Almond lovers, this one's for you! With a tender, almond-scented cake and a sultry amaretto-infused ganache glaze, this almond bundt cake is stunning inside and out.
Yield: 16 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 1 hourhour
Total Time: 2 hourshours
Ingredients
For Cake:
2 ¼cups/ 450ggranulated sugar
8oz/ 226galmond paste
2teaspoonsfinely chopped Meyer lemon or orange zest
1cup/ 226g(2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4large eggs, at room temperature
3tablespoons/ 45gamaretto liqueur
¼teaspoonalmond extract
2 ½cups/ 312gall-purpose flour
¾teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonfine sea salt
⅔cup/ 162gwhole milk, at room temperature
½cup/ 120gsour cream, at room temperature
For Amaretto Ganache:
6oz/ 170ggood quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
⅔cup/ 160gheavy cream
1tablespoon/ 15gamaretto liqueur
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with the baking rack positioned in the lower third of the oven. Grease a 10 to 12-cup capacity bundt pan with baking spray.
In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar, almond paste, and lemon zest, mixing until paste is broken up into pea-sized pieces (use your hands if necessary or if your almond paste is on the hard side; you can also do this in a food processor).
Add butter and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as you go. After you've added the final egg, increase the mixer to high and beat for 3 minutes. Add almond extract and amaretto and mix to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another small bowl or a 2-cup capacity measuring cup with spout, whisk together milk and sour cream.
With the mixer running on low, add half of flour mixture until almost incorporated. Mix in half of milk mixture, followed by remaining flour, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Finally add the rest of the liquid and mix on low until just incorporated. The batter will be quite thick, but smooth.
Spoon or scoop dollops batter into the greased bundt pan, distributing it evenly around the pan. Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet (just in case) and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until top is light golden brown and a long, thin skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, no gooey batter.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack for 15 to 20 minutes, then gently invert the cake onto a wire rack. It should come out cleanly. Let cool completely before glazing.
To make the ganache, place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl or a 2-cup glass measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring.
In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat until it just starts to bubble and steam. Pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds, then gently whisk, starting in the center and moving out in concentric circles, until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Whisk in amaretto. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glaze has thickened slightly (it should still be pourable, but shouldn't totally run down the sides).
Set cooled cake on wire rack inside a baking sheet (to catch any overflow). Pour glaze over top of cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Let set for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Any overflow ganache can be scraped off the cookie sheet and used for something else, or served alongside the sliced cake for those who want extra chocolate.
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also freeze the unglazed cake, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and/or in an airtight bag, for up to 1 month. Let thaw completely before glazing.