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This Baileys Chocolate Poke Cake uses my best chocolate cake recipe as a base and is topped with Baileys whipped cream! The chocolate cake is soaked in even more chocolate and Baileys Irish Cream. You won’t be able to stop eating this one!
Baileys Chocolate Poke Cake
This is a cake that I will definitely need to make again. As with everything else you are seeing pop up on the blog since the twins were born, this recipe was created while I was pregnant. While I did take a little taste (naturally, I have to know just how good it is), because of the alcohol I wasn’t able to indulge as I would’ve liked. And believe me, I really wanted to indulge!
Not only is this cake full of chocolate, it’s full of one of my other favorite things – Baileys! You may have noticed that I’ve shared quite a few Baileys desserts over the years like this Baileys chocolate mousse cake, caramel Baileys pound cake, Baileys chocolate cupcakes, Baileys fudge brownies, cake and mini Baileys chocolate cheesecakes. It’s a love affair, I must say. So to not be able to eat even one full piece was a bummer because it’s SO SO good! Not only is there Baileys baked into the cake, it’s also soaked with more Baileys and then topped with it. Go big or go home, right? 😉
How to Make Chocolate Poke Cake
So to make this cake, you start with a chocolate cake from scratch. I used my very favorite chocolate cake, modified to include Baileys. If you’ve ever had that chocolate cake, you know how amazing and moist it is. If you haven’t made it, don’t be alarmed by the thin batter and lower baking temperature. It’s all normal and makes one amazing cake.
Once the cake is baked, it’s poked with holes (hence a “poke” cake) and covered with a mixture of melted chocolate, Baileys and sweetened condensed milk. Are you drooling yet?!
The mixture should soak into the holes of the cake, but be sure that the cake is still warm and that the Baileys and chocolate mixture is still warm. The mixture will thicken as it cools, making it harder to soak into the holes. I also would recommend Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk in this cake. I’ve tried a few others and some are thicker than others. Eagle Brand is thinner, which is ideal for soaking into the cake. If you use another brand or have trouble, just add some additional milk (or Baileys) to thin it out a bit. You may still have a thin layer of the mixture on top of the cake, but that’s fine.
The final step is the delicious Baileys chocolate whipped cream. With such a rich cake, the light whipped cream topping is the perfect way to finish it off! The whole combination is pure heaven and a cake I’ll definitely be making again and again – when I can drink alcohol again. 🙂
Watch How To Make It
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Baileys Chocolate Poke Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12-15 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Baileys Chocolate Poke Cake uses my best chocolate cake recipe as a base and is topped with Baileys whipped cream! The chocolate cake is soaked in even more chocolate and Baileys Irish Cream. You won’t be able to stop eating this one!
Ingredients
BAILEYS CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 2 cups (260g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (240ml) Baileys Irish Cream, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup (180ml) boiling water
- 1 cup (240ml) sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup (127g) semi sweet chocolate chips
WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
- 2 cups (480) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 3/4 cup (86g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (29g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp (30ml) Baileys Irish Cream, optional
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
ADDITIONAL
- Mini chocolate chips
- Chocolate sauce
Instructions
1. Prepare a 9×13 inch cake pan by greasing the sides. Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C).
2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and combine.
3. Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, 1/2 cup of Irish cream and vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Slowly pour the water into the batter, mixing well and being careful of splashing.
5. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over. I use a knife sharpening rod, but you could also use a straw.
7. While the cake is still warm, add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
8. Add the sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1/2 cup of Irish cream to a microwave safe measuring cup. Heat heat the milk and cream until they begin to boil, then pour over the chocolate chips.
9. Whisk the chocolate until smooth, then immediately pour over the cake, spreading it into the holes. Don’t let the mixture sit before pouring it over the cake or it’ll start to thicken and not soak in the holes as well.
10. Set the cake in the fridge to cool and soak.
11. When the cake has cooled, add the ingredients for the whipped cream topping to a large mixer bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
12. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake. Top the cake with mini chocolate chips and a drizzle of chocolate sauce, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cake is best if eaten within 4-5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 634
- Sugar: 54.3 g
- Sodium: 233.1 mg
- Fat: 35.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 72 g
- Protein: 8.8 g
- Cholesterol: 76.6 mg
Categories
Enjoy!
Could you do cupcakes instead?
I haven’t tried it, but my suggestion would be to bake between 20-25 minutes. Then just poke holes in the cupcakes and add the whipped cream on top. Should be fine. Enjoy!
I made this cake twice this morning. I messed it up twice. The directions are very confusing. I wasted a lot of expensive ingredients. I’ve been baking for 55!years maybe it’s time to quit!
If you let me know what part is confusing, maybe I can offer some help.
Hey, this is the first time I see this website and I absolutely love it. I wanna try this recipe, and I was just wondering if I can replace the irish cream with another cream? Or just not put it in the first place cause i live in a country where this kind of cream is not available. Thank you so much for the recepies. I’ll make sure to check out more in this site.
You could try using an Irish cream flavored coffee creamer or another liqueur, such as Kahlua. If you’re looking to leave it out altogether, you could use this recipe here for the chocolate cake and then follow the rest of the recipe.
Made this twice now and both times it all got eaten straight away! Absolutely amazing cake! I’m about to make a third for a friend birthday, Thank you for sharing the recipe xx
I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
are we suppose to sift the flour and baking soda first or just put it in unsifted?
I don’t usually sift it, but I use my flour and baking soda very regularly. If you think it’d be best to sift it a bit, it certainly won’t hurt.
Made this cake as written, and it is excellent! I have a convection oven and noticed the cake was not done in the middle when baked in the alloted time at 300. I added about 10-15 minutes, then increased the oven temp to 350 and kept an eye on it. I would say bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes and check it, adding 3-5 additional minutes as necessary until done. I make a similar scratch cake that uses boiled water in the same size pan, and that is the approximate baking time.
Thanks for sharing your tips! I’m glad you enjoyed!
Lindsay’s cake is awesome and I have never tasted or made anything quite like it! Christine, your baking temperature and time are what I went by and it turned out perfectly. Thanks for that. Also, I used the handle of a wooden spoon to poke the holes and it worked great. No problem at all. Lindsay, thanks for letting all of us post these comments–it takes a village sometimes. 😀 This is an incredible cake and it looks really pretty.
Thank you Christine, I had the same problem, my middle was undercooked and I just turned the oven up and hoping it will finish cooking in the middle and not make the outside to overdone.
The cake is delicious! We baked it with about half the sugar required though, and it was still very sweet but really good! Next time we’re trying to put a little less sugar and see how it comes out 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Are you sure 300 degrees F is correct? It seemed low to me, but I follow directions religiously. After 45 minutes, the top of the cake was a bit browned, but the inside was still quite liquid. (Movement of the pan resulted in waves beneath the browned top.) We boosted the temp to 350 degrees and it took at least 25-30 additional minutes to fully bake. The oven temperature is accurate. I’ve never baked a cake (or any other dessert, including cookies) at 300 degrees. The recommended temp is usually 350 or 375. BTW, the cake was a-ma-zing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The temperature is correct and I never have an issue with it. Perhaps there’s some difference between our ovens? I’m glad it turned out alright though!
I thought this was a great cake, especially the frosting. Big hit! Looking forward to making the raspberry Chambourd poke cake next!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! 🙂
Hi Lindsay! A big thank you from Italy where your cake is e huge success!!!! Everyone is enjoying the taste and the moistness! Grazie!!!!!
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
This was soooo good! I used the salted caramel Bailey’s and made homemade salted caramel sauce to drizzle on top. It was all soooo rich, but so worth it!
That sounds yummy! So glad you enjoyed!
GREAT
Can this recipe be halved done the middle? And what would be the adjusted baking time do you think?
What do you mean “halved down the middle”? Making half of the recipe? If so, then yes. Baking time would depend on the size pan you use. If you use a 9 inch square cake pan, I’d guess 25-35 minutes.
Yes exactly that. Half the ingredients to make a half size. I imagined an 8×8 Pan. Thanks so much! I assumed that would work, appreciate your input. Looking forward to making!
Been wanting to make this for weeks now.! Today. I finally get everything out and ready.. make myself a coffee with wine Bailey’s… Ok maybe I poured too much Bailey’s in my coffee, cuz I lost the condensed milk ????. When the recipe calls for mixing the dry ingredient, ii automatically assume I’m to mix the rest together (except 1/2 cup of Irish cream.
TIP FOR LIGHTWEIGHTS
Don’t drink the booze while baking alcohol infused cake recipes.
BTW… I’m not even finished yet.. LOL
I made this cake for my partner’s birthday and it was a hit!!!! Everyone absolutely loved it!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
Would this be ok to sit in the fridge overnight with the whipping topping & chocolate chips or do the toppings the day of?
Yes, the cake will be okay in the fridge overnight. The whipped cream will not wilt as long as you used the full amount of powder sugar in the recipe. The powder sugar stabilizes the whipped cream.