This tender and buttery Irish Coffee Cake is everything you could ask for in a breakfast pastry, with a moist crumb, rich brown sugar streusel, and Irish cream icing. Hints of espresso powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and almond come together to add just the right balance of flavors, for a delicious cake that will pair perfectly with your favorite cup of coffee. Although it’s fair game for any morning, this coffee cake is especially suited for St. Patrick’s Day breakfast!
While coffee cake’s origin is somewhat ambiguous, I’d say there’s a strong consensus that coffee cake is simply meant to be served with coffee. And since Irish cream liqueur (of the Baileys variety or otherwise) is another favorite coffee companion, it seems only natural to combine the two into the ultimate breakfast pastry: an Irish coffee cake!
What is Irish Coffee Cake Anyway?
Inspired by traditional Irish coffee, which is made with a combination of hot coffee, sugar, Irish whiskey, and cream, this recipe is an attempt to incorporate those flavors into a classic coffee cake. It has the basic elements you know and love - buttery cake and sweet crumb topping - but rather than cinnamon being the dominant flavor, Irish cream (which is made with Irish whiskey) plays the starring role. Think of it like a Baileys coffee cake - the ultimate sweet treat for St. Patrick's Day breakfast!
Recipe Highlights
Here’s what you can look forward to with this particular Irish cream coffee cake recipe:
- Moist, tender cake - Using butter in this cake gives it a soft, rich texture, with enough density to hold up to a thick streusel topping
- PLENTY of streusel - Coffee cake is all about the crumb topping, and this one is perfection. With just the right amount of brown sugar sweetness, vanilla and espresso powder, and a touch of cinnamon, it’s big on texture and packed with flavor.
- Irish cream in every bite - True to its name, there’s Irish cream in the cake itself, the streusel, and the icing! While its not an overwhelming flavor, it’s definitely prominent enough to set this recipe apart from your average coffee cake. All its missing is a homemade Baileys latte to seal the deal!
Ingredients in Irish Coffee Cake
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need for this easy Baileys Irish cream coffee cake recipe. Keep reading for a few important ingredient notes, and check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts!
Flour: Regular or gluten-free all-purpose flour can be used. If using gluten-free flour, always make sure it includes a binder (such as xanthan or guar gum) in the ingredients list.
Espresso Powder: This helps emphasize the coffee flavor contributed by the Irish cream; you can use my homemade espresso powder or any store-bought variety of instant espresso powder.
Vanilla Powder: I used Nielsen Massey’s Pure Vanilla Powder to add to the flavor of the streusel in this coffee cake. You can also use vanilla bean powder - which is just ground vanilla beans.
Butter: I like salted butter in this recipe, and I actually think this is a great time to splurge on the good stuff (like an Irish butter!) If unsalted butter is all you have, just increase the salt in the cake to a full teaspoon. Keep in mind that while the streusel calls for melted butter, the cake itself calls for room temperature butter.
Irish cream: In case you’re unfamiliar with it, Irish cream is a liqueur made from a blend of Irish whiskey and cream. Baileys is the most widely available brand in stores, but any brand will work! Or, you can make a DIY version with my homemade Irish cream recipe.
If you keep your Irish cream in the fridge, set aside the ½ cup you’ll need for the cake batter and allow it to come to room temperature before you start baking. If you want to make this cake without alcohol, check out the FAQs lower in this post for my suggestions.
Eggs: As always, I used large eggs for this coffee cake. Make sure they’re at room temperature, since cold eggs (or other ingredients) can disrupt the emulsion of properly creamed butter and sugar.
Buttermilk: Per the point above, your buttermilk should also be at room temperature for this recipe!
Cream Cheese: A small amount of cream cheese - rather than butter - acts as the base for the icing on this coffee cake. For best results, I always suggest using a block of cream cheese (rather than a spread) when baking.
How to Make Irish Coffee Cake:
There are three elements to this recipe - streusel, cake, and icing - made in that order. Don’t let that overwhelm you though; each component is relatively simple!
For the Streusel:
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, espresso powder, vanilla powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the melted butter, and then mix in the Irish cream, until everything comes together into a damp, crumbly mixture.
For the Cake:
Step one: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9” round springform pan (or any similar pan with a removable bottom) and dust the bottom and sides with flour. For tips on doing this, check out my post on how to grease and line a cake tin.
Step two: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
Step three: In the bowl of a stand mixer using the wire whip attachment - or using a large bowl and handheld electric mixer - beat together softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and fluffy.
Beat in the two room temperature eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula as needed.
Adding Eggs to Creamed Butter and Sugar
If the butter and sugar mixture takes on a curdled appearance once you add the eggs, your eggs were most likely too cold. But don’t worry! If you just keep beating the mixture, it should smooth out again.
Step four: Add vanilla and almond extract to the wet ingredients in the mixer.
With the mixer on its lowest speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk. Once partially combined, add another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the Irish cream.
Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and continue to mix just until everything is evenly combined - don’t overmix. Scrape down the bowl and beater with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. The batter will be fairly thick.
Step five: Transfer half of the cake batter to your prepared pan, smoothing it out in an even layer with an offset spatula. Spread about half of the streusel mixture over the batter, pressing the mixture into large crumbs as you go.
Use your palm to gently press the streusel layer into the batter - just slightly! Then, spread the remaining batter on top of the cake. Finally, top this layer with the remaining streusel.
Step six: Bake your Irish coffee cake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack before carefully removing the cake from the pan and icing.
For the Irish Cream Icing:
Step one: In a small, microwave-safe mixing bowl, microwave cream cheese for about 30 seconds, or just long enough to soften it. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar (aka powdered sugar) and salt. Add the Irish cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and whisk until smooth.
Step two: Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe icing onto the cooled cake.
How to Store Coffee Cake
This cake is best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Cover any exposed areas of the inside of the cake with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. The cake should stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Storing cake in the refrigerator tends to dry it out at a faster pace, so I recommend avoiding this whenever possible.
Recipe FAQ:
Yes! To maintain some of the Irish cream flavor without using alcohol, I would suggest substituting the Irish cream in the streusel and icing with an equivalent amount of Irish cream coffee creamer. For the cake itself, just increase the buttermilk to ⅔ cup.
While I haven’t tried freezing this cake, I don’t think it would be a problem. I would suggest wrapping the cake in a double-layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil, and freezing for up to 3 months.
Although instant coffee granules are not the same thing as instant espresso, either would work well in this recipe. If you want to use instant coffee instead, it needs to be dissolved in a liquid rather than mixed directly into your dry ingredients. To accomplish this, you can mix the instant coffee with the Irish cream for the streusel, and with the buttermilk for the cake.
More Irish-Inspired Recipes Like This Baileys Coffee Cake
Here are a few of my favorite picks that feature a combination of Irish cream, Irish stout, and Irish whiskey!
Have you made this recipe?
If so, I'd love to hear your feedback; you can leave a rating and review in the comments section below! It's also so helpful if you help spread the word by sharing this post on your favorite social media channel. If you happen to snap a photo of what you've baked, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me (@brighteyedbaker) so I can give you a shoutout!
Recipe Card
Irish Coffee Cake
This tender and buttery Irish Coffee Cake has a moist crumb, rich brown sugar streusel, and Irish cream icing. Hints of espresso powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and almond come together to add just the right balance of flavors, for a delicious cake that any coffee lover will enjoy!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes (up to 55 minutes)
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes (up to 20 minutes)
- Yield: one 9" coffee cake 1x
- Category: cakes and cupcakes
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1 ¼ cups, spoon and level (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup, packed (106 grams) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
Cake
- 2 cups, spoon and level (240 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 grams) salted butter, room temperature, plus extra for pan
- ⅜ cup, packed (80 grams) brown sugar
- ⅜ cup (74 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup (113 grams) Irish cream liqueur, room temperature
Irish Cream Icing
- 1 ounce (28 grams) cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (38 grams) Irish cream liqueur
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (19 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
Instructions
Streusel
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, espresso powder, vanilla powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the melted butter, and then mix in the Irish cream, until everything comes together into a damp, crumbly mixture.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9” round springform pan (or any similar pan with a removable bottom) and dust the bottom and sides with flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the wire whip attachment (or using a handheld electric mixer) beat together softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and fluffy. Beat in the two room temperature eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula as needed. If the mixture looks curdled, just continue to beat until it smooths out again.
- Add vanilla and almond extract to the mixer. With mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk. Once partially combined, add another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the Irish cream.Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and continue to mix just until everything is evenly combined - don’t overmix. Scrape down the bowl and beater with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. The batter will be fairly thick.
- Transfer half of cake batter to prepared pan, smoothing it out in an even layer with an offset spatula. Spread about half of the streusel mixture over the batter, pressing into large crumbs as you go. Use your palm to gently press the streusel layer into the batter. Then, spread the remaining batter on top of the cake. Finally, top this layer with the remaining streusel.
- Bake Irish coffee cake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack before carefully removing cake from pan and adding icing.
Irish Cream Icing
- In a small, microwave-safe mixing bowl, microwave cream cheese for about 30 seconds, or just long enough to soften. Whisk in confectioners' sugar and salt. Add Irish cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and whisk until smooth.
- Transfer icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Pipe icing onto cooled cake.
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Regular or gluten-free all-purpose flour can be used. If using gluten-free flour, always make sure it includes a binder (such as xanthan or guar gum) in the ingredients list.
- Vanilla powder or vanilla bean powder can be used for the streusel.
- If using unsalted butter, increase the salt in the cake to a full teaspoon.
- Using a block of cream cheese (rather than a spread) is best for this recipe.
Storing:
- Cake is best stored in an airtight container at room temperature, and should stay fresh for up to 5 days. Cover any exposed areas of the inside of the cake with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
To Make Without Alcohol:
- Substitute the Irish cream in the streusel and icing with an equivalent amount of Irish cream coffee creamer. For the cake, increase the buttermilk to ⅔ cup.
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Sandra
You are truly a professional! I have never ever tasted such a good coffee cake in my entire life. Thank you. The pictures are gorgeous, too, of course!