As soon as we turn the corner to March, my recipe box likewise begin to turn decidedly Irish: gluten free Irish Soda Bread; gluten free Irish Angel Food Cake; gluten free Irish Brown Bread; gluten free Buttery Irish Scones; gluten free Irish Cream Cupcakes…. There’s good reason for that — actually, there are a few.
First, I love St. Patrick’s Day, so why not? Second, ever since I devised a recipe for homemade gluten free and dairy free Irish Cream Liqueur for sipping, I thought I should use it to create a few new recipes like … Gluten Free Irish Cream Cupcakes!
And third, all these recipes are delicious!
Adding a touch of something as intensely flavorful as Irish Cream Liqueur can take an ordinary chocolate cupcake recipe and make it truly extraordinary.
But I doubt any of your party guests will pick up on the origins of the added flavor; the proportions are just enough to elevate the complexity of the cupcake’s essence without making anyone tipsy or turning off those with an aversion to whiskey (the alcohol bakes out of the cupcakes, in case you were wondering).
(Oh, and whiskey is gluten free thanks to distillation — read more here) AND in fun news, the Irish Cream icon Bailey’s has acknowledged the public’s need, er … desire for a vegan and gluten free version of Irish Cream, and launched an ALMOND milk based version (also contains soy).
If that works for you, check out Bailey’s at your local liquor store. Here’s what Bailey’s says about whether this product is gluten-free: “Baileys is produced with ingredients that do not contain gluten however we cannot guarantee that the product is gluten free.”
So give these exceptional gluten free Irish Cream Cupcakes a go. In addition to their unique flavor, I think you’ll find the light, delicate crumb noteworthy coming from such a simple cupcake recipe — my gfJules Flour guarantees that!
Gluten Free Irish Cream Cupcakes
Light and airy, not too sweet but definitely chocolatey, these gluten free Irish Cream Cupcakes are all that's right in the cupcake world!
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 cup very warm water
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch alkali)
- 2 cups gfJules™ Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 cups granulated cane sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil (safflower, sunflower, non-GMO canola)
- 2 eggs or substitute like aquafaba
- 1/3 cup Irish Cream Liqueur (or orange juice)
- 2/3 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
Irish Cream Frosting:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter or non-dairy alternative (Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 3 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 3 Tbs. Irish Cream Liqueur (or orange juice)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º F.
Line 24 cupcake tins with cupcake papers (for larger cupcakes, only prepare 18-20 tins).
Whisk together warm water with cocoa powder until any clumps are smoothed and integrated. Set aside.
Whisk together gfJules Flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a larger mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil, whipping for 5 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then add the chocolate mixture. Slowly stir in dry ingredients, alternating with the Irish Cream and milk, beating at medium speed until smooth.
Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling to between 2/3 – 3/4 full. Bake for 30–35 minutes (depends on size of each cupcake) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow cool completely before frosting.
To make the FROSTING, cream butter and 1 cup confectioner’s sugar until fluffy.
Stir in Irish Cream with remaining confectioner’s sugar and whip until thoroughly integrated.
Fill a frosting bag with the tip you prefer for decorating, or simply fill a quart sized zip-top bag and cut a small corner out to pipe through. Depending on how much frosting you use for each cupcake, this recipe may need to be doubled.
Sprinkle with gluten free jimmies, if desired.
Pin it for later!
Based on 13 Review(s)
Can this recipe be halved to only make a dozen?
Hi Kathy, yes just do the math and measure well! Enjoy!
~jules
Bailey’s Irish Cream and probably its flavors are cross-contaminated, at least in the US. I’m a sensitive celiac, and it’s made my stomach hurt.
Fennellys Irish Cream however, is completely gluten free! It’s also cheaper than Bailey’s, and just as good.
Good tip about Fennelly’s — I haven’t seen that one locally, but I’ll have to look!
~jules
I can’t wait to try them! I plan to make cake pops with it. Will the Bailey’s flavor be strong enough to taste since it will have very little frosting? Do you think I could use 1/2 c. Bailey’s and 1/2 milk?
Hi Cindy – what a fun idea!!! You can always up the Bailey’s in place of milk for more Bailey’s flavor if you’re wanting to amp it up!!!! Post pictures in the comments – I’m dying to see them!!
~jules
Is the quantity of oil 1/2cup to 2 cups of sugar correct.?
Gar…
Hi Martina,
Yes, the recipe is correct! Enjoy!
~jules
This recipe was another hit! My family loved it, going gluten free now that we found your recipes and products is not so bad. Thanks, Jules
Jules, I made the Irish Cream Cupcake recipe using a springform pan with a glass bowl in the center. I followed your suggestion about baking it longer. It took 50 minutes. I did tweak the frosting a bit. I added 1/2 cup cream cheese, 1/2 cup Earth Balance to the regular frosting then made a glaze. For the glaze I used 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, heated 1/2 cup almond/coconut creamer just to bubbles formed at the side. Poured over the chocolate chips and whisked until blended. Let set ten minutes then added 1/4 cup dark corn syrup, 2 tsp vanilla, . The family was in love with this recipe. Thanks so much.
I love this, Judy!!! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe modifications!!!!
~jules
I love the Irish Cream cupcakes – today I made an Irish Cream Black Devil’s Food layer cake, using gfJules all-purpose gf flour of course! Amazing results, nobody can ever tell my baked goods are gluten-free because I use gfJules flour exclusively!
Oh my goodness, Dorothy, that cake looks SO DECADENT!!! Irish Cream Black Devil’s Food!?? WOWZA!!!!!!!! I’m so very happy that you feel empowered to bake anything because you have my gfJules Flour on hand! That is exactly the way it’s supposed to be! Thanks so much for sharing your drool-worthy photo! YUM!!!
~jules
Could you share this recipe please?
You inspired me to adapt my own black devil’s food cake recipe by combining your wonderful flour with a bit of coffee flour, then substituting Bailey’s for part of the liquid (buttermilk & coffee). The cupcakes came out GREAT and I used your frosting recipe to top them off. I always LOVE that I can use your flour in any of my pre-Celiac recipes! I also liked that there was plenty of frosting for 24 cupcakes with some leftover. 🙂
What a wonderful idea and result! So happy you thought to resurrect your favorite black devil’s food recipe with my gfJules Flour and coffee flour. I bet the flavor was outstanding! And with some Bailey’s in place of milk?! WOW! Sounds like a home run recipe to me! I hope you wrote it down!!!!
~jules
Absolutely fantastic cupcakes. If you love Bailey’s you must try! The cupcakes came out moist and delicious & the frosting is sweet and kissed with that beautiful Irish cream flavor. This is a keeper!
I’m so glad you tried the cupcakes, Erin! You’re right, they have just the right Irish flavors and they’re so moist and yummy. I still can’t decide if I like the cupcakes or the frosting better … I guess that’s why I always eat them together! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note and let me know how much you liked them!
~jules
I’m wondering if these would freeze well? How about freezing cupcakes that are frosted already? Is it better to frost after defrosting?
Thank you!
Hi Donna, these cupcakes will freeze well – I would recommend frosting after freezing, if possible. Enjoy the recipe!
~jules
These are delicious! So moist and flavorful and easy to make????????????. My new fave. Thank you. Ps. I used olive oil they turned out perfect!
That is so fantastic to hear, Tasha! Both that you loved these cupcakes and that you used olive oil with great success! Thanks for letting me know!
~jules
Hi Jules I wonder could you print your recipes in pounds and ounces as cup sizes are all different, I made these cakes and they sunk in the middle they still tasted good, I think I got the quantity wrong. We in UK still use pounds and ounces. Thank you I will make them again my husband loved them. Joyce
Hi Joyce,
I just responded similarly to your question on another post, but in case you don’t see it I wanted you to know that one cup of my flour always equals 135 grams (4.76 oz). The other variable here is that you may be using a different flour blend. To read more about how different flours behave, check out my article. Another article that might be of help is my comparison of gluten free flours. I hope this information helps! Let me know if I can help in any other way!
~jules
Where do you get these lovely cupcake papers? Thanks!
They are lovely, aren’t they, Deborah? These are the ones I used for this recipe – I like that they don’t stick, either!
~jules
Will coconut oil work for the vegetable oil?
Hi Miriam, it should work fine, but warm it to liquid before adding. Let me know how it goes!
~jules
The cupcakes were great using melted coconut oil!
So good to hear you enjoyed them made with the melted coconut oil! Thanks for letting me know!
~jules
Could this recipe be made as a cake? My daughter’s birthday is on St. Patrick’s day.
Hi Careen – how special for her! I’m sure it could be made as a cake, but whenever I first try a recipe developed for cupcakes as a cake, I always bake in a tube or bundt pan so that the center is cooked better and there is less chance for the cake to sink in the middle. So, that’s what I would try first. Let me know how it goes and happy birthday to your daughter!!!
~jules
These cupcakes are so cute. Great flavours can’t wait to try the frosting. ?
I’d almost say the frosting is the best part, Lucy, but the cake is so soft and light and moist … it’s hard to decide! Luckily when it’s all wrapped up in a cupcake, we don’t have to choose!
~jules
O wow, these look heavenly, my friend!
Thanks so much, Rebecca!!!
~jules
I am going to have to bake these for St. Patrick’s day. Or at least make the frosting and eat it with a spoon… 🙂
Wow these sound delicious and they’re so pretty too! I bet the flavor is awesome!
I’m toying with the idea of eating one for breakfast, Emily! 😉
~jules
Hhahahahha – I *may* have had to sample the frosting a few times along the way to get it just right, Brianna!
~jules
Those are beautiful, Jules! And they sound pretty delicious, too. 😉
Thank you, Raia!! I hope you get to try the recipe one day soon!
~jules