Amaretto Bundt Cake

If you’re looking for a classic, incredibly moist bundt cake with big almond flavor, this Amaretto Bundt Cake is a… The post Amaretto Bundt Cake appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Food & Nutritions Apr 14, 2026 0 3 Add to Reading List

If you’re looking for a classic, incredibly moist bundt cake with big almond flavor, this Amaretto Bundt Cake is a longtime favorite. It’s rich, tender and infused with the warm, slightly sweet flavor of amaretto liqueur. After baking, the cake is soaked with a buttery amaretto glaze that makes every bite irresistible. It gives me the same kinds of feels as my Irish Cream Bundt Cake, which is made in the same fashion.

This cake has a bit of a retro feel to it—similar to the famous “tunnel of fudge” and pudding mix bundt cakes that became popular decades ago. And honestly, there’s a reason these recipes have stuck around: they work beautifully and produce a cake that’s consistently moist, flavorful and easy to make.

What makes this version special is the layer of chopped nuts baked right into the bottom of the cake, which becomes the top when inverted. The nuts toast slightly as the cake bakes, adding texture and extra flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Amaretto Bundt Cake Recipe

• Deep almond-amaretto flavor throughout creates the best almond cake
• The buttery amaretto glaze soaks into every bite
• Easy shortcut using cake mix and pudding mix
• Beautiful bundt cake presentation without extra effort
• Perfect for holidays, brunches, or special occasions

This is one of those cakes that people tend to ask for the recipe after the first bite. And they’re delightfully surprised when they find out how easy it is to make!

ingredients displayed for making amaretto bundt cake

What is Amaretto?

Amaretto is a sweet Italian almond-flavored liqueur traditionally made with almonds or apricot pits. It has a rich, nutty flavor with hints of vanilla and caramel.

In baking, the liqueur adds a warm almond sweetness in Amaretto dessert recipes like vanilla cakes, chocolate desserts and nut-based pastries.

Even after baking, the flavor remains soft and aromatic rather than strong.

The History of Amaretto:

In 1525, an artist was commissioned to paint the Virgin Mary in a Soronno (Italian) church. He used a young widow in the town as his muse. She fell madly in love with the artist during the project, and gave him a flask of liqueur as a gift (apricot kernels steeped in brandy with added spices). In 1600, Giovanni Reina discovered the young widow’s recipe, and began passing it down in his family from generation to generation. In the early 20th century, a member of the Reina family began producing Amaretto di Soronno. The company is still owned and operated by the Reina family to this day.

The same family that created Amaretto cookies (the Lazzaroni family) also claimed fame to having been the creators of Amaretto. They made Amaretto cookies for the King of the region in 1786. In 1851, they created an Amaretto liqueur. Their version, however, was very different- the liqueur was created by steeping Amaretto cookies in alcohol.

Does the Alcohol Bake Out of Amaretto Cake?

Most of the alcohol in the amaretto bakes out during the cooking process, leaving behind the sweet almond flavor that makes this cake so delicious.

Because the cake bakes for about an hour, the majority of the alcohol evaporates in the oven. The glaze does contain amaretto added after cooking, but the amount used per slice is quite small and mainly adds flavor and moisture rather than strong alcohol taste.

If you prefer to avoid alcohol completely, you can substitute almond extract mixed with water to mimic the flavor of amaretto.

How to Make Amaretto Bundt Cake

Prepare the Cake

Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
Sprinkle the chopped nuts evenly across the bottom of the pan. Almonds are classic, but you can also use pecans.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and pudding mix. Add the eggs, water, oil and amaretto.
Using an electric mixer, beat the batter on high speed for 5 minutes until smooth and well combined. Pour the batter evenly over the nuts in the pan.
Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Prepare the Amaretto Glaze

While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze.
Combine the butter, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves completely.
Remove from heat and stir in the amaretto.

Glaze the Cake

Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Using a skewer or fork, prick the top and sides of the cake. Slowly spoon the warm glaze over the cake, brushing it over the sides as well. Allow the glaze to soak in before adding more. Continue until all of the glaze has been absorbed.

Recipe Tips

Grease the pan thoroughly: Bundt cakes can stick easily, so be sure to grease and flour every crevice.
Beat the batter for the full 5 minutes: This helps create a smooth batter and improves the cake’s texture.
Don’t skip the glaze step: The glaze soaks into the cake and turns it into a very moist bundt cake recipe!
Add the glaze while the cake is still warm: This helps the cake absorb the glaze evenly.

spatula taking out slice of cake from bundt

What Makes This Amaretto Glaze Cake So Moist?

Two ingredients are responsible for the cake’s soft, tender crumb:

Instant pudding mix helps bind moisture into the cake batter.
The warm amaretto glaze is poured over the cake while it’s still warm so it soaks deep into the cake layers.

Together they create a bundt cake that stays moist for days.

Variations to Try

Chocolate Amaretto Bundt Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix instead of yellow.
Extra Almond Flavor: Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the batter.
Toasted Nut Topping: Sprinkle additional toasted almonds over the finished cake.

amaretto bundt cake with large slice taken out of it

How to Store Amaretto Bundt Cake

This cake actually gets even better the next day as the glaze continues to soak in.

Room Temperature:
Store covered for up to 3 days.

Refrigerator:
Store up to 5 days.

Freezer:
Freeze slices wrapped well for up to 2 months.

10 Ways to use Amaretto:

Make Amaretto Chicken.
Make a cocktail (like an Amaretto Cranberry Kiss Cocktail), or add it to coffee.
Use Amaretto as a flavoring for chocolate truffles.
Add it to sautéed bananas, and use those to top ice cream.
Use Amaretto in dessert sauces, like butterscotch or caramel.
Bake a Cherry Amaretto Pie .
Use it to make an almondine sauce for fish and vegetables.
Steep cherries with Amaretto to add to cocktails.
Add it to jam.

Amaretto Bundt Cake

Amaretto Bundt Cake is a moist, tender cake infused with almond-flavored amaretto and topped with a buttery amaretto glaze that soaks into every bite.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword amaretto, bundt cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings servings

Calories 534kcal

Author Lori Lange

Equipment

Ingredients

CAKE:

1 cup chopped almonds or pecans
One 15.25-ounce box yellow cake mix
One 3.4-ounce box instant vanilla pudding
¾ cup Amaretto liqueur
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
¼ cup water

GLAZE:

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
¼ cup water
1 cup granulated white sugar
¼ cup Amaretto liqueur

Instructions

BAKE THE CAKE:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 10-inch bundt pan.
Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.
In a large bowl, combine the cake and pudding mixes. Add the eggs, water, oil and liqueur. Beat for 5 minutes at high speed. Pour the batter over the nuts in pan.
Bake 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

MAKE THE GLAZE:

Prepare the glaze while the cake is cooling in the pan. Combine the butter, water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the Amaretto.
Invert the cake onto a serving dish. Prick the top and sides of the cake. Spoon the glaze over the top and brush onto the sides of the cake. Allow the cake to absorb the glaze; repeat until all glaze is used.

Notes

Greasing the pan is important: Bundt cakes have lots of curves and edges, so be sure to grease and flour the pan well to prevent sticking.
• Use room temperature eggs: This helps the batter mix more evenly and results in a better cake texture.
• Don’t skip the glaze: The warm amaretto glaze is what makes this cake especially moist and flavorful. Pour it slowly so the cake has time to absorb it.
• Pricking the cake helps: Use a skewer or fork to poke holes in the cake before adding the glaze so it soaks in more evenly.
• Nut options: Both chopped almonds or pecans work beautifully in this cake.
• Make it extra almond-forward: Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the cake batter for even more almond flavor.
• Storage: Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: This cake freezes well. Wrap slices individually and freeze for up to 2 months.