1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
4. Gradually add flour mixture to butter and sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat after each addition.
5. Stir in green food coloring and Baileys Irish Cream if you are using it.
6. Add batter to greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 10-15 minutes.
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan.
8. Refrigerate for about 4 hours.

CUT OUT GREEN SHAMROCKS:

1. Remove green loaf from fridge and cut into slices. The slices should be thin enough that you won’t have trouble cutting out the shamrocks, but not so thin that they won’t stand up well. My slices were 1/2 to 3/4 inch.
2. Use your shamrock cutout pattern to cut around and cut out your shamrocks. Remember to cut out 1 or 2 of the four leaf clovers.
3. Stack your shamrocks side by side down the center of a greased loaf pan.

PREPARE SECOND POUND CAKE LOAF:

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
4. Gradually add flour mixture to butter and sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat after each addition.
5. Stir in Baileys Irish Cream if you are using it.
6. Add batter to 9×5 loaf pan very carefully. You do not want to move the shamrock cutouts around too much. They should stay centered. I used a spoon to spoon even amounts on each side of the shamrocks, going slowly and carefully. Do not put batter underneath the stems of the shamrocks, just make sure that batter gets underneath the leaves.
NOTE: When you are done adding your batter, the shamrocks should be completely covered and not sticking up out of the batter.
7. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 15-20 minutes.
8. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan and completely cool.
9. Make glaze and drizzle over pound cake, if desired.

GLAZE (OPTIONAL):

1. Whisk together the Baileys and powdered sugar.
2. Drizzle over the top of the cake.