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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. 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. 😉
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. 🙂
You might also like:
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 1x
- 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
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) salted butter
- 1/2 cup (95g) shortening
- 5 cups (575g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 3–4 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.
Keywords: almond cupcakes, amaretto cupcakes, almond frosting, amaretto dessert, cupcakes recipe
Enjoy!
These look gorgeous, Lindsay. I love almond cakes as well but I’ve never tried amaretto. What a great idea
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!
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.
Would it make a difference if I use almond extract instead of the Amaretto in the filling?
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!
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!!
Could I add red food coloring in order  to turn the frosting red?Â
Also, could I make the ganache the night before I make the cupcakes and frosting?Â
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!
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.
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!
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!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy them!
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!
I hope you like ’em! I’d love to know what you think! 🙂
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!!!!!!!
Yay!!! 🙂 That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
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