Pin It!

Bailey’s Ice Cream Cake

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details

A boozy ice cream cake is always a treat. This Baileys Ice Cream Cake has layers of chocolate cake, no-churn ice cream, chocolate ganache, and whipped cream topping. There’s Baileys Irish Cream in almost every layer.

If you love ice cream cake, try this Easy Chocolate Ice Cream Cake or Oreo Ice Cream Cake.

A St. Patrick’s Day Dessert Recipe

If you have been around for a while you know how much I love boozy desserts. I have to say I’ve really outdone myself this time. There’s Baileys in nearly every layer of this dessert and I promise you won’t be able to say no to an extra bite.

This ice cream cake is a layer of homemade chocolate cake, a no-churn ice cream, chocolate ganache, and whipped cream. The ice cream, ganache, and whipped cream are all spiked with Baileys, and I am here for it.

If you’re looking at this dessert and thinking “oh I could never make that”, I’m here to tell you that you can. A tall cake pan and some mixing bowls if all you need.

There are a lot of tips included below to show you how to assemble this ice cream cake and I will walk you through every step.

A Baileys Ice Cream Cake is obviously appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day but consider adding this to your Thanksgiving dessert table, or for a Saturday lady’s night. Might just be me, but a slice of this cake with a cup of coffee is also right up my alley.

A layered ice cream cake on a serving plate with a slice missing

Ingredients Needed For This Cake

There are 4 layers for this cake, but you really can do whatever you want with the toppings.

For the Chocolate Cake:

  • Granulated sugar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Sour cream
  • All-purpose flour
  • Cocoa powder- I love Hershey’s Special Dark but any cocoa powder will work
  • Baking powder and Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Brewed coffee– you won’t taste the coffee flavor but it enhances the chocolate flavor. A good substtitue would be milk.

For the Ice Cream

  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Powdered sugar
  • Full-fat cream cheese- should be softened to room temperature
  • Granulated sugar
  • Baileys Irish Cream
  • Pure vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Ganache

  • Dark chocolate- you can use either a bar or chocolate chips but I prefer a chocolate bar
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Baileys Irish Cream

For the Whipped Cream Topping

  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Powdered sugar
  • Baileys Irish Cream
A whole Baileys Ice Cream Cake on a cake plate with silver forks beside it

How to an Make Ice Cream Cake

I am going to break this down layer by layer. Make and cool the cake first before you make the ice cream. The cake can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Make the Cake First:

Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and grease & dust the edges with a combination of flour and cocoa powder. This ensures you can remove the cake layer from the pan.

Combine sugar & wet ingredients: Beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Until well incorporated. Next mix in the sour cream and beat until well combined.

Add the dry Ingredients and Coffee: In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, this will help them to incorporate better. Add half of the dry ingredients and half the coffee and mix just until the flour starts to incorporate. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Mix the batter with a spatula.

Bake: This will bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely.

How to Make No-Churn Ice Cream:

Prepare a batch of whipped cream: Chill the bowl for a couple of minutes (5 minutes in the freezer is all you need!) then beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Next, add the powdered sugar and continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Set it aside.

Beat the Cream Cheese and Sugar: Beat the softened cream cheese until it’s completely smooth and free of lumps. Next, add the granulated sugar and the vanilla extract and continue beating until well mixed.

Then, mix in the Baileys until it’s well combined then fold in the prepared whipped cream and stir together until it’s fully incorporated.

How to Build an Ice Cream Cake

Prepare the pan: Line an 8-inch springform pan (or cake pan) with parchment paper or an 8-inch cake board on the bottom. For the side, I recommend using a cake collar. If you don’t have one of those, then use plastic wrap. Place it under the cake board and up the sides of the pan. If you need to see a photo of the plastic-wrapped one, you can see how I did it for this ice cream cake.

A top down view of a cake pan prepared with cake collars

Build the cake: You can choose to cut off the dome of the cake or not. With an ice cream cake, it doesn’t matter as much. Transfer the cake layer to an 8-inch springform pan. You can see for my cake, I didn’t level it very much. Pour the prepared ice cream over the cake, spread evenly.

a single layer of chocolate with the dome cut off

Chill: Freeze for at least 30-60 minutes before adding the ganache. The full cake needs 2-4 hours to fully freeze before serving and the ganache can be added at any time.

Make the Chocolate Ganache Topping

Melt the chocolate: Combine the chocolate with the heavy whipping cream and Baileys. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments and stir until it’s melted and smooth. Cool it a bit before pouring it over the cake. Pour the chocolate over the top of the ice cream layer and spread evenly. Return the cake to the freezer until the ganache has been set.

Make the Whipped Cream Topping

Prepare a batch of whipped cream: First chill the bowl for a few minutes beat the heavy cream at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the Baileys and the powdered sugar and continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe the border on the outside edge of the cake.

Tips for Slicing Ice Cream Cake

Let it sit on the counter: I take my cake out of the freezer 15-30 minutes before slicing. It doesn’t melt like traditional ice cream, and I find it’s easier to eat.

Use a hot knife: Run a sharp knife under hot water until it’s warm then dry if off. Repeat every time you cut into the cake for best results.

A slice of Baileys Ice Cream Cake with a bite misisng

How to Store an Ice Cream Cake

If you are using a springform pan, the easiest way to store the cake is to place the cake back in the pan and then wrap the top with plastic wrap. If you have an airtight cake carrier this is another great option for storing a cake in the freezer. Once you slice it, place a piece of plastic wrap up against the cake to help prevent the edges from drying out.

How Long Does Ice Cream Cake Last?

This stays fresh for 5-7 days in the freezer.

Time Saving Tips

The cake can be baked in advance for 2-3 days or you can pre-freeze the cake for up to one month. To pre-freeze, the cake, be sure to cool it completely, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. When ready, unwrap the cake, prepare the ice cream and assemble according to the instructions.

Print
A close up of a slice of Bailey's Ice Cream Cake

Baileys Ice Cream Cake

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 60 minutes
  • Chill Time: 4 Hours
  • Cook Time: 28 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 hours 28 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 Servings

Description

This Baileys Ice Cream Cake has layers of chocolate cake, no-churn ice cream, chocolate ganache and whipped cream topping. There’s Baileys Irish Cream in almost every layer. 

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • ¾ cup (143g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (59ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (48g) sour cream
  • 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (28g) cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s Special Dark)
  • 1 ¼ (5g) teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup (158ml) brewed coffee

For the Ice Cream

  • 1 1/4 cup (325ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup (65g) powdered sugar
  • 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup (95g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (78ml) Baileys Irish Cream
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Ganache

  • 2 ounces dark chocolate (chocolate bar or chips)
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) Baileys Irish Cream

For the Whipped Cream Topping

  • 1 cup (236ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup (65g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) Baileys Irish Cream

Instructions

For the Cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and grease & dust the edges with a combination of flour and cocoa powder.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Next mix in the sour cream until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Then alternate adding half the dry ingredients followed by half of the coffee and mix just until the flour starts to incorporate. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
  4. Bake at 350°F for 28-30 minutes. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Cool Completely.

For the Ice Cream

  1. Prepare a batch of whipped cream. Chill the bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Beat the cream at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Set it aside.
  2. To soften the cream cheese in the microwave, unwrap and microwave on a plate for 15-20 seconds. Beat the softened cream cheese until it’s completely smooth and free of lumps. Next, add the granulated sugar and the vanilla extract and continue beating until well mixed.
  3. Next, mix in the Baileys until it’s well combined then fold in the prepared whipped cream and stir together until it’s fully incorporated.

To Assemble

  1. Prepare the pan. Line an 8-inch springform pan (or cake pan) with parchment paper or an 8-inch cake board. Line the sides of the pan with a cake collar or plastic wrap placed under the cake board and up the sides of the pan.
  2. Cut the dome off the top of the cake so it’s relatively flat on top. Transfer the cake layer to an 8-inch springform pan.
  3. Pour the prepared ice cream over the cake, spread evenly, and freeze for at least 30-60 minutes before adding the ganache. The full cake needs 2-4 hours to fully freeze before serving.

For the Chocolate Ganache

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy whipping cream and Baileys. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments and stir until completely melted. Allow to cool completely.
  2. Pour the chocolate over the top of the ice cream layer and spread evenly. Return the cake to the freezer until the ganache has been set.

For the Topping

  1. Prepare a batch of whipped cream by chilling the bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Beat the heavy cream at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the Baileys and the powdered sugar and continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe the border on the outside edge of the cake.

Equipment

Notes

To slice: Let it sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes before slicing. It doesn’t melt like traditional ice cream, and I find it’s easier to eat. Run a sharp knife under hot water until it’s warm, dry if off, and repeat it every time you slice the cake.

For the ganache: you can use either a bar or chocolate chips but I prefer a chocolate bar.

Nutrition Information:
1 Slice
596
42.6 g
260.6 mg
39.3 g
55.8 g
1.5 g
6.9 g
130.8 mg
  • Category: Ice Cream
  • Method: Freezer
  • Cuisine: American
5 BAKE FROM SCRATCH SECRETS!
Subscribe to my newsletter and get my fav tips to take your cakes & cupcakes to the next level.