This flavorful Almond-Amaretto Bundt Cake is simple, elegant, and absolutely delicious. Tender cake flavored with almond, orange, and amaretto, this cake is perfect for the holidays or any time of year!
I have the privilege of developing recipes for print magazines, and this time I was asked to make a “celebratory cake for the holidays.” A cake you’d serve at a holiday gathering, whether that be a glamorous party or a smaller, more intimate setting with close friends. I decided that I wanted this cake to be more on the understated, sophisticated side, but of course drool-worthy. It needed to be simple enough for the home baker to make during the busy holiday season, but still gorgeous and worthy of being the centerpiece. And of course I wanted lots of holiday flavor, but not exactly “on-the-nose” holiday flavor. And so, this Almond-Amaretto Bundt Cake was born, and I am beyond pleased to share it with you guys! It is, in my humble opinion, a perfect holiday dessert that will pleasantly surprise everyone.
No one thinks of almond, amaretto (AKA almond liqueur) and orange for the holidays, although these are in fact very wintery, festive flavors. Which is why I love this cake! It’s a little unexpected, and incredibly delicious.
The cake is of course flavored with almond, amaretto and orange zest, which is simultaneously warm, sweet, and fresh. And the texture of this cake? I’ll just tell you it’s truly perfect as far as Bundt cakes go. It’s tender, soft, and has a tighter crumb that’s dense but still light. Like a velvety pound cake, but still on the lighter side. Does this make sense? You’ll just have to try it out. The perfect texture for this Almond-Amaretto Bundt Cake is all thanks to the reverse creaming method, which is actually an incredibly easy way to make cake. If you haven’t tried it, consider this your sign.
You’ve got to make this cake.
Even if it’s not the holidays, you’ve got to make this cake. It’s a great cake for the wintery holidays, but honestly, no one is going to be upset if you make this in fall, spring or summer. Promise!
I hope you guys love this cake as much as I do. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and happy baking!
What you’ll need to make this cake:
Sugar: Granulated sugar of course adds flavor and sweetness, but also makes this cake incredibly tender.
Orange zest: I love the combination of orange zest and almond! The flavor is equally warm and fresh, plus I love using oranges during the winter time. Rubbing the orange zest into the sugar gives a more pronounced orange flavor and ensures that the orange zest is equally distributed throughout the cake.
Flour: All-purpose flour gives structure to this cake. For best results, make sure that you’re weighing your flour correctly, either by weight or by using the spoon and level method.
Baking soda + powder: For leavening power.
Kosher salt: For balance.
Butter: Butter adds flavor and moisture to the cake. This recipe uses the reverse creaming method, which means you’ll add pats of softened butter to the dry ingredients. This results in an incredibly soft, tender cake!
Whole milk: Milk gives this cake a soft, velvety texture without weighing it down too much. Be sure to use full-fat milk.
Sour cream: Sour cream adds moisture and richness due to its high fat-content, making for a really moist cake, and the acidity of sour cream helps tenderize the cake. Be sure to use full-fat sour cream.
Eggs: For structure, binding, and moisture.
Almond liqueur: Almond liqueur, or Amaretto, gives a sweet, nutty flavor to the cake. The alcohol content also helps tenderize the cake.
Vanilla + almond extract: For extra flavor.
Powdered sugar, kosher salt, almond liqueur, and milk for the amaretto glaze.
Optional sugared cranberries and rosemary for garnish. See instructions for how to make these in my recipe notes!
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
What is almond liqueur? Almond liqueur, or Amaretto, is an Italian liqueur that has a sweet, nutty flavor, very similar to almond extract. I love it in this cake! It boosts the almond flavor and pairs perfectly with the orange zest. Using it in the glaze gives just the right amount of boozy flavor. I don’t recommend skipping this ingredient!
Why do my ingredients have to be room temperature? Baking is a science, so there is a reason for this! When the ingredients like butter, eggs, milk and sour cream are at room temperature, this allows the batter to come together seamlessly into a smooth, homogenous mixture. This ultimately results in a lighter, more tender cake. Cold ingredients will make your batter lumpy and irregular, resulting in a dense, potentially tough cake. I wrote an entire article about this for Southern Living, so check that out if you want all the details!
A few notes before you bake:
A note on garnishes. I love this cake for the holiday season, which is why I chose to garnish with sugared cranberries and rosemary. Be sure to see my recipe notes for instructions on how to make these. However, feel free to garnish (or not garnish) this cake as you please! Something like toasted almonds or candied orange peel comes to mind!
This recipe utilizes the reverse creaming method, which makes for a soft, velvety, slightly denser cake (in a great way) when compared with the traditional creaming method. In the reverse creaming method, the dry ingredients are mixed together first, and then the softened butter is mixed in until the mixture resembles coarse sand. This allows the butter to coat the flour particles, which in turn slows down the process of gluten formation when mixed together with the wet ingredients. This yields a super soft crumb texture with minimal air pockets. AKA a really tender, soft cake that’s on the right side of dense.
Print
Almond-Amaretto Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 Bundt cake 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
This flavorful Almond-Amaretto Bundt Cake is simple, elegant, and absolutely delicious. Tender cake flavored with almond, orange, and amaretto, this cake is perfect for the holidays or any time of year!
Ingredients
For the almond-amaretto cake:
- 400 gm (2 cups) granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 312 gm (2 1/2 cups, spoon and leveled) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 226 gm (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pats
- 120 mL (1/2 cup) whole milk, at room temperature
- 180 gm (3/4 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 45 mL (3 tablespoons) amaretto liqueur
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
For the amaretto glaze:
- 120 gm (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur
- 1 tablespoon milk, plus more as needed
- Sugared cranberries and rosemary for optional garnish*
Instructions
To make the almond-amaretto cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the sugar and orange zest to the bowl of a stand mixer and rub together with your fingers until the zest is evenly distributed and fragrant. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt to the bowl and whisk to combine.
- Attach the paddle attachment to your stand mixer. Add the pats of butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until the butter is incorporated and the mixture resembles damp sand, about 1 to 2 minutes. Next, add the milk and mix on low speed to incorporate (at this point the batter will look like cookie dough). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the sour cream, eggs, amaretto, vanilla extract and almond extract to a large glass measuring cup or bowl and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the batter in 3 separate additions, mixing on low speed after each addition, stopping when the ingredients are just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold the batter a few times to ensure all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Generously grease a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan with non-stick spray, preferably one containing flour. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Firmly tap the pan on the counter several times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the amaretto glaze:
- Add the powdered sugar, kosher salt, amaretto, and 1 tablespoon milk to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze reaches a thick, drizzling consistency. Pour glaze over the cooled cake. Garnish with sugared cranberries and rosemary, if desired.
Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
*Sugared cranberries and rosemary: To make the sugared cranberries, I followed Martha Stewart’s recipe, which worked wonderfully! To make the sugared rosemary, dip sprigs of rosemary in lightly beaten egg white, then coat in granulated sugar. Allow to dry, about 1 hour.
