Wanna elevate your baked goods with a boozy frosting that’s worthy of licking off a spoon? This Irish Cream Buttercream uses the popular liqueur to instantly and easily bring bold flavor!
As a busy mom with a serious sweet tooth, I love whipping up an easy homemade element for my bakes to give it a little something extra without too much effort. And with only 3 ingredients, one bowl, and 5 minutes required, this recipe passes the vibe check!
Plus, adding a homemade element like this simple buttercream (or this Naturally Pink Raspberry Buttercream!) to cake, cupcakes, brownies, and more, can make it taste completely homemade, even if you bake the base from a box.
P.S. See my post on How to Elevate Boxed Cake Mix if this sentiment speaks to you!
Irish Cream Frosting Ingredients
Here’s everything you need:
- Irish Cream. Like Bailey’s or Five Farms (I used Five Farms in the buttercream pictured in this post).
- Unsalted butter. Though salted butter works in a pinch.
- Powdered sugar.
Buttercream with Irish Cream Tips and Tricks
How to Make Buttercream with Baileys Irish Cream
The key here is to make sure your butter is softened. It’s easiest to grab the butter from the fridge and place it on the counter ahead of time so it comes to room temperature naturally. If you don’t have the time to wait, check out this resource on How to Soften Butter Quickly.
It’s also best if the Irish Cream is at room temperature, but this is not a dealbreaker if you’re storing it in the fridge.
Add the softened butter and room temperature Irish Cream to a large mixing bowl and use a hand or stand mixer on high to beat it together until smooth and well-combined.
You may want to start with your mixer on slow and then gradually bring up the speed to reduce the risk of splashing the liquid out of your bowl.
Then, add about 1 ¾ cup of powdered sugar and beat to combine until smooth. Assess the consistency. If it’s too thin, continue to slowly add up to an additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar until the thickness is right.
Pro tip: When it comes to powdered sugar, sifting is always best practice to avoid lumps. If you don’t want to sift, you can push the lumps of sugar against the bowl with a rubber spatula to help integrate them.
If for some reason it gets too thick, you can add an extra splash of Irish Cream or milk to get it just right.
Serving and Storing Your Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting
Perfect for cupcakes, cakes, brownies, and more, this recipe for boozy buttercream will help you bring the unique flavor of Irish cream to all of your baked goods!
It’s easy to spread or pipe, whatever you prefer!
Buttercream is safe to store at room temperature for 2 days. So, if you’re making this a day ahead of time for an occasion, you can leave it out and serve it within that 48-hour period.
However, as with most frostings, your buttercream should be stored long-term in the fridge. When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will last for about 10 days.
You can also freeze buttercream for 3-6 months in a freezer safe bag. Just make sure it has time to thaw naturally before you use it.
3-Ingredient Irish Cream Buttercream
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 3 tablespoons Irish Cream (like Baileys or Five Farms, preferably at room temperature)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl., add softened butter and Irish Cream and use a hand or stand mixer to beat until well-combined. You may want to start with your mixer on low and gradually increase the speed to avoid splashing.½ cup unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons Irish Cream
- Sift in about 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar and beat again until well-combined. Asses the consistency. If it's too thin, slowly add up to ¼ cup more powdered sugar until you are happy with the thickness. Spread or pipe!2 cups powdered sugar
Pro Tips
- If the buttercream gets too thick, you can always thin it out with an extra splash of Irish Cream or milk.
