Almonds and almond extract are permanent staples in my pantry. They both have such great flavor and such versatile uses that I find myself using them often in baking, whether in addition to other flavors or in an all-in way with desserts like this Amaretto Almond Bundt Cake.
With almonds, almond extract, and almond liqueur all working together in this cake, there’s plenty of almond flavor for even the biggest almond fan.
For plenty of almond flavor, the addition of almond-flavored liqueur is just the thing. It really deepens the flavor and takes it to another level. For those of you who don’t bake with alcohol, you can simply omit the liqueur if you like. You may want to add another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of almond extract to replace some of the almond flavor from the liqueur.
This cake has such a lovely, soft texture to go with all of that big almond flavor. It manages to be dense yet moist and soft and the same time. And topping it off is a simple, sweet almond glaze. Then we go all in with some toasted almonds sprinkled on top. Who’s ready to dive in?
I’ll give you one note about choosing a pan for baking this cake. It will fit in a 10-cup pan, although it will bake right to the top. If you’re worried at all about your cake spilling over, then go with a 12-cup pan. The cake you see here was baked in a 10-cup Heritage Bundt pan, and it did indeed bake all the way to the top. Just keep in mind that inaccurate measurements can lead to larger volumes of batter. (Click here if you need a quick review for measuring flour.)
This cake has quickly become one of my favorites. The simple preparation, the amazing flavor, and the wonderful texture all combine for a big-time dessert winner. Plus, it’s just so pretty, isn’t it? If you’re a big almond fan, I think this cake is destined to become one of your favorite desserts, too.
Video Tutorial: Amaretto Almond Bundt Cake
Amaretto Almond Bundt Cake
If you love almonds in a big way, you must try this fantastic Amaretto Almond Bundt Cake. Such a lovely, delicious cake!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 & 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (48g) almond flour, almond meal, or finely ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons almond-flavored liqueur, such as Amaretto
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup milk
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (110g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- toasted sliced almonds, for garnish
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 10- or 12- cup Bundt pan (see my note below) with a cooking spray with flour, like Baker's Joy or Pam Baking.
- Whisk together the flour, almond flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the liqueur, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three portions, alternating with two portions of milk. Mix just until combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Then, flip the cake onto a serving plate to continue cooling.
To make the glaze:
- Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of the cream, and the almond extract.
- Add more cream, about a teaspoonful at a time, until the glaze is the desired consistency. It should be thick but pourable.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Garnish with almonds.
Notes
*The cake you see here was baked in a 10-cup capacity pan. It worked fine but baked right to the top. A 12-cup capacity pan might be a safer choice if you're concerned about spills.
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55 Comments on “Amaretto Almond Bundt Cake”
Can’t wait to make it! Two flavors I love- almonds and almonds 👍🏻
Thanks Jen luv your recipes and images. I just ordered a Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Heritage Bundt Pan for $12.29 off Amazon and it was free shipping I was shocked at the price?
One thing you can do if you are crazy about amaretto like me is spritzing the cake a little or poking a few holes in it and drizzling some Amaretto in them and then covering the holes with the amaretto glaze. “Extra Yum for the Tum”
More Amaretto sounds like a fantastic idea to me! 😉
I agree
Does cooling in pan 20 minutes allow for removal? Usually I cool for 10 minutes.
Hi, Mamie. In my experience, Bundt cakes need to cool just a bit longer before they’re removed from the pan. About 20 minutes is what works for me.
This one is next! Love the idea of almond flour in the cake. Plus, a nice bit of amaretto – it’ll go in the glaze as well. 🙂
Any tips for using something other than a Bundt pan for this? Can I use 10-cups worth of regular cake pans? I just can’t justify one more thing in my kitchen that won’t be used often. 🙂
Hi, Barb. I’ve not tried baking this cake as anything other than a Bundt. If you have the same volume pan (like a 9″x 13″x 2″), you could try that. The baking time will likely differ, so I’d recommend you use your best judgment and the usual toothpick test to check for doneness.
Hi Jennifer! I love this recipe and didn’t realize the beauty of baking with a heritage bundt pan until now. You’re photos are gorgeous. I found a similar heritage mini-bundt pan and may try to make a few in a more personal size. Any advice other than cut down the baking time?
Hi, Tina. Just decrease the baking time according to the size of the cups and fill them about 3/4 full. I bet that mini pan will make such pretty cakes!
Very bad instructions in this recipe…. I just wasted time and money in making this cake. The instructions should have stated to heavily grease and dust with flour your Bundt pan. I followed the instructions and only greased my Nordic ware Bundt pan. After baking the cake per the instructions and letting rest 20 minutes in the pan, I tried to remove the cake from the pan and it stuck something fierce.
Hi, Susan. I’m sorry you had troubles! Generously greasing the pan works sufficiently for me. Of course, pans can vary, so if your experience with your own Bundt pan is that it also needs to be floured, I would always err on the side of caution.
I had the same issue with sticking, but the flavir is great. Thank god for the icing and almonds, i managed to camoflouge it a bit.
I have the best luck generously greasing Bundt pans with a cooking spray with flour, like Baker’s Joy or Pam for baking.
This is absolutely stunning!
Any possibility of making this gluten free? Can I use all almond flour or maybe substitute the AP flour for gf flour blend? TIA!
Hi, Jennifer. I’d be hesitant to use all almond flour in the recipe, just because I’ve never tried that and it’s a pretty big change for the recipe. I have very little experience with gluten-free baking. If you have a gluten-free flour that you like, then I’d suggest using the manufacturer’s recommendations for substitution.
I don’t have almond flour, but do have al,nods. If I make my own “almond flour” may I use almonds with the skins on them?
I think that would be fine, Jeanne.
Can this gorgeous cake be frozen with the glaze and nuts or should the finishing be done after defrosting. Looking forward to your reply
Hi, Marsha. You’ll get the best results if you add the glaze and nuts after the cake has thawed.
Any possible way of making this cake non alcoholic and so what would the non alcoholic substitution be?
Hi, Tiffany. You can omit the Amaretto without making any other changes. You may want to bump up the almond extract a bit to get some of that almond flavor back.
What is the flatware pattern in the photo?
Hi, Michelle. I’ve had them for a while, and I’m afraid I don’t remember the name of the pattern. I believe they’re from Crate and Barrel.
Just made this. The texture is amazing. Love this recipe – making it again for a pals BDay.
I’m so glad you liked it, Suzanne! I hope it’s a hit for your friend’s birthday, too.
Found this recipe and I’m so glad! As an experienced baker, I could tell from a quick read-through that it would likely be a “working” recipe (many online ones aren’t!) and decided to give it a shot, as a Christmas Eve dessert for a party we were going to. It was a hit, so thank you! I used a Nordic Ware heavily-patterned bundt, which is occasionally a problem in terms of release, but for this recipe it worked perfectly. The cake flavor is deep and almondy, and even better the next day, so I might make it a day ahead the next time, and glaze/decorate before serving. Also, I think I might cut the sugar by about 25% next time – would you suggest cutting the white or brown sugar, or evenly from each? And would you suggest upping any other ingredient to make up for the lost “mass”? Thanks!
Hi, Carla. I’m glad you liked the cake! You can try cutting the sugar, but you may find the cake a bit drier and more crumbly. As to which sugar to cut back, that’s up to you. Brown sugar tends to make things more moist, so you might want to retain that to try to combat any texture issues.
Hi, I have been reading the comments on this beauty of a cake, which I will be making in the near future. I see the only negative reviews are issues with pans, which is why I decided to comment. I cannot stress enough how important I find it to invest in good heavy pans and honestly get to know them. That sounds odd but I will bet that you know what I mean by that. I have certain pans for certain things and rarely have even the least little bit of trouble with them. Knowing my pans and my oven are key to success!
That’s actually quite true, Carol! Pans are very important to baking success!
I certainly wish I had read the review about the cake sticking to the plan. I very generously greased the plan and the cake stuck to the pan. I’m very disappointed because I baked it this morning to take this cake for a birthday celebration this weekend and don’t have time to redo it.
I’m so sorry you had troubles, Cynthia! I use a cooking spray with flour (like Baker’s Joy or Pam Baking) and very, very rarely have sticking problems with any kind of baked good. If you usually use something else, give that a try. Otherwise, take a look at your pan and make sure it’s in good shape. I know mine get scratched over time, making cakes tougher to remove.
I absolutely loved this recipe!! Thanks for sharing! The cake was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and what a beautiful presentation as well! I was wondering if you tried making it with cupcakes? I was thinking about giving it a try perhaps baking it for 20 to 25 minutes any suggestions.? I’ll let you know how it comes out.
Hi, Janine! I’m glad you liked the cake. I’ve not tried converting to cupcakes, so I can’t say for sure. Your suggestion of 20-25 minutes is where I would start.
I can’t have Almond flour can I just sub it with regular flour?
That should work, Lisa.
Made the cake. It was an instantaneous hit. Skipped the Liqueur & increased the almond extract. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Very moist cake and we all loved the aroma of the amaretto in this recipe. Very delicious!
I’m so glad you liked it, Simone!
Hi, I’m planning to make this cake tomorrow without the alcohol, how much almond extract would you suggest to use instead of the alcohol?
Thanks in advance, looks delicious!
It’s okay, I just re-read and seen that you’ve already addressed this 😂 thank you, I’ll let you know how it turns out 😆
Great! I hope you enjoy the cake, Gemma!
I made the cake exactly as you detailed and it was an absolute hit ! Moist with exactly the right amount of almond flavour! It kept well to the following day and maybe would have been good even longer but sadly it was all gone at the end of day two. I had no problems at all with it sticking to my Bundt tin.
I’m so glad the cake was a success for you!
Hi there, do you think adding raspberries to the cake would be risky in any way?
That will add moisture and volume. You might need a little extra flour to combat the extra moisture. As for the volume, take care not to over-fill the pan so you don’t end up with a mess.
Is it ok to use cake flour for this recipe or should I stick with all purpose?
Hi, Mary. I’ve not tried it with cake flour, so I can’t say for sure what difference it would make. If that’s all you have, then I’d go for it. Otherwise, I’d make it as written.
Can you make this a week or two ahead of time to freeze for the holidays? I would love to share as gifts for friends and family but try to spread my baking out. Thank you
Hi, Danielle. Yes, the cake should freeze well. I would freeze it without the glaze and add that after thawing the cake.
Currently making this recipe and I’m a bit confused. The ingredients list 1 cup of milk for the cake but the instructions never mention adding the milk. I’ve read it multiple times and can’t figure it out.
Nevermind! I finally found it!