High Altitude Cherry Almond Amaretto Loaf Cake
A buttery and moist cherry almond amaretto pound cake baked in a loaf pan, frosted with pink cherry almond buttercream.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Standard-Sized Loaf Pan
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup almond flour (or very finely ground almonds)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup Amaretto (almond liqueur)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ¾ cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2-3 tbsp cherry jam
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp meringue powder (optional)
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- fresh cherries, for decorating
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard sized loaf pan with parchment paper, or lightly spray with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, amaretto, melted butter, vanilla extract and almond extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir the batter together with a spatula until combined. Fold in the chopped cherries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the cake for about 55-60 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter and jam for one minute, until smooth. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Beat the frosting for 4-5 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cake with the buttercream, and decorate with fresh cherries.
Notes
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/