (I used a 6B) and pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes. Finish with dark chocolate shavings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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