Can I taste the coffee in these chocolate cupcakes?

Yes, it’s subtle, but it provides a hint of coffee bitterness that goes really well with the sweet Baileys and rich chocolate.

Can I make these without coffee?

Absolutely. Just use hot water in place of the coffee in the cake batter.

Can I make these without alcohol?

You can, and it’ll be great, but it won’t taste like Irish cream. You can replace the Irish cream in the cupcake batter with whole milk, and replace all of the Irish cream in the frosting with just 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes! Bake the cupcakes a day ahead and frost them the next day.

Can I make this as a cake instead of cupcakes?

Yes, that should work! We haven’t tested this recipe as a single cake, but the volume of cake batter should work in a square 8 inch baking pan. You’ll just need to adjust the baking time (you’ll probably need 25 to 35 minutes of baking time).