Bailey's Torte (or Tart with Chocolate Ganache)

This rich Bailey's Torte is made with ganache and Irish cream whiskey. Three layers of chocolate: a cocoa shortcrust pastry filled with chocolate ganache and sprinkled with cocoa powder.

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bailey's tart sprinkled with cocoa powder.

Chocolate cakes, tarts, or tortes are always a luxurious treat. Either something easy to make like this Bailey's torte or something more elaborate like the Hungarian Dobos Torte, chocolate bakes are always special, elegant, something to impress.

And if you like Baileys, check out this Bailey's Bundt Cake, a perfect (and much faster to make) treat for St.Patrick's Day as well. Or try the No-Bake Bailey's Cheesecake or the Muffins.

Recipe ingredients
- Crust
- Filling
How to make Bailey's torte?
Expert tips
Recipe FAQ
More chocolate bakes

Recipe ingredients

Crust

Flour – I use cake/pastry flour most of the time, but all-purpose is fine as well.
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Cold, unsalted butter
One egg
Sugar
Pinch of salt

Filling

cream, bailey's, coffee, chocolate on a white table.

Bailey's Irish cream
Dark chocolate 70% cocoa. When it comes to making desserts or baking with chocolate I always say it is best to use the best quality you can afford. This advice is definitely important for this recipe as well. It is all about the chocolate here, if it doesn't taste good, the torte won't taste good.
Milk chocolate. You can use only dark sort if you wish, but I like to add a smaller amount of the one made with milk, it is milder.
Instant coffee granules. The Irish cream torte will not taste of coffee, but the coffee has this wonderful way of enhancing the chocolate flavor. Espresso powder would do as well. If you don't want to buy a jar of instant coffee just for a recipe, you can leave it out, but I do recommend using it.
Jam: basically anything you like or have in the house. However, it is preferable to use a robust, sturdy, and tart-tasting jam, for instance, red currant or black currant jam. I had cherry butter and it was perfect.
Heavy cream
Unsweetened cocoa powder to sprinkle over the Bailey's chocolate tart.

sliced creamy pieces of tart on a plate with a fork.

How to make Bailey's torte?

How to make the crust in a food processor?

Place flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix.
Make sure that the butter is very cold. Cut it into small cubes, add to the food processor. Process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and process very shortly to combine. The pastry should now start clumping together and it will hold easily when pressed.
Quickly press the dough into a ball without working it too much. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

How to make the crust by hand?

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the very cold butter (see tip above). Rub it into the flour with the fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough from becoming warm.
Add the lightly beaten egg and using a cold knife, stir until the dough binds together.

ball of shortcrust dough made with cocoa.

How to make the filling?

While the dough is in the fridge, make the filling.
Chop the chocolate very finely either by hand with a chef's knife or in a food processor. (1)
Place cream and instant coffee into a small saucepan and heat gently until it starts to simmer. Don't let come to a boil. Stir often to make sure that the coffee is completely dissolved. (2)
Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. (3)
Stir in the Irish cream whiskey as well. (4)
Transfer to a mixing bowl, you will need to whip the cream later as well, so you might just transfer it to a fitting bowl from the start.
Let cool shortly on the counter, then transfer to the fridge and refrigerate for one hour.

collage of four pictures of making ganache.

How to blind bake the shortcrust?

Roll the dough on the lightly floured surface. The circle should be slightly larger than the tin you are using. (1)
Lightly grease the bottom of the tin and line the tin with the shortcrust. Press the pastry into the edges and up the side of the tin. Trim the excess dough.
Prick with a fork all over. (2)
Place in the fridge or even better freezer while you preheat the oven.
Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the crust. Fill the tin with dry beans for blind baking. (3)
Bake for about 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the beans and the parchment paper. Continue baking for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through. Don't overbake or the crust will break when you cut the tart. (4)
Let cool completely before filling, it will not take long.

Tip: If the dough tears when rolling give it a few minutes' time at room temperature, it will become slightly softer and easier to roll. You can also slice it, arrange the slices in the baking tin, and press to unite them and form the crust.

collage of four pictures of rolling and blind baking cocoa shortcrust.

How to fill the Irish cream torte

Carefully transfer the pastry shell onto a serving platter.
Whip the chocolate cream until fluffy. (1)
Stir the jam to make it smooth and spread it on the base of the tart. (2)
Immediately spread the ganache onto the Bailey's torte and smooth it with a spoon or a spatula. Work quickly, the cream will stiffen again quite fast. (3,4)
Sprinkle evenly with unsweetened cocoa.

collage of four pictures of filling tart with ganache.

Decoration suggestions

I used white sugar pearls in two sizes to decorate this simple Bailey's torte or chocolate tart.
However, you can use whatever you like.
Try chocolate sprinkles, shavings, or any other kind of chocolate decoration.
White chocolate shavings would look great as well.
I often decorate the Irish cream torte or similar tarts with fresh berries. My favorite combination is with raspberries, but blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, fresh currants, or a combination of different ones are delicious as well.

Expert tips

Most important tip: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking, it guarantees for best results (Amazon affiliate link).
Cut the butter into small cubes and place them on a small plate. Freeze for 10-15 minutes. If making the dough with the hands hold your hands under cold running water before starting (and dry them well).
Use a tart tin with a removable bottom, it makes life so much easier (Amazon affiliate link).

Recipe FAQ

How to store?

First of all, you can refrigerate the wrapped dough for about 3-4 days or freeze it for up to 1 month.
The Bailey's torte keeps well for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Leftovers can also be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Let defrost gently in the fridge.

Can I use the blind-baking beans again?

You can use the beans for blind baking again and again. Let them cool completely in a large bowl and store them in a jar. You will not be able to use them for cooking anymore.

overhead picture of a chocolate tart on a platter and on a plate.

More chocolate bakes

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Bailey's Torte

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