Cherry Almond Bundt Cake with Amaretto

I’m bringing this cherry almond bundt cake to you from Missoula, Montana where we’re visiting Jeremy’s parents for the week. It’s been really wonderful to see them again after almost a year, and to spend a bit of time each day enjoying our favorite little haunts in this small town. I’ve also been taking it a bit slower life-wise which has been nice. With the continued stress of trying to sell our Portland home, more medical tests on the infertility front, and frustrations with work, I’m limiting myself to just a couple hours of work in the morning while we’re here, which is basically spent following up via email on a variety of projects and issues. Ah, the digital era.

But when life gets overwhelming, there is always cake to be had. This one in particular was a big hit, I sent it to the office with Jeremy since the two of us can’t eat an entire cherry almond bundt cake on our lonesome, and they absolutely LOVED it (as did I!) And so I am sharing it with you here.

This bundt starts with fresh pitted cherries which are cooked down in a cinnamon amaretto syrup.  The syrup is saved and used in the glaze, and the cherries are chopped and baked into the bundt cake. There’s quite a lovely almond flavor in the cake via the almond meal, the almond extract, and of course the amaretto liqueur. The cake itself is inspired by the flavors of my favorite cocktail, an amaretto sour, and I feel like I did it justice. I hope you enjoy this bright lively cake, my friend, and I’ll be in touch again in a week or two with another tasty sweet treat from the stone fruit family. And if you need something to hold you over until then, this plum cake should do the trick.

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Cherry Almond Bundt Cake with Amaretto

This moist cherry almond bundt cake is stuffed with fresh cherries cooked in an amaretto cinnamon syrup & topped with a cherry vanilla glaze!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bundt cake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Servings 12 people

Calories 688 kcal

Ingredients

Cherry Filling + Syrup

• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) pitted sweet cherries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur

Cherry Amaretto Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons cherry syrup
• 2 teaspoons amaretto liqueur
• 2-3 teaspoons milk
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cinnamon

Cherry Almond Bundt Cake with Amaretto

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk room temperature
• 1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 10 fresh cherries for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios or almonds for optional garnish

Instructions

Cherry Filling + Syrup

1. Combine all ingredients except the amaretto in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce to low and simmer until the liquid has thickened and reduced by half, about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the amaretto, and strain, reserving both the cherries and the syrup separately. Chop up the cherries and set them aside. Keep the syrup in a glass jar to cool to room temperature.

Cherry Amaretto Glaze

1. Whisk together all of the ingredients until combined. The amount of cherry syrup and milk depends on how thick you’d like the glaze, and also how thick your cherry syrup turned out. For a thicker glaze consistency, use less liquid. For a thinner glaze, use more liquid.

Cherry Almond Bundt Cake with Amaretto

1. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until each egg has been fully incorporated before adding the next one. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed. Add the oil and mix until combined.
3. Alternate between adding the flour mixture, the milk, and the amaretto in three increments. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined and a smooth batter forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as-needed and taking care not to overmix the batter.
4. Grease the interior of a 10-cup capacity bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with almond flour, then place it on a lipped baking sheet. Pour two-thirds of the batter into the pan, then sprinkle the chopped cherries along the center of the batter away from the edges of the pan. Cover the cherries with the remaining third of the batter. Place the pan in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the bundt comes out clean and it’s golden, about 45 to 55 minutes.
5. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before flipping the pan to unmold the bundt cake. Allow it to continue to cool completely on the rack.
6. Once cooled, top with the cherry amaretto glaze, then place the fresh cherries on top of the bundt in a circle, and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios or almonds. Slice and enjoy! Cake leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Just bring to room temperature before eating (it will make the cake more tender than if you serve it chilled).

Nutrition Facts

Cherry Almond Bundt Cake with Amaretto

Amount Per Serving

Calories 688 Calories from Fat 315

% Daily Value*

Fat 35g54%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 12g

Cholesterol 123mg41%

Sodium 332mg14%

Potassium 208mg6%

Carbohydrates 85g28%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 65g72%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 622IU12%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 105mg11%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.