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These Almond Amaretto Cupcakes have a moist almond cupcake, almond frosting and a fluffy white chocolate amaretto center!
Almond Cupcakes with Almond Frosting
So Christmas Eve night, something rare happened. The hubs baked with me! It was sort of unintentional. Weโd gotten into bed and were ready to go to sleep, but then all of a sudden I realized Iโd forgotten to put together the overnight breakfast casseroles for Christmas morning. Iโd 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 shouldnโt have to put together my own birthday breakfast. ๐ After a few minutes of putting things in bowls, he got confused.
โWait, whatโs this?โ he said, pointing at the recipe.
โThatโs tablespoons. Five tablespoons of sprinkles,โ I said.
โSo whatโs this?โ he said.
โThatโs teaspoons.โ
โCrap. I added too much cinnamon and vanilla.โ
Heโd added 2 tablespoons instead of 2 teaspoons. Quite a difference. ๐ Fortunately, itโs 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 youโll be happy to know he wasnโt in the kitchen when I put these cupcakes together. You never know what couldโve happened. ๐
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 โ the creaming. Be sure to fully cream the butter and sugar together until itโs lighter in color and fluffy in texture. Youโll be able to see it change. It adds air to the batter that gives the cupcake itโs fluff.
The frosting is a classic american buttercream, also flavored with almond extract. If youโre 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. Itโs a whipped white chocolate ganache thatโs 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. Youโll notice the color of the ganache lighten. Itโs light, fluffy and SO good!
The final cupcake is delightful! Itโs so light and yummy, with great almond flavor! I could just about eat all of them in one sitting. ๐
More Dessert Recipes Youโll Love
- Almond Amaretto Bundt Cake
- Amaretto Cheesecake
- Raspberry Almond Shortbread Icebox Cake
- Raspberry Almond Layer Cake
- Raspberry Amaretto Cheesecake Trifles
- Mini Berry Almond Cheesecakes
- Cherry Almond Amaretto Ice Cream Cake
Almond Amaretto Cupcakes
- 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
- 3โ4 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 350ยฐF (176ยฐC) 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. Youโll 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
Enjoy!
Would I be able to substitute the amaretto with Torani amaretto syrup and get the same outcome?
I havenโt tried it, and the syrup will have much more sugar, so Iโm not sure that would turn out the same.
I love anything that has an almond flavoring to it. These cupcakes were a big hit and the frosting was delicious! I used gluten free flour so that my daughter could enjoy them as well.
Iโm glad they were a hit!
Do not, I repeat do not put shortening in the frosting. My batch tasted like shortening. I had to redo.
Can you make a suggestion for replacing the Amaretto? Iโd like to take the cupcakes to school.
Sure, you can leave out the amaretto and increase the whipping cream to about 5 1/2 tablespoons.
Can these be made ahead and frozen ?
I havenโt tried it with these, but that should be ok. Just wrap them well or place them in an air-tight container, then thaw in the fridge when ready.
What amaretto do you use? I want to make these but never bought amaretto before?
I typically use Disaronno, but another brand would be fine too. I hope you enjoy them!
Im having trouble with the whipped center filling โ its not โwhippingโ up. Followed your directions to a T. Ideas?
Whipping cream should naturally whip. If itโs not, Iโd make sure youโre using cold whipping cream. If itโs too warm, it will have trouble whipping.
Can a person double the entire recipe as written without adjustments or is it best to make one recipe at a time?
I havenโt tried it, but I would expect doubling it to be just fine.
These cupcakes are my new favorite! Everyone loved them in my house. Iโm going to try making them as mini cupcakes next time for a get together when thereโs multiple desserts. ๐
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them!
Iโm assuming you use both butter and shortening for this recipe as it doesnโt say one or the other, but listโs both? Thank you.
Iโm not sure what you mean by it not listing one or the other. The buttercream lists both, because it uses both. You can use all butter though, if you prefer.
I made a mistake no version of these for a party with all mini desserts. I used a special cake tip to insert the filling. They were a hit! Thanks
Would I be able to bake this recipe in a 9 X 13?
Sure. Itโd be a little more dense that way and youโd want to double it for a full 9ร13 cake.
Can you substitute amaretto for the almond extract in the frosting?
Sure! It just may not be as strong flavor-wise.