Description
Amaretto pound cake is a dense, buttery dessert that brings a subtle almond flavor to your table with every slice. Making it requires just basic ingredients and simple mixing, so you can have a homemade treat ready whenever you’re craving something comforting and slightly sweet.
Ingredients
Scale
Base ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2.25 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
Dry ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
Flavor ingredients:
- 0.5 cup Amaretto liqueur
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
- 0.5 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 325°F and prepare a Bundt or loaf pan by coating it thoroughly with butter and flour, making sure to reach into all the corners.
- In a large bowl, beat 1 cup softened butter with 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
- Add your 4 room-temperature eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition so everything combines smoothly.
- Pour in 1/2 cup Amaretto liqueur and 2 teaspoons almond extract, mixing until these flavors are fully incorporated into your batter.
- Whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a separate bowl.
- Alternate adding your dry ingredients and 1 cup room-temperature milk or heavy cream to the butter mixture in this pattern: one-third of the flour mixture, then half the milk, then another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining milk, and finally the last third of flour.
- Mix on low speed until your ingredients just come together without any flour streaks visible; stop before you overwork the batter.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula, then bake at 325°F for 60 to 70 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
- Allow your cake to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract in a small bowl, whisking until the consistency works for your preference.
- Drizzle the glaze across your cooled cake and give it time to set before cutting into slices.
Notes
- Don’t overmix once the dry ingredients hit the batter, as this develops too much gluten and makes your cake dense and tough instead of tender.
- Check your cake at 60 minutes with a toothpick, since oven temperatures vary and baking a few minutes too long dries it out.
- Room-temperature eggs and butter combine more smoothly into the batter, giving your cake a more even crumb and better rise.
- For a dairy-free version, swap the milk or cream with unsweetened almond milk in the same amount, and the cake stays moist and flavorful.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 448 kcal
- Sugar: 36 g
- Sodium: 152 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 92 mg