Tipsy Green Poke Cake for a Festive St. Patrick’s Day with Baileys Irish Cream

For St. Patrick’s Day, I am making a “Tipsy Green Poke Cake.” To get in the spirit of this holiday, I added Baileys Original Irish Cream liqueur to the cake batter. And, I am adding splashes of green color by poking holes in the cake and dripping in green jello. The cake is topped with Cream Cheese Icing and green sprinkles. Wow! Am I in the Irish spirit or what? This is not a traditional Irish recipe by any means. It is just a “fun” cake recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. And, this recipe provides an answer to the question, “How many ingredients can you add to a box of white cake mix?” After Ancestry.com helped me decipher that I do have one 5th-generation Irish ancestor; I’m all about my Irish ancestry. Slim, I concur, but sort of exciting to say I’m a tiny bit Irish. This cake is very moist — due to the box of instant pudding in the recipe. The green jello gives a “lime” flavor. The whiskey in the liqueur makes the cake just a little “tipsy.” Surprisingly, all the flavors blend together making this a very tasty and festive cake!

Recipe Inspiration

Over the Christmas holidays I made an “Eggnog Cake” using a box of white cake mix. I substituted eggnog for the liquid in the cake mix and added a cream cheese icing. The cake was delicious; all the components — cake, eggnog and cream cheese icing — just melded together.

I’ve been musing on the idea of making a similar cake for a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Could I substitute in Baileys Original Irish Cream liqueur for the eggnog? The predominant flavors in this Irish cream liqueur are whiskey, cream, chocolate and vanilla. Why not try this experiment?

Authentic “Baileys Original Irish Cream” must be produced and imported from Ireland. It is expensive; but worth it. The whiskey liqueur was introduced in 1974 as the first Irish Cream liqueur. It is made by emulsifying cream, cocoa and Irish Whiskey together with vegetable oil as a binder. It is an interesting combination of flavors.

I added 3/4 cup of the lrish liqueur to my cake batter, making the cake a little “tipsy.”

To add green color to the cake, I dribbled green jello into the cake layers.

This jello has a lime flavor. It adds an interesting surprise to the cake.

To get the jello ready, heat one cup of water in a microwave oven until almost boiling (about 1 minute). Pour in the jello powder and stir to dissolve. Set aside. We want liquid jello, so don’t refrigerate it. Let it sit on the counter.

Recipe

A box of white cake mix is the basis for this recipe. I added instant vanilla pudding, egg whites, Baileys Original Irish Cream, oil and a little water to the cake mix. (Save the green jello for later.) For the final version of this recipe, I used four egg whites. (Use the egg yolks in another recipe.) The instant vanilla pudding which is added to the cake batter helps make a very moist cake.

Making the Recipe

This cake is so easy to mix up. Using a box of cake mix almost assures a successful cake! To mix up the cake, add all the ingredients (except the jello) to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for two minutes.

And….drum roll: After years and years, my trusty old Sunbeam mixer just gave out. I went “all out” and purchased a 4.5 quart Kitchen Aid Electric Mixer. This one is a “tilt” mixer. It is small enough to fit on my counter. Just the right size for my style of cooking. And, I love it!

Pour the cake batter evenly into to two well-oiled 9″ round cake pans. Alternatively, you can bake this in a Bundt cake pan or one 9″ x 13 ” retangular cake pan.

Bake. Let the cake rest in the cake pans for ten minutes.

Then, run a knife around the edges of the cake pan and carefully invert onto 2 plates so that the bottom side is facing up. Use a chop stick to poke holes into the cake. Then dibble in green jello (instant jello dissolved in water) into the holes. I have learned from experience, that it is best to dribble the jello into the bottoms of the cake layers — the jello will just run off the cake if you try to poke holes into the tops of the baked cake layers.

Icing the Cakes

After the cake layers have cooled to room temperature, it is time to ice the cake. I am using the same cream cheese icing as for my king cakes — I increased the cream cheese to an 8-oz block. This icing is not too sweet. The cream cheese flavor balances the predominant flavors of the lime jello and whiskey liqueur.

To mix up the icing, make sure that the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature and have softened. Let them set on the counter for an hour or two before tying to mix up the icing. Blend them in a medium-sized bowl either by hand or using an electric mixer.

After the cream cheese and butter are combined; add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.

Thin with 2 Tbsp of milk until a spreadable consistency is achieved.

Spread the icing onto the layers making a two-layer cake. To arrange the layers, I place the first one on a plate (or serving platter) with the bottom flat side facing up. Add about 1/3 third of the icing. Then I carefully place on the second layer, this time with the flat side facing down. The rounded side is up. Then add the reminder of the icing to the top and sides.

Spread on green sprinkles to give an Irish spirit.

Serve the cake at room temperature or chilled. When you cut the cake; splashes of green color become visible.

This is a great cake for St. Patrick’s Day! It is a very moist cake with green tones and feisty lime and tipsy whiskey flavor. The Cream Cheese Icing complemented all the flavors in the cake. My experiment of adding Baileys Original Irish Cream to the cake batter was a success!

And I have some Baileys Original Irish Cream remaining. Can’t wait to experiment with making a few cocktails and other desserts.

If you have family members who don’t want a “tipsy” cake, you can still make this recipe. I mixed up the cake batter by substituting 3/4 cup of canned evaporated milk for the Baileys Original Irish Cream liqueur. It turned out well, too! Enjoy1