The Ultimate Baileys Chocolate Mud Cake

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The ultimate Bailey’s chocolate mud cake! This fudgy cake is soft and moist with two layers of Bailey’s chocolate sponge cake and a Bailey’s chocolate ganache frosting and filling. The perfect easy cake for special occasions from St Patrick’s Day to Birthday parties to Christmas!

baileys chocolate mud layer cake with baileys chocolate ganache frosting and filling.

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✏️ Recipe creation
🥘 Ingredients
♻️ Substitutions / Variations
📖 Method
🎥 Recipe video
💭 Top tips
❔ Recipe FAQs
🧁 Other goodies
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

✏️ Recipe creation

I love Bailey’s Irish cream, it’s perfect for adding to desserts and sweet treats for adults. Just check out my other Bailey’s desserts like these best Bailey’s cupcakes with this creamy Bailey’s buttercream!

I wanted to create a Bailey’s dessert that was full of chocolate-y goodness. That’s why this homemade Bailey’s fudge cake has a deliciously soft Bailey’s chocolate sponge with a rich Bailey’s ganache (from a favourite recipe!).

It’s an easy Bailey’s cake recipe that’s great for parties and celebrations, especially St Patrick’s Day, Birthdays, New Year’s Eve or even Christmas!

I also love bringing this Bailey’s Irish cream chocolate cake to a potluck or dinner party with friends – goes down a boozy treat!

🥘 Ingredients

This chocolate Bailey’s cake recipe calls for the following ingredients:

1. Bailey's chocolate cake:

Vegetable oil: or other neutral-flavoured oil.
Eggs: large size, room temperature for ease of mixing.
White sugar: finely granulated such as caster sugar.
Vanilla extract: use extract or paste over essence for the best flavour.
Milk: full-fat or semi-skimmed for a creamier consistency.
Cocoa powder: unsweetened type for baking (not drinking) e.g. dutch-processed.
Plain all-purpose flour: sieve for a smooth cake batter.
Baking powder: always check the expiry date before use or the cake won’t rise.
Hot coffee
Bailey’s Irish cream: use Original Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur or any flavour of your choice.

2. Bailey's chocolate ganache:

Dark semi-sweet chocolate: use cooking chocolate or melting wafers for ease of melting.
Heavy cream: e.g. double cream.
Bailey’s Irish cream

See the recipe card for quantities.

Top tip: For accuracy, it’s best to weigh your ingredients rather than using cups.

baileys chocolate mud layer cake with baileys chocolate ganache frosting sliced.

♻️ Substitutions / Variations

Ingredient substitutions

Instead of white sugar, you can use golden caster sugar or light brown soft sugar.

You can swap the all-purpose plain flour for self-raising flour and reduce the baking powder to using only 1 ½ teaspoon instead.

You can use fresh hot coffee for this recipe, or 2 teaspoon instant coffee dissolved into 100ml (½ cup) hot water instead. Either caffeinated or decaf works great.

Flavour options

You can use any flavour of Bailey’s Irish cream for a tasty twist, but my favourite is the Bailey’s Original. You can also swap this for any brand of Irish cream liqueur.

For more Irish cheer, you can swap the Baileys in the sponge cake mixture for Guinness stout beer. Great for a St Patrick’s Day cake!

Alternatively, for all the coffee fans out there, swap the Bailey’s in the sponge cakes for Kahlua coffee liqueur. With the coffee hint already in the chocolate sponge, it turns it into a deliciously boozy coffee chocolate Bailey’s cake!

If you love Bailey’s but want a less fudgy chocolate cake, you can swap the chocolate Baileys frosting for my easy Bailey’s buttercream – light, fluffy and deliciously moreish!

📖 Method

Bailey's chocolate cake

Preheat oven: 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F

Steps 1 - 2: In a mixing bowl, beat the oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla and milk together until fully combined.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, sieve in the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder and whisk them together.

Step 4: Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring together as you pour until just combined. There may be a few small lumps left, but that’s ok.

baileys chocolate cake sponge recipe method steps 5 to 8.

Steps 5 - 6: Slowly add the hot coffee into the cake batter, mixing as you pour until the liquid has only just combined, then stir in the Bailey’s Irish cream.

Step 7: Divide the mixture evenly between the two greased and lined 8-inch cake pans and bake for 25-30mins until risen, springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.

Step 8: Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 15mins before moving them to a wire rack to cool further.

Bailey's chocolate ganache

baileys chocolate cake ganache recipe method steps 9 to 12.

Step 9: Heat the cream in the microwave hot but not boiling (30secs at a time) and pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate, allowing this to sit for 10mins.

Stir the ganache until smooth. If some pieces of chocolate remain unmelted, heat the mix in the microwave for 10secs and stir again. Repeat until your ganache is smooth and lump-free.

Step 10: Stir in the Bailey’s Irish cream until smooth.

Steps 11 - 12: Let your ganache set uncovered at room temperature for 1hr until you get a thick spreadable consistency like smooth peanut butter.

Assembly

Step 13: Once the cake sponges have cooled, place one onto a flat plate or cake board.

Step 14: Spread on roughly ⅓ of your Baileys’s ganache and then place the second sponge on top, pressing down gently.

Steps 15 - 16: Cover the cake (top and sides) in the rest of the ganache, smoothing lightly with a spatula, then enjoy!

🎥 Recipe video

Check out the recipe video below for how to make the best Baileys chocolate fudge cake!

💭 Top tips

For soft and fluffy Bailey’s chocolate fudge cake sponges, try not to overmix your cake batter once you’ve added the baking powder.
Position your cake pans in the centre of the oven where possible for an even bake and don’t open mid-bake to prevent sinkholes.
Your chocolate Bailey's sponges are cooked once they’re risen and springy to the touch. An inserted toothpick or skewer should come out clean from the middle.
For the Bailey’s ganache, use dark semi-sweet chocolate from the baking aisle for ease of melting. Make sure to break your chocolate into small, even pieces if you don’t use chocolate chips.
Melt your chocolate slowly for the ganache, using no more than 20sec bursts in the microwave to prevent it from burning or separating.
You can whip your ganache for a soft and light frosting for your chocolate Baileys mud cake. Simply beat with an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer) for several minutes until pale and fluffy.
I like to keep my Bailey’s ganache cake simple and rustic looking, but you can decorate it with chocolate shavings or melted white chocolate drizzle.
You can serve your fudgy chocolate Bailey’s Irish cream cake warm by heating each slice in the microwave for roughly 30secs. This will melt your ganache into a delicious Bailey’s chocolate sauce! Add a scoop of ice cream and enjoy.

❔ Recipe FAQs

How long does homemade Bailey’s chocolate cake last?

Your Bailey’s chocolate cake should last for up 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or up to 5 days stored in the fridge. Allow the cake to come up to room temperature before eating for a softer texture.

Can you freeze Bailey’s chocolate cake?

Yes! You can freeze your frosted or unfrosted Bailey’s chocolate cake cut into pieces and wrapped in two layers of cling film and a layer of foil for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and enjoy!

Is cake flour the same as plain flour or self-raising flour?

No, cake flour is actually different to both plain flour and self-raising flour. It has a different composition and your cake will have a different consistency if you use it.