Baileys Irish Cream Pancakes Recipe

These fluffy, tender, and boozy pancakes give real meaning to "top o' the mornin to ya".

By
Yvonne Ruperti
A photo of Yvonne Ruperti, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Yvonne Ruperti
Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and cookbook author. She is also an adjust professor of baking at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore.
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Updated May 07, 2020
A stack of pancakes topped with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Serious Eats / Yvonne Ruperti

Why It Works

  • Replacing some of the traditional milk with Irish cream liqueur adds a flavorful twist.
  • Low protein cake flour and a light hand while mixing keeps pancakes tender.

My husband can confirm that most mornings, the first word out of my mouth is "pancakes!" But even though I crave pancakes incessantly, I rarely make them. Something happens between desire and action, and instead I end up pouring myself a bowl of cereal. Recently, however, I came across an old bottle of Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur and put two and two together. This could make an amazing pancake.

Lo and behold, I'm not the only one with this idea. The internet can be a real drag when you think you've finally invented something new. I realized if I just took my usual pancake recipe and subbed in some liqueur for the milk, I'd be in good shape. The flavor was rich and nutty without being overwhelmingly boozy. Since I was finally in the kitchen cooking up a few batches, I took the opportunity to run another test. Nothing irks me more than a tough pancake. I was after that elusive, fluffy "boxed mix" pancake.

The secret? Cake flour. You still don't want to over-mix a pancake batter, but the low protein content in cake flour will help ensure a tender result.

To top it off, a slab of butter and maple syrup is a fine, if not modest, choice. But I'll leave that up to you. I may have finally found the inspiration to get out my pan in the morning.

Recipe Details

Baileys Irish Cream Pancakes Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 3 to 4 servings
Makes 9 4-inch pancakes

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 large egg

  • 2/3 cup milk

  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys)

  • 1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) cake flour (see notes)

  • 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 4 tablespoons butter for cooking pancakes and to garnish

  • Maple syrup, for serving

Directions

  1. Whisk butter, sugar, salt, and egg in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk and Irish cream liquor until combined. Add flour and baking powder to the bowl, then stir until just about smooth (see note).

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet until melted over medium-low heat. Scoop as many 1/4 cup portions of batter into pan as will fit without crowding, then gently spread out into a disc shape. When bubbles appear on the surface, flip the pancakes over and continue to cook until done, about 1-2 minutes more. Repeat with remaining batter (see notes). Serve warm with butter and syrup.

Special Equipment

Nonstick skillet

Notes

Cake flour can get easily packed if you measure with a cup. For best results, scale out the flour or gently spoon the flour into the cup. If the first pancake is too thick, gently stir in a tablespoon or two of milk (or Baileys!). Avoid over-mixing the dough or else the batter will become too tough—your final batter will contain some lumps. When cooking the subsequent batches of pancakes, you may only need a slight bit, if any, extra butter for the pan.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
672Calories
23gFat
107gCarbs
7gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories672
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g29%
Saturated Fat 14g68%
Cholesterol 103mg34%
Sodium 965mg42%
Total Carbohydrate 107g39%
Dietary Fiber 1g3%
Total Sugars 62g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 391mg30%
Iron 4mg25%
Potassium 313mg7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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