Amaretto Cake

Today I’m sharing a recipe that’s very special to me???.

Today marks our 2 year wedding anniversary so I wanted to replicate our wedding cake!! For our wedding day we actually did a variety of mini cupcake flavors for guests to pick and choose from but our small tiered wedding cake was Amaretto flavored. It was simple in flavor and design but extra indulgent. I’m so excited that I was able to make a recipe so spot on to it because now my husband and I will be able to enjoy it again and again for years to come.

Here’s a picture of the original:

Biting into this cake was pure nostalgia! Talk about all the feels! So I’m very happy to be sharing this recipe today. Not just because it’s sentimental for me but to me, that’s what sharing recipes is all about, sharing something special (in edible form) with people.

This cake has the moistest, fluffiest crumb with subtle almond-vanilla flavor. The frosting is rich, indulgent and full of amaretto flavor!

To match the look of the original I baked the layers in a round, 6 inch cake pan. You can still use a regular 8 inch or 9 inch cake pan to make this recipe it’ll just look shorter and wider.

A few things to consider when baking this cake:

Oven temps and baking time: If baking the cake in two regular 8  inch or 9 inch round cake pans follow the baking instructions on the back of the cake mix. If you use two 6 inch round cake pans like I did, you want to bake “low and slow”. Meaning, reduce the suggested oven temp on the box by 25 degrees ex: box says preheat to 350 degrees, so reduce oven temp by 25 and preheat to 325 degrees and the cake will bake for a longer time. Mine were done at about 40 minutes. The important thing here is to watch the cake. All ovens are different so just because mine required 40 minutes doesn’t mean yours will too, it might be done a little sooner, or take a few more minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top of the cake is firm, not at all jiggly.

Cake batter and frosting: In this recipe we use almond extract and if you haven’t used almond extract before let me tell you, a little goes a long way! For the cake batter I only used 1/4 teaspoon but I didn’t want the cake to be overpowered with almond flavor because I wanted the frosting to be rich. Now in the frosting it’s a different story. I ended up using about 3 tablespoons of almond extract, but I did this to taste. My advice would be to cream together the butter and mascarpone cheese for 2 to 3 minutes, slowly add in the powdered sugar and amaretto liquor until the frosting is fluffy. Then start to add the almond extract about 1/2 tablespoon at a time, let the frosting mix for about 30 seconds and then taste test it.

Amaretto Cake

Amaretto Cake

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Author: Kimberly | Just Add Sprinkles

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 16.25 ounce white cake mix 15.25 is fine too
• 3.4 ounce vanilla instant pudding mix not cook & serve
• 1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons amaretto liquor
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For the Frosting:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons amaretto liquor
• 2-3 tablespoons almond extract to taste
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• If using an 8 or 9 inch round cake pans preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If using 6 inch cake pans preheat your oven to 325. Spray pans with nonstick spray and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix and pudding mix. Give the dry ingredients a quick whisk. Add in buttermilk, oil and eggs and beat on medium speed (using a handheld mixer) until combined. Add in the sour cream and continue mixing. Add in amaretto liquor and almond extract and beat just until combined. Do not over mix batter. Batter will be thick.
• If using the 8 or 9 inch cake pans: fill the pans up halfway with batter. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center is firm.
• If using the 6 inch pan fill each pan with 2 and 1/4 cups of batter to get 2 layers. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center is firm.
• Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes and then remove the cakes from their pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Make the frosting:

• In a large bowl beat butter and mascarpone cheese on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and amaretto liquor, mixing together on low speed and slowly working back up to medium speed once the powdered sugar is incorporated. Slowly add in almond extract , a 1/2 tablespoon at a time, to taste, mixing the frosting for about 30 seconds in between each addition of almond extract. I used about 3 tablespoons of extract.
• Use a butter knife or offset spatula to frost the cake to your liking. Cut into slices and serve. Cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Cake stays moist for about 4 to 5 days.