Bailey's Irish Cream Cake

 This year, for St. Patrick's Day, I knew I wanted to bake something using Bailey's Irish Cream: A, because I love it, and B, because I had just enough left in the bottle to use as an ingredient. I know I already have Bailey's Cupcakes (which are amazing, btw) but I was hoping for something a little different this time. Then I found this Bundt recipe and I thought, well ok then! Let's give it a try!
 Now, it's true that I only ever bake cakes from scratch, and rarely do I ever use a cake mix, but this recipe is an exception to that rule because it uses the cake mix as an ingredient instead of just mixing it up as directed on the box, know what I mean? That still counts as baking from scratch, doesn't it? I'm standing by it!
 This cake is easy to make and is SO tasty! The pecans get all nice and toasty and the glaze is just heavenly. Actually, the glaze is one of the things that drew me to the recipe in the first place. There are many recipes that just throw 1/4 cup of Irish cream into the batter, but this recipe has 3/4 cup in the cake and then another 1/4 cup glazed over the top. If we're having a Bailey's cake, I want to be able to taste the Bailey's! And I knew having the glaze would drive that home. I made it for a group of friends and several of the group came back for seconds! It's just that delicious.
 So if you're a Bailey's fan, you should give this cake a try. It's the perfect thing to have after you have your corned beef and cabbage, or any holiday meal! Enjoy!


Cake:
1 cup chopped pecans

1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

6 tbs flour

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

 Glaze:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup white sugar
tiny pinch kosher salt

1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over bottom of pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, and flour. Mix in eggs, 1/4 cup water, oil and 3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur. Beat for 5 minutes at high speed. Pour batter over nuts in pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto the serving dish. Prick top and sides of cake. Spoon glaze over top and brush onto sides of cake. Allow to absorb glaze. Repeat until all glaze is used up. To make the glaze: In a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Irish cream.

Tips:

The original recipe called for an 18.25 oz cake mix. Since most brands of cake mix have been downsized to 15.25 oz, I have added 6 tbs of flour to the recipe. If you have an 18.25 oz cake mix, then by all means omit the flour. You could also purchase a second cake mix, add 6 tbs of it instead of just plain AP flour, and then save the rest in an airtight container for the next time.

Not a fan of pecans? Use a nut that you like! Hazelnuts? Walnuts? Anything is fine. Not a fan of nuts at all? Just leave 'em out!
Btw, I added a a few drops of rum extract to the batter. Why? Because I like it!

When you make the glaze, be sure to stir it constantly for the full 5 minutes. You don't want the sugar to burn. Also, be very careful when you add the Irish cream to the SCREAMING hot glaze. It'll bubble up quite a lot, kind of like when you make caramel. Be sure to use a pot that will accommodate that.