These Baileys cupcakes are moist, rich, and topped with a luscious Baileys cream cheese frosting—perfect for your next party or whenever you are craving something decadent! Find more olive oil cake recipes here.

I am not much of a drinker. In fact, I’m a huge lightweight. I don’t care too much for the taste of alcohol and it usually gives me a headache and puts me to sleep. But, I do appreciate Baileys Irish Cream.
I have a recipe for chocolate egg nog that tastes just like homemade Baileys. And yes, it is addictively good. And you will equally fall in love with these cupcakes.
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Recipe highlights
- Simple: If you are intimidated with baking from scratch, have no fear. I break down the steps to make it super easy for you. This is not at all a complicated dessert to bake or decorate.
- Texture: These cupcakes are made with extra virgin olive oil, making them light and fluffy. If you know my blog, you now I am a huge fan of baking with olive oil and bake almost exclusively with it.
- Flavor: Whether you are a big drinker or not, these cupcakes are pretty irresistible. The vanilla cupcake is moist and just lightly infused with Irish cream. The frosting is to DIE FOR made with a combination of cream cheese and butter and mixed with Baileys (yay more Irish cream), coffee and a little touch of cocoa powder.
Ingredients you need
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Cupcake Ingredients
- Pantry staples: All purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract
- Extra virgin olive oil: Your baked goods are only as good as the ingredients you put into it. Choose a mild tasting olive oil for this cake recipe, not a peppery one. Taste it by itself to determine if it is not rancid and not too pungent.
- Milk: I always have full fat milk in my fridge, so that is what I primarily bake with. Fat adds moisture and flavor to your cake, so don’t be afraid of it. You can use low fat milk or to make it vegan, us almond milk.
- Irish Cream: I used Bailey’s, but you can use any variety of Irish cream liqueur.
- Eggs: When I bake, I primarily use large eggs
Frosting Ingredients
- Fat: I used a combination of cream cheese and butter for this frosting.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioner’s sugar and icing sugar.
- Irish Cream: I used Bailey’s, but you can use any variety of Irish cream liqueur.
- Coffee: You can use instant, brewed, even espresso. Just be sure that it is room temperature when you are ready to add it to your frosting.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder. This adds a touch of color more than flavor.
Step-by-step directions
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- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda.
- Mix oil and sugar. Using a stand or hand mixer, combine olive oil and sugar until fluffy like wet sand.
- Add remaining wet ingredients. Mix in vanilla extract, milk and Baileys. Mix in eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl to combine thoroughly.
- Add dry ingredients. Add half of the flour mixture into sugar mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Mix in the remaining half of flour mixture until just blended. Do not over mix.
- Bake cupcakes. Apply non-stick spray to a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper cups. Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan and bake at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes, or until cupcake tops are a lightly browned.
- Cool cupcakes. Let the cupcakes rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting. While cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment mix powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, remaining 2 teaspoon Baileys Irish Cream, coffee, vanilla extract and cocoa powder until well combined.
- Decorate cupcakes. Allow frosting to chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before using on the cupcakes. Garnish with shaved chocolate, sifted cocoa powder or chocolate jimmies.
Recipe tips and FAQs
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy
I frosted the cupcakes using the #1M piping tip. You don’t have to go fancy with a piping bag. You can also use an icing spatula or a regular ole butter knife.
There is just enough frosting to ice the 12 cupcakes. So if you want to go crazy with mile high frosting, you might want to make 1 ½ to 2 times the amount listed in the recipe below.
If you’re a fan of Irish Cream, then you must try my Dark Chocolate Baileys Mousse or my chocolate eggnog that tastes just like homemade Baileys!
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Because these cupcakes are frosted with cream cheese as well as butter, you need to store the extras in refrigerator. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze cupcakes. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
The alcohol added in the cupcakes does bake out, but the flavor remains. But with the frosting, the alcohol from the Baileys remains. Don’t worry. There isn’t enough alcohol in the frosting to make you drunk.
If you have a lot of work for a party and want to spread the work over a couple of days, you can bake the cupcakes the day before serving them. But don’t frost them until the day of your event. Store the unfrosted cupcakes at room temperature covered with a clean dish towel.
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Baileys Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 teaspoon Baileys Irish Cream
- 2 large eggs
Frosting Ingredients
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup butter
- 4 teaspoon Baileys Irish Cream
- 2 teaspoon brewed coffee cooled
- ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
Cupcake Directions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Apply non-stick spray to a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper cups.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, combine olive oil and sugar until fluffy like wet sand.
- Mix in vanilla extract, milk and 4 teaspoon Baileys Irish Cream.
- Add eggs scraping down bowl as needed.
- Add half of the flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Mix in the remaining half of flour mixture until just blended.
- Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until cupcake tops are a lightly browned.
- Let the cupcakes rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Decorating Directions
- While cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting.
- Using a hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment whip butter and cream cheese until smooth and airy.
- Mix in powdered sugar, remaining 2 teaspoon Baileys Irish Cream, coffee and cocoa powder until well combined.
- Allow frosting to chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before using on the cupcakes.
- Garnish with shaved chocolate, sifted cocoa powder or chocolate jimmies.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Bailey’s has such a delightful flavor! So I know these cupcakes taste, well, delightful. 🙂 Really, really nice — thanks.
i don't like football…
but i loooveee desserts.
awesome recipes!