Cherry Amaretto Coffee Cake
Cherry amaretto coffee cake is the perfect combination of buttery, sweet and nutty flavors all in one cake. This coffee cake has a soft, rich amaretto flavored cake base topped with a sweet, cherry filling. The coffee cake is finished with an amaretto flavored glaze and then sprinkled with sliced, toasted almonds.
This coffee cake is adapted from one of my most popular recipes on the blog: my blueberry sour cream coffee cake with streusel topping, which won as the best overall single layer cake at the 2018 Iowa State Fair. My good luck must have carried over with this recipe as well, since I won 3 ribbons at the 2024 Iowa State Fair for this cake!
The next time you need a great breakfast or brunch recipe, this cake is perfect for that occasion served with a cup of coffee or tea. Really, this cake is also perfect as a dessert – your friends and family will thank you for it!
How to Make Cherry Amaretto Coffee Cake
This cherry amaretto coffee cake is simple to make and comes together quickly. Don’t like amaretto liqueur or cherry flavors? Be sure to read the tips below for substitutions.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon amaretto liqueur or flavor*
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups cherry pie filling, preferably homemade*
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon amaretto liqueur or flavor*
- 2-3 teaspoons water
- sliced, toasted almonds
Instructions
Grease and line a 9” round cake pan with parchment paper. In large mixing bowl cream the 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened and 1 cup granulated sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add 2 large eggs,
one at a time. Mix in the 1 tsp amaretto liqueur or flavor. Sift or whisk the 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt together. Add to butter mixture, alternating with the 1/2 cup full fat sour cream in two different batches, mixing only until combined.
Spread 2/3 of the batter into prepared cake pan; 1 1/2 cups cherry pie filling on top of the batter; dollop the remaining batter on top of the cherry pie filling. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350°F, until the edges are a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs. Allow to cool on a wire rack; allow to cool in pan 15-20 minutes before removing cake from the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.
When ready to serve, remove parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Combine the ingredients for the glaze (1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp amaretto liqueur or flavor and 2-3 teaspoons water) and stir until drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled coffee cake; sprinkle with toasted, sliced almonds.
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Tips
- You can substitute any flavor of pie filling for the cherry pie filling in this coffee cake
- You can substitute vanilla extract in place of the amaretto liqueur or flavor
- For this specific cake, it is is done when the edges are golden brown and there are only a few crumbs on a toothpick when inserted into the center of the cake
- Only mix batter until combined; over-mixing will cause holes or tunnels in your cake
- Store the coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature up to 72 hours
- Freeze this cake in an airtight container for up to 45 days
- Yields 12 large servings or 16 small servings
Want more coffee cake recipes?
Cherry Amaretto Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9" cake pan
- mixing bowls of various sizes
- mixer
- parchment paper
- baking spray
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp amaretto liqueur or flavor
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup full fat sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups cherry pie filling, preferably homemade
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp amaretto liqueur or flavor
- 2-3 teaspoons water
- toasted, sliced almonds
Instructions
- Grease and line a 9” round cake pan with parchment paper.
- In large mixing bowl cream the 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened and 1 cup granulated sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add 2 large eggs, one at a time. Mix in the 1 tsp amaretto liqueur or flavor.
- Sift or whisk the 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt together. Add to butter mixture, alternating with the 1/2 cup full fat sour cream in two different batches, mixing only until combined.
- Spread 2/3 of the batter into prepared cake pan; 1 1/2 cups cherry pie filling, on top of the batter; dollop the remaining batter on top of the cherry pie filling.
- Bake 45-50 minutes at 350°F, until the edges are a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack; allow to cool in pan 15-20 minutes before removing cake from the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.
- When ready to serve, remove parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Combine the ingredients for the glaze (1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp amaretto liqueur or flavor and 2-3 teaspoons water) and stir until drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled coffee cake; sprinkle with toasted, sliced almonds .
Notes
- You can substitute any flavor of pie filling for the cherry pie filling in this coffee cake
- You can substitute vanilla extract in place of the amaretto liqueur or flavor
- For this specific cake, it is is done when the edges are golden brown and there are only a few crumbs on a toothpick when inserted into the center of the cake
- Only mix batter until combined; over-mixing will cause holes or tunnels in your cake
- Store the coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature up to 72 hours
- Freeze this cake in an airtight container for up to 45 days
- Yields 12 large servings or 16 small servings
[…] have jars of homemade cherry pie filling year-round to use for pies and other desserts, like this Cherry Amaretto Coffee Cake or Black Forest Cake Roll. While you can make this recipe any time of year, summer is the best time […]