We’re like a broken record when we say that we love sheet cakes not only for how great they can taste, but for how easily they come together and that they’re such a great option when you’re serving a crowd. We make sheet cakes often and find that once you’ve got a great base recipe to work off of, you can customize your cakes for just about any occasion: birthdays, holidays or just because. Here, we were inspired by the smooth and sweet flavor of Irish cream (or creamer, if you like to add the non-alcoholic stuff to your coffee to give it some extra “oomph”) and built our whole cake around it!
This is an Irish cream-filled cake, with an Irish cream(er) frosting to smooth over the top. Moist, flavorful and completely delicious, this was a win right out of the gate. The key here is to find the amount of Irish cream that works for you and for who you’re serving. The alcohol in Bailey’s, which is what we used, burns off when it bakes, but if you want to skip it entirely, just go with non-alcoholic Irish coffee creamer. Accordingly, if you like just a touch of sweetness, but don’t want your the flavor of your cake to be overpowering, just cut back on either the Irish cream in the cake or the frosting. This is your cake and you can make it any way you like!
Get your batter mixed together – same way you’re used to, with dry ingredients together, butter and sugar creamed together, then mix in dry and wet ingredients – then pop that in the oven. Whisk together your glaze ingredients in a large saucepan, then just get ready to pour and spread it over your cake. If the cake is still warm, the top of the glaze will crust slightly, leaving a gorgeous, silky, slightly un-set layer of frosting underneath that coats the cake perfectly; if the cake is cooled, you get a thickened frosting that’s similarly smooth, just not quite as soft. Either way, totally delectable!
Irish Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups (3 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup Irish cream non-alcoholic coffee creamer
- 1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Frosting:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish cream or Irish cream non-alcoholic coffee creamer
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375º F and line a baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with parchment paper or grease with non-stick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and set aside.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine Irish cream and creamer and stir together.
- In a large bowl or mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy and lightened in color. 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated, then alternate between adding dry ingredients and Irish cream mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
- Pour batter into greased baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
- Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until edges pull away from sides of pan and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- For the icing: in a medium or large saucepan, whisk together butter, sugar, Irish creamer and milk over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Stir in 4 cups powdered sugar (to start), vanilla extract and salt, stirring until smooth and thickened. (Add more powdered sugar, if desired.) Pour over cake and let set.