Family Favorites...Mini Amaretto Cakes

 I do not think you can go too far wrong with a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. I have been using their cookbooks and special issues for many years. This recipe is for Mini Amaretto Cakes from their 2006 issue Holiday Baking. Many of these older magazines will show up at book sales or rummage sales. They are almost always worth buying. The older recipes do not use a lot of mixes or oddball ingredients.

  Now, this recipe does call for Amaretto and I would not try to make it without the liqueur. It is an essential ingredient for the cakes and they are not a cake I would feed to a younger person either. As the Amaretto is in the syrup poured on the cool cake it will not cook away as it would in baking. Strictly adult, well we need something special also, right!

  Now that I have you in the mood, do try these. I think they would work well with any liqueur, maybe an orange liqueur or how about Rum. They are a little work, but well worth the fuss. If you do not have the mini pans use a large bundt pan.

Mini Amaretto Cakes

PREP: 45 minutes  BAKE: 20 min. (small pans), 40 min. (6 cup pan)  OVEN: 325°

¾ cup softened butter                                   
3 room temp eggs

1 ½ cup all purpose flour                              
1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg                          
¾ cup sugar

¼ cup amaretto                                             
1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange peel

½ teaspoon vanilla

  Amaretto Syrup

⅓ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons corn syrup

½ cup amaretto

  Grease and flour your pans, using a pastry brush will make it easier to grease the pans.

  In a small bowl, mix the flour, nutmeg, and baking powder. Set aside. 

Beat butter till soft and add sugar slowly. Beat till light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Beat in Amaretto vanilla and lemon peel. Add eggs one at a time beating till mixed in. Scrape bowl after each egg is added. 

  Slowly add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Fill pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes for small pans, and 40 to 45 for one larger pan. Cool in pan for ten minutes and then cool the cakes on wire rack.

  While they are cooling, make the syrup. Combine everything except the Amaretto. Cook stirring until the sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

  Poke holes all over the cakes and spoon or brush the syrup mixture over cakes, letting it soak in. Do this over a sheet pan on a wire rack. It will take a few minutes to soak in, and you can keep adding the syrup until it is gone. I used all of the syrup except for the one cake, Bettie’s daughter ate before it got cool, NO syrup on it. 

  You can bake the cakes ahead and keep chilled till you are ready to use, keeping them refrigerated.