Chocolate Irish Cream Cake is made with a generous dose of Irish cream and topped with a fluffy, pudding-based frosting. This grown-up dessert is moist, rich, and oh-so-boozy!
If you love this boozy cake, you might also enjoy my Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Cream Frosting!
Chocolate Irish Cream Cake is not the type of chocolate cake that’s served at children’s birthday parties, folks!
Saint Patrick’s day will be here before you know it, and if you can’t resist chocolate and boozy cocktails, you’ll get the best of both worlds with this decadent Irish Cream Cake.
The indulgent dessert consists of rich cake and fluffy frosting that’s infused with Homemade Irish Cream, and a piece of it will definitely get you buzzing!
Needless to say, it’s definitely an adults-only type of cake; don’t let the kiddos get into this one!
Irish Cream Chocolate Cake is BOOZY!
This Irish Cream Cake recipe is a poke cake and calls for ½ cup of booze right in the batter.
Once the sheet cake is baked, holes are poked in it so that a mixture of sweetened condensed milk and (more!) Irish cream can sink in and get absorbed throughout the whole thing.
Then there’s the frosting, made smooth and silky with a blend of heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla pudding mix, and — you guessed it —more Irish cream!
Yep, there’s plenty of the good stuff in here!
Have you ever had a tough time deciding whether you should mix up a cocktail or go straight for the chocolate?
With this Cake recipe, you can do both at once, multitasking at its finest if I do say so myself!
Whether you’re planning a Saint Patrick’s Day bash or a simple dinner with your better half, nothing says, “Let’s celebrate!” like a spiked chocolate cake.
This cake recipe is perfect for just about any special occasion. I even brought a similar recipe to our family’s last 4th of July barbecue last year, and it was a huge hit.
If you want to feel “the luck of the Irish,” try baking a moist, rich Irish Cream Cake that’s drenched in boozy goodness.
Whether you share it at a party or savor a piece after a long day at work, you won’t regret indulging in this chocolatey treat!
More St Paddy’s Day Recipes
- No Bake Irish Cream Pie
- St. Patrick’s Day Punch
- Irish Cream No Bake Cookies
- Easy Irish Fried Cabbage
- Irish Potato Candy
- Chocolate Guinness Cake
- Irish Cream Pudding Shots
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!
Chocolate Irish Cream Poke Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
- 1 (3.4oz.)package Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix dry
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup Homemade Irish Cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups mini chocolate chips
Liquid
- ½ cup Homemade Irish Cream
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Frosting
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup Homemade Irish Cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix dry
Optional
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combined all of the cake ingredients until fully mixed and pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Liquid
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the Irish Cream and sweetened condensed milk until combined.
- Used a fork, skewer, or the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake.
- Pour liquid mixture over the cake and let rest for a few minutes to soak up.
Frosting
- Beat all of the frosting ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Frost the cake and top with sprinkles if desired.
Video
Notes
- Instant chocolate pudding can be used in the cake mix and frosting if you want a stronger chocolate flavor.
- Greek yogurt may be used instead of sour cream.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Abigail Wenderson says
Wow, this cake looks delicious.. I never get tired of baking so adding this recipe to my favorites.
Laurie says
I made this cake for the second time today and I just feel that the poke liquid is way too much… I literally have a pool of it on my cake, and that happened last time too. Any advice? That being said… the flavor in this cake is amazing!!
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Laurie, is the liquid on top of the cake? It should soak into the cake as long as you poked it enough. Sometimes some liquid settles in the bottom of the pan though. However, if you feel it’s too much liquid, you can simply cut it in half 🙂
Laurie says
Thank you! I let it cool completely and poke a lot of holes. I just feel like I’m doing something completely wrong as the cake also comes out at 40 minutes still raw in the middle (brand new oven). Both times I’ve had to bake it for an hour. Again… it’s delicious… just need to work out the glitches.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Laurie, I would definitely try baking the cake longer. If it’s underdone, that might be why the cake isn’t absorbing the liquid.
Linda Skolaris says
I did something by mistake and now I love it even more
My Homemade Irish creme is just Baileys and the condensed sweetened milk. Came out great.
I am not a whiskey person. It is my most requested recipe from my Irish Family
Kris Laub says
How do you make the homemade Irish Cream?
Rebecca Hubbell says
It is linked in the post and you can find it here: https://www.sugarandsoul.co/homemade-irish-cream-recipe/
Hallie says
Can you use baileys Irish cream liqueur?
How do you make homemade Irish cream I didnt see it
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yes, you can. There is also a link to the homemade recipe in the cake recipe card and post.
Sarah says
I am yet to make this. I need to know if Irish cream coffee creamer mixed with some extract (not sure what flavor) can be used. I know the alcohol will evaporate BUT we don’t buy, use or cook with alcohol.
Any tips or suggestions?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Sarah, Irish cream coffee cream can be used in the recipe instead of alcohol, no need for any additional extracts 🙂
Carole says
If I bake this cake tomorrow night can I frost it the following night before serving. Also do I pour the mixture
in the poke holes the night before and refrigerate the cake?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Carole, yes I would frost as close to serving as possible but do the pour the day you make the cake.
Linda P says
Can this be made into cupcakes?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yes, but I’m not sure that you’d want to use the full amount of pour filling. You these instructions for the chocolate cupcake baked for measurements and cook time. https://www.sugarandsoul.co/chocolate-cupcakes/
Ann says
Made this for my community St. Patrick’s Day Pot Luck….WOW ! EVERYONE loved it – said it should be what I bring to every pot luck. That was yesterday….today while out walking friends are stopping me to say how delicious the cake was. Thank you for a great recipe !
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yay, so glad everyone loved it!
Katie says
Does this cake need to be refrigerated after being made?
Katie says
How long do you have to mix the frosting ingredients together? Mine is not becoming light and fluffy it is still liquid. I’m not sure what went wrong. Suggestions or help?
Thanks!
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Katie, it can take several minutes, especially with a hand mixer. As long as you are using heavy/whipping cream, it will fluff up.
Mary Sacher says
I made this cake for a community dinner tonight. I wanted to take a photo of the cake but it was all gone! Everyone loved it!!
I used a GF chocolate cake mix. I live at 5600 feet so added one more egg, cooked at 375 and it took almost 40-45 minutes to bake.
It was the only GF desert there and six people asked me for the recipe.
It was so good and I am almost sorry there were no left overs!
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yay, I’m so glad that you were able to adjust it to meet your dietary needs and that everyone loved it! Since there are no leftovers, I guess you’ll just have to make another one this weekend 😉
Jessie says
Hi! This sounds delicious! Couple of questions: Can I sub butter for the oil and am I supposed to cool the cake completely before pouring the liquid in? I just ask because a lot of the poke cakes I make I pour it when it’s still a little warm so I just wanted to double check! Thanks!!
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Jessie, I have never made this with butter so I really can’t speak to how it would turn out. You can pour the liquid mixture over the cake while it’s warm or after it has cooled.
Kim says
Can I leave the chocolate chips out of the recipe? I forgot to put them on my shopping list 🙁
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yes, the cake will still be delicious!
Mary Sacher says
If I make this ahead of time, say I need to serve it tomorrow night, should I make the cake portion now and pour on the condensed milk mixture and frost tomorrow? Or??? What would you suggest?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Mary, that would be my suggestion since the frosting is best fresh, but if you are short on time tomorrow, you can frost it tonight and keep it in the fridge and you should be good to go! Enjoy!
Katie says
In the video, heavy cream is used. It’s not listed I. The written recipe. How much heavy cream do I use if I’m just using Bailey’s Irish Cream?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Katie, heavy cream is only used in the frosting portion of the recipe, you’ll find the measurements for it until the Frosting ingredients header in the recipe card 🙂
Jane says
Is this cake really 600 thousand calories??
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Jane, each slice of cake is 600 calories, as we think of calories. I think you are reading the kcal as 1000 calories, which is technically accurate, the k is actually for kilocalories. A single actual calorie is a super small unit of energy and what we think of as a calorie actually has 1000 calories in it. So when we talk about a 2000 daily calorie allowance, we are technically talking about 2,000,000 calories and 2000 kilocalories. So yes, technically the cake has 600,000 calories per slice, but it has 600 kilocalories per slice and that’s what we use for diet measurements.
Michelle says
My cake collapsed in the middle? It appears done could it just be the chocolate chips that is making it so moist?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Michelle, the cake will be moist, especially after you add the pour-over mixture. It shouldn’t be collapsed in the middle, this usually happens if you open the door too early in the baking process, cake mix was old, or it wasn’t cooked long enough.
patricia ann balentyne says
My cake collapsed in the middle. I did not underbake it and I purposely did not open the door until the end of the baking time.It looks like brownies now. I poured the sauce over the top and most of it just sits there even after I poked holes all over the cake. I hope the frosting hides everything and it tastes ok.
JJ says
Does this need to be stored in the fridge?
Rebecca Hubbell says
If not consuming immediately, yes, it should be stored in the fridge for freshness.
Emily R Hadlock says
For the frosting, does the 1/3 c of pudding mean prepared pudding or 1/3 C of pudding mix?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Emily, just the powdered pudding mix 🙂
Jenny says
is 1/3 cup the ammount in a 3.4 oz pkg of pudding??
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Jenny, no, 3.4 oz is more than 1/3 cup.
Melissa says
Can substitute something to get the flavor of Irish creme, that doesn’t contain alcohol? What could I use, non alcoholic.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Melissa, You can use Bailey’s Irish Creamers that you find with the refrigerated coffee creamers. These are non-alcoholic and have a similar delicious taste!
Melissa Digiorgi says
Thank you. Would I use the same about of it as the recipe calls for the Irish Creme alcohol?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yes, the same amount 🙂