This almond amaretto cake is three 8 inch almond butter cake layers filled with almond pastry cream and whipped mascarpone, then covered in amaretto buttercream and toasted sliced almonds. Plan on about 3 hours 10 minutes from start to slicing, most of it cooling and chilling, for 12 to 14 servings. The trick that keeps the slices neat is cold pastry cream held in place by a thin ring of buttercream.
The cake itself is soft and fine crumbed, flavored with almond extract. The amaretto comes in twice: in a light syrup brushed on the layers and in the frosting. It tastes of marzipan and warm sugar, and it is rich, so thin slices go a long way.
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- Almond cake: 2½ cups flour, 1 cup butter, 1¾ cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 cup whole milk, 1½ tsp almond extract, baked in three 8 inch pans at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes
- Amaretto syrup: ¼ cup water and ¼ cup sugar simmered, then 2 tbsp amaretto stirred in off the heat
- Almond pastry cream: 2 cups milk, 4 egg yolks, ¼ cup cornstarch, finished with butter and almond extract
- Whipped mascarpone: 8 oz mascarpone and ¾ cup cold heavy cream beaten to soft peaks
- Amaretto buttercream: 1½ cups butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tbsp amaretto
- Finish: ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted at 325°F for 5 to 7 minutes
Amaretto or Almond Extract: Where Each One Goes
The whole cake uses 4 to 5 tablespoons of amaretto: 2 tablespoons in the syrup and 2 to 3 in the buttercream. The pastry cream and the mascarpone get no liqueur at all. They take their flavor from almond extract, and so does the cake batter.
There is a reason for the split. Almond extract is strong and stays put in a bake, so a teaspoon or so flavors a whole component. Amaretto is gentler and sweeter, with an apricot kernel note, and it needs to stay uncooked to taste like itself. That is why it goes into things that never see the oven. If you make your own homemade amaretto liqueur, this cake is a good place to use it.
One more thing to know before you serve it. Because the amaretto is stirred into the syrup after it comes off the heat and beaten into the frosting raw, the alcohol does not cook off. For a cake children will eat, use milk in place of the amaretto in both the syrup and the buttercream.
Mixing and Baking the Three Almond Layers
Have the butter soft, and the eggs and milk at room temperature. Cold milk hitting creamed butter makes the batter look broken. Beat the butter and sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture is pale and fluffy. That air is part of the lift, alongside the 2½ teaspoons of baking powder.
Add the eggs one at a time, then the extracts. Add the flour mixture in three parts with the milk in two, starting and ending with flour, and stop mixing as soon as no dry streaks remain. Overmixing at this stage gives a tight, tough crumb.
Divide the batter evenly among three lined 8 inch pans. A kitchen scale makes this quick, and even layers bake in the same time. Bake at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes, until the tops are light golden, spring back when pressed, and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then turn the layers out onto a rack and let them cool completely.
Cooking an Almond Pastry Cream That Holds Between Layers
Heat the milk until it steams, then pour it slowly into the whisked sugar, yolks, and cornstarch. Return everything to the pan and whisk without stopping. In 2 to 3 minutes it goes from thin to thick and starts to bubble.
Let it bubble for a full minute before you take it off the heat. Egg yolks contain an enzyme that breaks down cornstarch, and only a real boil stops it. Pull the cream too early and it looks fine in the pan, then turns soupy in the fridge. Whisk in the butter, almond extract, and salt, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill until cold all the way through. The method is the same as my vanilla pastry cream, just flavored with almond.
Whipping the Mascarpone Layer Without Graininess
Use the mascarpone straight from the fridge and a chilled bowl. Beat it with the cold cream, powdered sugar, and almond extract until it is thick and holds soft peaks. Then stop. Mascarpone is high in fat, and a few seconds too long turns it grainy and buttery.
This layer is lighter than the pastry cream, which keeps the filling from feeling heavy. If you like the flavor, my mascarpone frosting uses the same idea as a full frosting.
Amaretto Buttercream and Stacking the Cake
Beat the butter alone for 2 minutes until smooth, then add the powdered sugar in stages. Beat in the amaretto, vanilla, and salt for another 2 to 3 minutes. It should spread easily and still hold a ridge on the spatula. For a version with no liqueur, my almond buttercream frosting works on this cake too.
Level the layers if they domed. Set the first one on a board and brush it with about a third of the cooled syrup. The top should feel damp, not wet. Pipe a ring of buttercream just inside the edge. This ring is the dam that keeps two soft fillings from squeezing out of the sides.
Whisk the cold pastry cream until smooth and spread half of it inside the ring. Spread half of the whipped mascarpone over it. Repeat with the second layer, then add the third layer, brush it with the last of the syrup, and frost the top and sides.
Press the toasted almonds around the base and the top edge. Chill the cake for 30 to 60 minutes so it sets. An hour or more gives the cleanest slices.
Fixing Runny Pastry Cream, Grainy Mascarpone, and Dry Layers
- Lumpy pastry cream: press it through a fine sieve while still warm. Next time, pour the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream and keep whisking.
- Pastry cream thinned after chilling: it did not boil long enough. Return it to the pan and whisk over medium heat until it bubbles for a full minute, then chill again.
- Grainy mascarpone: it was overbeaten. Fold in 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold heavy cream by hand, gently, until smooth again.
- Filling bulging out of the sides: the pastry cream was not cold, or there was no buttercream ring. Chill the whole cake for 20 minutes, scrape the sides, and frost again.
- Curdled buttercream after the amaretto: the butter was too cold or too warm. Keep beating if it is cold, or chill the bowl for 10 minutes if it is soft and greasy.
- Dry layers: usually overbaked by a few minutes. Brush on a little more syrup, and start checking at 22 minutes next time.
A Two Day Plan for a Birthday or Holiday Cake
Three components and a long chill make this a cake to split over two days. On day one, bake the layers, cool them, and wrap them tightly; they keep at room temperature for 1 day. Cook the pastry cream and whip the mascarpone the same day and keep both covered in the fridge.
On day two, make the syrup, which takes 5 minutes plus cooling, and beat the buttercream. Assembly takes about 30 minutes. Give the cake at least an hour in the fridge before it goes to the table.
The bare layers freeze for up to 1 month, wrapped in plastic wrap. Do not freeze the filled cake. Cornstarch pastry cream weeps and turns spongy after thawing.
Keeping and Serving the Finished Cake
Because of the pastry cream and mascarpone, the cake lives in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. The flavor is even better on the second day. Take slices out about 20 minutes before serving so the buttercream softens, and do not leave the cake out for hours.
Serve it with espresso or fresh berries. For a fruit layer, spread 2 tablespoons of cherry amaretto jam over each pastry cream layer. Cherry and almond are an old pairing, and the thin layer keeps the structure firm.
Almond Amaretto Cake Questions
How much amaretto is in almond amaretto cake?
About 4 to 5 tablespoons in total: 2 tablespoons in the soaking syrup and 2 to 3 tablespoons in the buttercream. The fillings and the cake batter use almond extract instead.
Does the alcohol bake out of this cake?
No. The amaretto is added to the syrup off the heat and to the frosting raw, so it stays in. Swap milk for the amaretto in both if you need an alcohol free cake.
Is this the same as an Italian almond cake?
Not quite. A traditional Italian almond cake is usually a single dense cake built on ground almonds. This is a tall layer cake made with all purpose flour, which gives it the strength to stack. For almond flour baking, try my almond flour banana bread.
Can I bake it in 9 inch pans?
Yes. The layers will be thinner and bake faster, so start checking at about 18 minutes. The fillings will spread a little thinner too.
What else can I bake with amaretto?
My almond amaretto cheesecake uses the same flavors in a richer form. If you like nut layer cakes, the hazelnut layer cake is a good next bake.
Almond Amaretto Cake
This almond amaretto cake is a three layer almond butter cake filled with almond pastry cream and whipped mascarpone, brushed with amaretto syrup, and covered in amaretto buttercream and toasted sliced almonds. It takes about 3 hours 10 minutes including cooling and chilling and makes one 8 inch, 3 layer cake that serves 12 to 14. The pastry cream is boiled for a full minute and chilled cold, and a ring of buttercream holds both fillings in place, so the slices stay neat. Bake it as a birthday cake, a holiday or Easter dessert, or any time you want an almond cake with amaretto filling. For an alcohol free version use milk in the syrup and frosting. Keep the cake in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- FOR THE ALMOND CAKE
- 2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp pure almond extract
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
- FOR THE AMARETTO SYRUP
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
- FOR THE ALMOND PASTRY CREAM
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- FOR THE WHIPPED MASCARPONE FILLING
- 8 oz (227g) mascarpone cheese, chilled
- ¾ cup (180ml) heavy cream, cold
- ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
- ½ tsp almond extract
- FOR THE AMARETTO BUTTERCREAM
- 1 ½ cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp amaretto liqueur
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- FOR DECORATING
- ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled
Instructions
- MAKE THE ALMOND CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the almond and vanilla extracts. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
- BAKE THE CAKES: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- MAKE THE AMARETTO SYRUP: In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the amaretto liqueur. Allow the syrup to cool completely before using.
- MAKE THE ALMOND PASTRY CREAM: Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until thickened and bubbling, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, almond extract, and salt. Transfer to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
- MAKE THE WHIPPED MASCARPONE FILLING: In a chilled mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and almond extract together until thick and smooth with soft peaks. Be careful not to overbeat. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- MAKE THE AMARETTO BUTTERCREAM: In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the amaretto liqueur, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue beating for 2–3 minutes, until the buttercream is smooth and spreadable.
- ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Level the cake layers if necessary. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake board. Brush the top with amaretto syrup. Spread an even layer of almond pastry cream, followed by a layer of whipped mascarpone. Repeat the process with the second cake layer. Place the final cake layer on top, brush with syrup, and frost the top and sides of the cake with amaretto buttercream.
- DECORATE: Gently press toasted sliced almonds around the base and top edge of the cake. Refrigerate the assembled cake for 30–60 minutes to allow it to set before slicing and serving.
Notes
Make ahead: bake the layers up to 1 day ahead and keep them tightly wrapped at room temperature, or freeze them for up to 1 month. The almond pastry cream and whipped mascarpone can be made a day in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.
Let the pastry cream bubble for a full minute once it thickens, then chill it completely and whisk it smooth before spreading. Pipe a ring of buttercream just inside the edge of each layer before adding the fillings so they do not squeeze out.
Whip the mascarpone filling only to soft peaks; overbeating makes it grainy. If that happens, fold in 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold cream by hand.
To toast the almonds, bake them in a single layer at 325°F (165°C) for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once, and cool completely.
The amaretto is not cooked, so the cake contains alcohol. Substitute milk for the amaretto in the syrup and buttercream for a non-alcoholic version.
Chill the assembled cake for at least 1 hour for clean slices and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not freeze the filled cake.
