The best Bailey’s Irish cream ganache for frosting and filling cakes, cupcakes, chocolates, macarons, brownies and more! This Baileys ganache recipe is a rich and easy chocolate ganache using 3-ingredients and a microwave.
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✏️ Why you'll love this recipe
Bailey’s irish cream liqueur is a deliciously creamy alcohol and it tastes delicious infusing into sweets and desserts for adults.
This easy Irish cream ganache recipe makes a thick and creamy, boozy chocolate Baileys frosting. It has so many uses too!
I love using Baileys ganache to frost cakes and cupcakes, like my best ever Bailey’s chocolate fudge cake – makes an amazing Baileys chocolate birthday cake!
Bailey’s Irish cream ganache is also great for filling macarons and chocolates like filled bonbons. I also love rolling it into balls for these easy Baileys ganache truffles.
Serve warm for a deliciously decadent Baileys chocolate sauce – great for topping pancakes at a boozy brunch or ice cream at a dinner party. I also love dipping fresh fruit like strawberries.
Turn any of your desserts into a boozy Bailey’s delight with this Baileys chocolate frosting, perfect for special occasions like St Patrick’s Day, Christmas, New Year's Eve and birthday parties!
🥘 Ingredients
This Bailey’s irish cream ganache recipe calls for the following ingredients:
- Dark semi-sweet chocolate: use cooking chocolate or melting wafers for ease of melting.
- Heavy cream: e.g. double cream.
- Bailey’s Irish cream: use Original Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur or any flavour of your choice.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Top tip: For accuracy, it’s best to weigh your ingredients rather than using cups.
♻️ Substitutions / Variations
You can use any flavour of Bailey’s Irish cream, but my favourite is the Bailey’s Original Irish cream Liqueur. You can also swap this for any brand of Irish cream liqueur.
If you like your frostings quite sweet, you can also add 1-3 tablespoon of white sugar to your ganache after you’ve heated the chocolate and cream together.
📖 Method
Step 1: 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 2: Stir in the Bailey’s Irish cream until smooth.
Steps 3 - 4: Let your ganache set uncovered at room temperature for 1hr until you get a thick spreadable consistency like smooth peanut butter, then enjoy!
🎥 Recipe video
Check out the recipe video below for how to make the best Baileys ganache!
💭 Top tips
- For the best 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 melting 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 Baileys ganache for a soft and light frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Simply beat with an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer) for several minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Heat your Bailey’s chocolate ganache in the microwave for 30secs for a deliciously warm Bailey’s chocolate sauce to drizzle over your treats.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Your Bailey’s ganache should last for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Allow the ganache to come up to room temperature before use if using it for frosting, filling, spreading, etc.
Yes! You can freeze your Bailey’s ganache in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost, re-beat if needed and enjoy!
If your Baileys ganache is too thick to pipe or spread, you can thin it by stirring in warmed cream 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s the right consistency for use.
If your Baileys ganache is too thin once fully cooled, then melt the ganache in 20 second bursts in the microwave. In a separate bowl, melt an extra 50g / ⅓ cup of chocolate and beat this into your melted ganache until smooth. Allow it to cool and set again before use.
Yes, you can warm Baileys irish cream in the microwave (takes roughly 30secs).
However, if you’re making ganache with your Bailey’s, it’s best to add it without heating, after the hot cream has melted the chocolate and been stirred together.
🧁 Other goodies
Looking for some more easy desserts?
If you’re a fan of Bailey’s desserts, you might also like these boozy recipes:
- Easy Bailey's fudge cake
- Irish cream chocolate truffles
- Bailey’s Oreo brownies
- Red velvet Bailey’s brownies
- No-bake Bailey's chocolate cheesecake
- Easy Baileys buttercream
Check out these tasty desserts for ideas on what to frost with your chocolate Baileys ganache:
- Baileys cupcakes – swap the baileys buttercream for this baileys ganache frosting.
- Bailey's white chocolate cheesecake - Pour over your cooled Bailey's ganache before it fully sets.
- Chocolate orange cake – swap out the chocolate orange ganache for this Baileys chocolate frosting recipe.
- Triple chocolate brownies – top your brownies with this boozy ganache!
- Whiskey caramel cupcakes – use the ganache as a Bailey’s cupcake filling!
For more tasty frosting ideas check out my full collection of the best frosting and fillings recipes.
Looking forward to some new recipes? Check out my Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages for a few sneak peeks and some sweet inspiration!
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📋 Recipe
Bailey's Chocolate Ganache
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Equipment
- Microwave
- Heatproof mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 300 g (2 cups) semisweet dark chocolate broken into pieces
- 220 ml (1 cups) heavy cream e.g. double cream
- 80 ml (⅓ cups) Baileys Irish cream
Instructions
- 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, microwave for 10secs and stir again. Repeat until your ganache is smooth and lump-free.
- Stir in the Bailey’s until smooth.
- Let your ganache set uncovered at room temperature for 1hr until you get a thick spreadable consistency like smooth peanut butter, then enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use good quality baking chocolate from the cooking aisle for ease of melting.
- Melt your chocolate slowly, microwaving in 20sec bursts to prevent it from burning or separating.
- You can whip your Baileys ganache for a soft and light frosting. Beat it with an electric mixer for several minutes until pale and fluffy.
- For a warm Baileys chocolate sauce, heat your ganache in the microwave for 30secs and drizzle over your treats.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator, actual values may vary.
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