Baileys Irish Cream Frosting
There’s hardly a way you can go wrong when combining large amounts of butter and sugar, but when you add Baileys Irish Cream there’s definitely no way it can go wrong! This whiskey and cream flavored frosting is velvety soft, not too sweet, and a fun twist on a traditional buttercream. Making frosting from scratch is just as easy as running out to pick up a can of it. Once you taste this Bailey’s Irish cream frosting, you’ll be making excuses to put it on everything!
A Few Frosting basics…
There’s several different kinds of frostings. Regions generally have their own style of frosting, like Swiss, French, Italian, German, and of course, we have American buttercream. Each version has its own production method and ingredients, but if you’ve never made frosting from scratch, American buttercream is a great place to start!
What is American Buttercream (ABC)…
American buttercream is three standard ingredients – butter, confectioners sugar, and your choice of flavoring. Depending on how thick you want your buttercream, you may add some liquid like water, milk, or juice. Shortening can also be used in place of or combined with the butter, which makes it less likely to melt and is cheaper, but can effect the taste.
One extra ingredient I always include in my buttercream – no matter which kind – is salt. I find it’s necessary to balance out the sugar. I’m not a huge fan of super sweet frostings, and given the choice, I normally opt for Swiss meringue buttercream for that reason. However, adding a pinch of salt to American Buttercream makes this more than just a mouthful of sugar and fat.
Flavoring buttercream…
There’s several ways to flavor American buttercream. There are the typical extracts and super intense flavored candy oils. I love the oils because they come in an endless variety of flavors, and a little goes a long way! You can also add melted chocolate, or steep espresso powder in the liquid. You can fold in caramel, peanut butter, lemon curd, fruit purées, and even pastry cream! Adding a flavored liquid like fruit juices and liquors are also a great way to flavor the frosting! While plain buttercream certainly has its place, there’s no reason to settle, when you can elevate it with an additional ingredient!
Coloring ABC…
Gel or powdered coloring work best for dying your buttercream. Liquid coloring affects the texture by adding moisture, and could make the frosting too loose. True American buttercream made with butter is going to have a natural yellow tint to it (unless you make your own butter). When picking your color, make sure to take that into account. Adding a tiny amount of purple food coloring (the tip of a toothpick amount) has been known to help whiten the frosting. Colored frosting will get darker as it sets. Using frosting made a day or two in advance ensures a more vivid color. This is especially helpful when you are going for dark colors.
This week’s Feature Dessert…
This week, I’m combining super rich, Guinness chocolate cupcakes with Jameson-spiked chocolate ganache, and a swirl of this Bailey’s Irish cream frosting. You might notice a theme, and while this is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, there’s no reason this won’t become your go-to chocolate cupcake and frosting recipes, year round.
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Bailey’s Irish Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 224 g butter
- 1/2 t salt
- 481 g confectioner's sugar
- 55 g Baileys Irish Cream (or more to taste)
Instructions
- In large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, beat butter and salt until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add sugar until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Gradually add cream until it reaches desired flavor and consistency.
