Almond Amaretto Cupcakes

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These Almond Amaretto Cupcakes have a moist almond cupcake, almond frosting and a fluffy white chocolate amaretto center!

Almond Amaretto Cupcakes

Almond Cupcakes with Almond Frosting

Almond Amaretto Cupcakes recipe

So Christmas Eve night, something rare happened. The hubs baked with me! It was sort of unintentional. We’d gotten into bed and were ready to go to sleep, but then all of a sudden I realized I’d forgotten to put together the overnight breakfast casseroles for Christmas morning. I’d prepped some things, but they still had to actually be put together. When I told the hubs, he got up with me to help so it went faster.

I put together the egg casserole and the hubs put together the cake batter french toast casserole. He felt like I shouldn’t have to put together my own birthday breakfast. 🙂 After a few minutes of putting things in bowls, he got confused.

“Wait, what’s this?” he said, pointing at the recipe.

“That’s tablespoons. Five tablespoons of sprinkles,” I said.

“So what’s this?” he said.

“That’s teaspoons.”

“Crap. I added too much cinnamon and vanilla.”

He’d added 2 tablespoons instead of 2 teaspoons. Quite a difference. 🙂 Fortunately, it’s hard to mess up a birthday cake french toast casserole. The more cinnamon and vanilla, the more better. We had a good laugh and rolled with it.

It still turned out great, but you’ll be happy to know he wasn’t in the kitchen when I put these cupcakes together. You never know what could’ve happened. 😉

Best Almond Amaretto CupcakesHomemade Almond Amaretto Cupcakes recipe

These cupcakes are seriously delicious and were made by request. The base cupcake is moist and fluffy and uses almond extract for the flavor. The first step of the process of making the batter is the most important – the creaming. Be sure to fully cream the butter and sugar together until it’s lighter in color and fluffy in texture. You’ll be able to see it change. It adds air to the batter that gives the cupcake it’s fluff.

The frosting is a classic american buttercream, also flavored with almond extract. If you’re feeling the amaretto though, you could totally add some of that in there too, in place of the water or milk. I like to use a combination of butter and shortening in the frosting. I prefer the texture and flavor and it stays firmer at room temperature, but if you would prefer all butter you can just replace the shortening with additional butter.

The filling is flavored with amaretto, an almond flavored liqueur. It’s a whipped white chocolate ganache that’s so light and perfect with the cupcake! To make the ganache, heat the heavy whipping cream and amaretto, then pour it over the white chocolate chips. Whisk them together until smooth, then refrigerate until it has firmed up. It will still be a little soft, but firm. Add the ganache to a mixer and bowl fitted with the whisk attachment and whip until soft peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. You’ll notice the color of the ganache lighten. It’s light, fluffy and SO good!

The final cupcake is delightful! It’s so light and yummy, with great almond flavor! I could just about eat all of them in one sitting. 🙂

Easy Almond Amaretto CupcakesFavorite Almond Amaretto Cupcakes recipe

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Recipe

Almond Amaretto Cupcakes

  • Author: Life, Love and Sugar
  • Prep Time: 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 17 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 hours 17 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 Cupcakes
  • Category: Cupcakes
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

These Almond Amaretto Cupcakes have a moist almond cupcake, almond frosting and a fluffy white chocolate amaretto center!


Ingredients

WHITE CHOCOLATE AMARETTO FILLING

  • 8 oz white chocolate chips
  • 5 tbsp (75ml) Amaretto
  • 3 tbsp (45ml) heavy whipping cream, cold

ALMOND CUPCAKES

  • 6 tbsp (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cups (155g) sugar
  • 6 tbsp (86g) sour cream
  • 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 1/4 cups (163g) all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp (90ml) milk
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) water

ALMOND FROSTING

  • 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (95g) shortening
  • 5 cups (575g) powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 34 tbsp (45-60ml) water or milk
  • Sliced almonds, broken into pieces

Instructions

1. To make the ganache, put the white chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.
2. Put the amaretto and heavy whipping cream in a microwave safe measuring cup or bowl and microwave until it begins to boil.
3. Pour the cream over the white chocolate chips and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. If needed, microwave the mixture for 10-20 more seconds, then whisk until smooth.
4. Set the ganache in the fridge to firm up, about 2-3 hours.
5. To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
6. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the amount of creaming time.
7. Add sour cream and almond extract and mix until well combined.
8. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
9. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine the milk and water in a small measuring cup.
10. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the milk mixture and mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
11. Fill the cupcake liners about halfway. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
12. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.
13. While the cupcakes cool, finish the ganache. Put the ganache in the bowl of a mixer and whip with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. You’ll notice the ganache lighten in color.
14. Cut out the centers of the cupcakes. You can use a cupcake corer or a knife.
15. Fill the centers of the cupcakes with the white chocolate ganache. Set the cupcakes in the fridge while you make the frosting.
16. To make the frosting, combine the butter and shortening with a mixer until smooth.
17. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
18. Add 3 tablespoons of water or milk and the almond extract to the frosting and mix until well combined.
19. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or milk as needed to get the right consistency.
20. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844.
21. Press broken sliced almonds onto the sides of the bottom of the frosting. Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

To make the cupcakes non-alcoholic, leave out the amaretto in the filling and use 5 1/2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and 3/4 teaspoon of almond extract.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 590
  • Sugar: 59.5 g
  • Sodium: 158.9 mg
  • Fat: 32 g
  • Carbohydrates: 70.9 g
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Cholesterol: 49.5 mg

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Enjoy!

Almond Amaretto Cupcakes decorated

Almond Amaretto Cupcakes - almond cupcakes and frosting with a whipped amaretto filling! So good!

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199 Comments
  1. Krista

    Would it be OK to make these a day before? I plan on bring them to a party but don’t know how much time i will have the day of!

  2. Patti

    Hi,
    These look wonderful!! Should any leftover cupcakes go back in the fridge? And how long do you think they would last

  3. Marlene

    Just made the almond amaretto cakes yesterday, and they are beyond delicious. Light, fluffy and the perfect hint of amaretto flavor. My daughters and I had just sampled some cupcakes from a cupcake specialty shop in the Twin Cities area and these would be a hit there. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.

  4. Monique

    Your dessert pics are so pretty they bring a tear of joy to my eye! And I’m an Amaretto loving queen, so these have my full attention. (I blurbed about them on my Chew Your Booze blog.) Can’t wait for more of your alcohol-y baked goods!

  5. Camille

    I can’t wait to make this! Thank you for sharing…and what a sweet husband!
    Where did you get the pedestal cake plate…the one with the wood base?

  6. Marie

    These look gorgeous, Lindsay. I love almond cakes as well but I’ve never tried amaretto. What a great idea

  7. Heidi R.

    These sound so delicious! I’m wondering if you could tell me how much amaretto to use in the cupcake batter instead of putting it in the filling/frosting. I like the flavor, but want to have it in the baked part and not the unbaked for those not interested in the alcohol part. And if omitting it from the filling or frosting, how much almond extract would I use instead? Thanks so much!

    1. Lindsay

      Hi Heidi! I added to the note at the bottom of the recipe about making the filling non-alcoholic and adding almond extract. For the cupcake, here’s the suggestion (though I haven’t tried them this way, so no guarantees. 🙂 ) – reduce the sour cream to 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) and use 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) of milk and 6 tbsp of amaretto.

    1. Lindsay

      There’s a note at the bottom of the instructions about removing the amaretto from the filling – if that doesn’t clarify it, let me know. 🙂 Thanks!

      1. Virginia Roberts

        Thank you! I did not see that the first time I looked at the recipe. I will be making these soon!!! I enjoy your site!!

      2. Jasmine

        Could I add red food coloring in order  to turn the frosting red? 

        Also, could I make the ganache the night before I make the cupcakes and frosting? 

  8. Lisa F.

    Oh my goodness! I Love Love Love amaretto so these will definitely be on the cooking/baking list this weekend! They look delicious, thanks for sharing!

  9. Erin R.

    Ha ha! Bless his heart! That reminds me of the time my husband made a batch of cornbread that was so bitter and chemical tasting that I tricked the people at work into tasting it just so I could see them make yucky faces. It wasn’t until years later, when he asked me the difference between baking powder and baking soda, that I finally figured out what had gone wrong. A tablespoon of baking SODA had gone into that loaf of cornbread. Good thing your husb put too much cinnamon and vanilla, like you said. 🙂 And that was incredibly sweet of him to help you.

    1. Lindsay

      Omg, yes! Mixing up baking soda and baking powder is MUCH more detrimental to a recipe. 🙂 Too funny! And yes, he’s a very sweet man. 🙂 Thanks Erin!

  10. Mindy

    I’ve avoided baking since Christmas, too many cookies still in the house, but this recipe I will make and bring to work asap. It sounds sooo delicious!

  11. Kesha

    Yay! I can not wait to make these! I am getting my grocery list together right now! I am way too excited! Thank you for posting these yummy cupcakes!

      1. Kesha

        So! I made these today and OH MY WORD!!!!!! They are even better than the bakery!!! You way out did yourself!!! Thank you so much for coming up with the most AMAZING cupcake EVER!!!!!!!

  12. Gennie

    Nice list of recipes would like to make Cherry Almond Amaretto Ice Cream Cake at home. I will need to take the help of Mom.

    Thank Lindsay <3

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I’m the baker, recipe developer and photographer behind Life, Love and Sugar. I love sharing trusted recipes with helpful tips to give you great results.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29