What is Amaretto Cake

Amaretto Cake, is a sophisticated cake for merienda or afternoon tea. Ameretto cake is made from the Italian Almond liquer Amaretto, sometimes referred to as Disaronno, the makers name. The name is a diminutive of the Italian verb amaro, which means “bitter”, reperesenting the distinctive taste and arome of the bitter almond, counteracted and enhanced by sweet almonds. There is a discrete liquer Amaro which has a different taste of herbs. Amaretto is an infusion of “apricot kernel oil” with “absolute alcohol, burnt sugar, and the pure essence of seventeen selected herbs and fruits”.I like to add almonds to my Amaretto cake to give it texture.

Amaretto cake is not the only culinary use for this distimctive Liquour it can be used to enrich pancake batters. An almondine sauce is a perfect addition to fresh trout or rainbow trout and also vegetables. it is also delicios when used when poured over a rich vanilla ice cream with a dark chocolate sauce.

Angela Hartnett replaced Simon Rimmer for this weeks
Something for the Weekend and this is her aunt’s recipe. Her family left Italy to go to Wales. Angela is one of the most renowned women’s chef’s in the UK at the moment and I have eaten her food often when she was at the Connaught, although never an Amaretto cake.

How to Serve Amaretto cake?

Amaretto cake is delicious alone but it also delicious with a dark chocolate sauce.

Recipe for Amaretto Cake

Ingredients

250g/9oz plain flour, sifted, mixed with 2 tsp baking powder
220g/7¾oz butter, plus extra for greasing
220g/7¾oz caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on the cake
pinch salt
4 free-range eggs
50g/1¾oz chopped almonds
50g/1¾oz ground almonds
1 lemon, zest only
2 teaspoonsof pure vanilla extract
dash yoghurt
200g/7oz amaretti biscuits, crushed
125ml/4½fl oz amaretto or sherry

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
Grease a 23cm/9in cake tin and dust the inside with flour.

Method
Beat the butter, sugar and salt together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, with a spoonful of the flour mixture between each addition to stabalise the batter and stop it curdling.

Add the chopped and ground almonds, the remaining flour, the lemon zest and vanilla extract. If the mixture is too thick add a little yoghurt until it is a dropping consistency. Mix the amaretti biscuits and amaretto together in a separate bowl.Pour half the mixture into tin and level the surface with a palette knife until smooth. Place the crushed amaretti biscuits on top.

Cover with the rest of the mixture and sprinkle the top with sugar. Cook in the oven for one hour. Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is done.

Amaretto cake can be varied by adding an ounce of cocoa powder instead of flour, or add chunks of dark chocolate at leasy 85% chocolate to the batter just before cooking it. it is also excellent wiht morello cherries inside or even dreid or fresh cranberries. I also serve it sometimes with Amaretto cream just whip some amaretto with cream and icing sugar until it just holds its shape. Amaretto cake can also be served warm from the oven with cream for a dessert after lunch.

Amaretto cake can be made with a minature bottle of amaretto

Links

Disaronno