This boozy chocolate liqueur cake is made with Irish cream and loads of chocolate. Perfect for special occasions and date night!

Liqueur cake is the definition of decadence. The rich layers of chocolate cake are soaked with Irish cream liqueur, then slathered with layers of sweetened condensed milk-spiked cake cream. Warning: Eating a slice will bring you instant nirvana!
If you’ve never baked with liqueur before, you’re in for a treat. The addition of a little booze not only improves the taste of cakes, but it also makes for such a moist, melt-in-your-mouth texture. With so many different flavor and styles of liqueur out there, the possibilities are endless.
Preparing Chocolate Liqueur Cake
To make your life easier, gather all the ingredients and measure them out before you get started.
- Prepare Sponge Cake: Follow our chocolate sponge cake recipe, a 7-9 inch sized cake is perfect for this recipe.
- Soak the Cake: Whip up the soaking cream by combining the milk and liqueur together. Spoon a generous amount onto each layer.
- Make the Cake Cream: Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and whip with the softened unsalted butter and sweetened condensed milk. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until you get soft peaks. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture.
- Assemble the Cake: Place a cake layer on your favorite decorative plate or stand. Spread on a layer of cake cream and repeat until you run out of layers. Use the remaining cream to frost the cake. Decorate with cacao powder and chocolate shavings. Enjoy!




Pro Tips for the Tastiest Liqueur Cake
A couple of handy tips will help you nail this boozy cake recipe.
- Don’t overmix the batter. To prevent the cake from losing it’s fluffiness, avoid over mixing the batter.
- Use the toothpick trick. To check the doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s ready!
- Use extra cold heavy whipping cream to make the frosting. Cold heaving whipping cream will yield the fluffiest cake cream possible. If you have to, stick it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before you beat it to soft peaks.

Storing & Freezing Tips
Whether you’re preparing your cake a day or two in advance or freezing the layers for the future, here are all the tips you need for storage.
- Storing: To protect the structure and freshness of the cake, store it in an airtight cake container in the fridge.
- Freezing: If you’d like to have the cake layers on hand for the future, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once completely frozen, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe bag for up to a month. To thaw, place them in the fridge overnight.
FAQ
Does alcohol cook out of cake as it bakes?
Yes, the alcohol in the liqueur will evaporate at the cake bakes. All that’s left will be the delicious flavor of the liqueur!
What are some different examples of liqueur for baking?
Amaretto, Baileys Irish Cream, Cointreau, Frangelico, Kahlúa, and limoncello are all liqueurs that are commonly used for baking.
What can you use instead of liqueur?
In a pinch, you can use your almond extract instead.
Does alcohol-infused cake get you drunk?
Alcohol-infused cake will not get your drunk. During the baking process, the alcohol cooks off and merely adds a nice depth of flavor.
More Boozy Cakes to Try
- Drunken Cherry Cake Roll Recipe – Chocolate and cherry roulade
- Chocolate Honey-Layer Cake Recipe – Irish cream and honey cake
- Drunken Raisins Cake – Rum raisin cake
- Drunken Cherry Cake (Classic Recipe) – Chocolate and cherry cake
Recipe
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
Chocolate Cake Cream
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 10 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream very cold
Decorating & Soaking
- 1 cup milk for soaking
- 1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur for soaking
- 1 shaved chocolate bar for decorating
Instructions
- Bake one chocolate sponge cake in a 7 to 9 inch pan.
- Allow the cake to completely cool and slice it into three evenly-thick layers.
- To make the soaking cream, combine milk and liqueur together. Use a spoon, pastry brush or squirt bottle to saturate each layer with the soaking cream.
- Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring them every 10-15 seconds until silky smooth. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the melted chocolate, softened butter, and condensed milk together until well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the very cold heavy whipping cream until it reaches soft peaks. Fold in the chocolatey butter mixture with a spatula.
- To assemble the cake, place the first cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread on a layer of cake cream. Repeat until you run out of cake layers.
- Using the remaining cream, decorate the outside of the cake. Dust sides of the cake with shaved chocolate. Enjoy!
My family absolutely loved this cake! It was definitely a favorite among all the holiday desserts this year -- thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Olivia, I am so glad to hear that! Enjoy and Happy New Year!
This is the lightest & most fluffy cake ever!! Love the layers & how chocolate-y it is!!
Thank you so much Kristyn! I am glad the cake is a hit! Enjoy!
We loved this cake!! Everyone loved it, it was the first dessert to disappear on Christmas.
Hi Shana, I am so glad to hear the recipe was a hit! Thank you for the feedback!
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe. For how long it should be refrigerated? Can I bake it in the morning and will it be moist and ready to enjoy in the evening?
Thank you for your time!
Hey Julia, overnight should be long enough for the flavors to come together.
So I made it with cool whip and everyone loved it. It is such a delicious cake!
Wow!! Looks stunning. Thank you for sharing photos.
Could I use cool whip from a container to mix into the cream instead of that whipping cream that you need to beat cause thats all I have at this moment. ?
Yes you can. I do that sometimes too, I just like whipping cream more.
Hi! You melted the chocolate chips with what?
On their own. Just stir them every few seconds so they don't burn.
Hey! What whipping cream do you use? Is it just heavy cream?
Yes, I used heavy whipping cream
For soaking it's just the heavy cream and baileys? No sugar added?
Yes, no sugar needed 🙂
Looks delicious! Thinking of making this today, but don't have liquor, but I do have khula, would that work?
Yes Khula will work just fine in this recipe.
Здравствуйте ! Вы пишете у всех рецептах в кружках , мне совсем не понять как это кружка масла ? Можете сказать в граммах сколько это 1 cup butter ?) и еще если можно скажите и сколько грамм в вашей кружке?) что бы знать и для муки , сахара ) спасибо !
We use a measuring cup. You can google for conversion how much 1 cup has of grams. The butter that I buy has a measurements on it.
Great cake! Made it for Easter and everyone loved it! I topped it with strawberries and covered it with chocolate ganache… yumm! Thank you for great recipe!
I can totally see how strawberries would be amazing addition to this cake! Thank you for giving me idea 😉
What type of flour did you use? Cake, All-Purpose, or Self Rising? Thanks!
All-Purpose works great in this recipe 🙂 keep me posted on how you like the turn out.
Made this cake yesterday-delicious! It is not too sweet at all-just the perfect combination of the slight bitterness of the chocolate with the sweetness of condensed milk. And I won't lie, I reversed the amouny of Bailey's and cream :-). Will be making it again!
Oh yumm!!! You did such a good job describing the cake, I want a slice now 😉 I am glad you liked the cake!
Hi Natasha, do you think adding rum to the cake instead of Irish cream would make a huge difference in taste?
Rum is much stronger but I think it would still taste great. 🙂
Natasha I made this cake for new years. It was very very good. Thank you.!
Oh awesome 🙂 I know you are a pro at baking so this means a lot to me that you liked the cake 😉
i had made this cake a couple of days ago. The cake turned out OK. My family loved the taste however I thought that there are more frosting then a cake so next time I think i will bake two cakes ( I only was able to cut my cake twice so I got three layers all together). The frosting is extremely rich so I did not want to saturate the cake with it too much. I also thought that it was too sweet so I am thinking to cut down amount of sugar in the cake batter. I hope it will not interfere with cake texture . I am new to baking 🙂
It might not have rise enough because I was able to slice my cake into 4 pieces and needed that much cream to make it moist. You can cut down on condensed milk because cutting down on sugar in the cake can change the texture. Hope this helps 😉
Thank you so much for your input. I really appreciated your suggestion.
🙂 No problem! Hope you get results you love next time 😉
Another delicious cake, Natasha, I'm sure. I love adding liqueur to cakes, especially chocolate cakes, it gives such a great flavor addition.
Yes, liquor and chocolate is a perfect marriage 🙂 lol
I love chocolate =) I think we all do lol, I will be making it his week
Keep me posted on the turn out 😉
And what if I cant have liqueur, just omit it?
Sure, you can. It's it be a rich chocolate cake! I am sure you will love it
This looks soooo yummy! Can't wait to try it! Love cakes w heavy cream frosting its so light and heavenly! ?
Thank you Oksana. I agree, heavy cream is perfect for any cake. Keep me posted on the cake turn out 🙂