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This Cherry Almond Amaretto Ice Cream Cake is light, a little fruity, and full of almond and Amaretto flavor. It’s the perfect summer dessert – and it’s even yummier than you’d expect!
Cherry Almond Amaretto Ice Cream Cake
I created this recipe back when the hubs and I were officially at that age when our friends were starting to have kids. Even though we didn’t have kids of our own yet, we regularly got together with friends who were just starting out on their parenting journey, and it was awesome to be a part of that.
Normally on a Friday night, we would be the ones bringing margaritas to a friend’s house, but those were the years when margaritas gave way to massive boxes of diapers, casseroles, and yes – this perfect cake! Now that’s how you know you’re getting older and moving into a new life phase! 🙂 And to this day, it’s still one of my favorite indulgent desserts. There’s nothing like ice cream, cake, whipped cream, amaretto, and cherries!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Cherry Almond: Cherries and almonds are a classic combination, and amaretto (a sweet almond liqueur often made from apricot pits) is the perfect ingredient to tie them both together.
- Tender Cake: As you can see from the pictures, the cake in this recipe has a fine crumb and soft, silky texture. It’s absolutely perfect as a contrast to the ice cream.
- No Churn Ice Cream: With a smooth cream-cheese base, the no-churn ice cream in this recipe is completely luxurious without any hassle!
- Super Simple Method: With just a basic springform pan and some parchment paper, this cake is easy to assemble. And it’s gorgeous!
What’s in This Ice Cream Cake?
Some of my ice cream cakes are made with store-bought ice cream for extra simple prep (see my Copycat Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake and classic fudge-Oreo Ice Cream Cake recipes!). You can certainly do that here, too. But I really recommend following the recipe and making the no-churn, cream-cheese-and-almond ice cream below. It’s heavenly!
Cake Layers
- Flour: All-purpose flour is perfect here – no need for specialty flours.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar gives a balanced sweetness without adding additional flavors. If you want to add a “toasty” flavor, you could substitute brown sugar or raw sugar instead.
- Rising Agents: You will need both baking soda and baking powder to give the cake a light, fine texture.
- Butter: The butter should be at room temperature, for creaming with the sugar.
- Egg Whites: Use the whites only (save the yolks for making something else – Lemon Curd, anyone?)
- Almond Extract: Pure almond extract.
- Sour Cream: For a light, moist cake that’s not weighed down.
- Amaretto Coffee Creamer: This ingredient is usually available in grocery stores, but you can also order it online.
- Amaretto Liqueur: Depending on where you live, you might be able to get this at the grocery store, or it might only be available in liquor stores. You can also order amaretto liqueur online, or just replace it with more of the amaretto coffee creamer.
Ice Cream Layers
- Cream Cheese: For easy mixing and no lumps, it’s crucial to have this at room temperature.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is fine.
- Milk: Just a bit of milk thins the ice cream mixture to the right consistency.
- Almond Extract: To keep the almond flavor going! If you don’t want almond extract in this layer, you could use vanilla extract instead.
- Cool Whip: Or homemade whipped cream, whichever you prefer.
- Cherries: Chopped maraschino cherries – see the note at the end of the recipe instructions for more info.
Decorating and Topping
- Cool Whip: Again, homemade whipped cream is also fine.
- Slivered Almonds: Or sliced almonds if you would rather use those.
How to Make Cherry Almond Amaretto Ice Cream Cake
There are basically three parts to this dessert: the cake, the ice cream, and the toppings. Making them isn’t hard at all! Here’s how:
THE CAKE LAYERS
- Get Ready to Bake. First, you will grease a couple of 8 inch cake pans – preferably springform pans – and line the bottoms of them with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and then gather up your ingredients to start mixing.
- Mix the Dry and Wet Ingredients Separately. In one bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. In a second bowl, mix the softened butter, egg whites, almond extract, sour cream, coffee creamer and amaretto on medium speed until smooth.
- Bake, Cool, and Level. Divide the cake batter between the two pans, and bake for about 19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a couple of crumbs. Cool the cakes completely, and then level them off using a large, serrated knife.
THE ICE CREAM
- Mix Everything Except Cool Whip and Cherries. In a clean bowl, using clean beaters, mix the cream cheese, sugar, milk and almond extract until well combined.
- Fold in the Remaining Ingredients. Fold in the Cool Whip and chopped cherries to make a fluffy, soft ice cream mixture.
ASSEMBLING IT ALL
- Prepare the Pan. Line the sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper to make a “collar.” The cake will be a little taller than your pan, so the parchment will add extra height. If you want, you can also put a cardboard cake circle in the bottom of the pan.
- Add the Layers. Place a layer of cake in the bottom of the pan, and pour half of the ice cream on top. Spread it out. Add the second layer of cake, and pour the rest of the ice cream on top. Spread it out evenly.
- Freeze & Frost. Freeze the cake until frozen solid, at least 5 hours or overnight. Once the cake is frozen, remove it from the pan, and frost the outside of the cake with more Cool Whip. Top with slivered almonds, and you’re done!
Tips for Success
I hope you will give this recipe a try – if you like cherries and almonds even just a little bit, you really need to taste this! It’s so good, and will keep you coming back for more slices, guaranteed. Not so sure about making it? These helpful tips will give you all the advice you need!
- 8-Inch Pans: I know this is a little odd, but be careful to choose the same size pan when you bake the layers and when you assemble the finished cake. Not all 8-inch pans are exactly the same size, so be sure that it fits or the cake layer might be a little too large or small to fit.
- Springform Pan: For assembling the cake, an 8-inch springform pan works best. That way, you can simply release the sides of the pan when it’s frozen and ready to frost. If you don’t have a springform pan, you can use a regular cake pan – just line it with clear plastic wrap before adding your parchment paper and cake board. You can use the clear wrap to lift your cake out of the pan once it’s assembled and frozen.
- Cherries: When chopping the cherries, just remove them from the juice in the jar, cut into pieces and set aside. Do not save the juice that comes out when you cut them, but don’t try to squeeze out the remaining juice or pat them dry. The juice that remains in the cherries after you cut them will flavor the ice cream.
How to Store This Cake
Storing ice cream cakes is the easy part! (Well, honestly, it’s all the easy part when you have an easy recipe like this one.) To keep this cake fresh and flavorful, store it in a large airtight container, preferably a cake stand. It will keep in the freezer for up to one week.
Print
Cherry Almond Amaretto Ice Cream Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Cherry Almond Amaretto Ice Cream Cake is light, a little fruity, and full of almond and Amaretto flavor. It’s the perfect summer dessert – and it’s even yummier than you’d expect!
Ingredients
CAKE LAYERS
- 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup amaretto coffee creamer
- 1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
ICE CREAM LAYERS
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup milk
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 8 oz Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)
- 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries (see second note at the bottom of instructions)
OUTSIDE AND TOPPING
- 4 oz Cool Whip
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
Instructions
THE CAKE LAYERS
THE ICE CREAM
ASSEMBLING IT ALL
Notes
An 8-inch springform pan is best for this recipe so that you can easily remove the cake once it’s been assembled. If you do not have a springform pan, line your pan with clear wrap before adding your parchment paper and cake board. You can use the clear wrap to lift your cake out of the pan once it’s assembled and frozen.
When chopping the cherries, just remove them from the juice in the jar, cut into pieces and set aside. Do not save the juice that comes out when you cut them, but don’t try to squeeze out the remaining juice or pat them dry. The juice that remains in the cherries after you cut them will flavor the ice cream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 409
- Sugar: 32.6 g
- Sodium: 109 mg
- Fat: 23.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.7 g
- Protein: 4.9 g
- Cholesterol: 47 mg
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Amaretto Cream Cheese Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel from Call Me PMC
Amaretto Almond White Cake from Shugary Sweets
