Caramel Amaretto Cake (Vegan)
Two layers of amaretto infused cake and a chocolate amaretto buttercream with a touch of caramel hidden between the moist, tender layers. A dairy-free, egg-free irresistible treat.
An delightful layer cake made up of moist, tender vanilla layers infused with amaretto and a buttercream flavored with chocolate and amaretto. Because amaretto and caramel pair so well together, a little caramel is added between the layers. Don’t let the multiple components stop you from trying this flavorful yet easy-to-assemble little cake.
What you will need:
This recipe uses a combination of almond extract and amaretto liqueur. Everything else you will need should already be in your pantry. A small amount of caramel is needed; store-bought or homemade will work equally well.
Cake Layers
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cane sugar
- oil – I used olive oil
- plant based butter with salt
- plant based yogurt
- plant based milk
- apple cider vinegar
- almond extract
- amaretto liqueur
- caramel – store bought or homemade
Buttercream
- plant based heavy cream
- plant based butter with salt
- powdered sugar
- cacao powder – can also use cocoa powder
- amaretto liqueur
How to:
If you choose to make homemade caramel, it should be prepared first. It can be made a few days ahead of time if you choose. Let’s make the cake layers. In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; whisk to fully incorporate. In a medium bowl, add the oil, room-temperature butter, and sugar. With a hand mixer on medium speed, whip the ingredients together for about a minute. Add the yogurt, vinegar, milk, almond extract, and amaretto to the sugar mixture and continue blending for another minute. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend them together on medium speed until just combined. Divide the batter equally between two prepared 6-inch round cake pans and set them aside. Preheat the oven to 350F. Once the oven is ready, bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until the edges start releasing from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes rest in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
While the cakes are cooling, the buttercream can be prepared. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and whip on medium-high for about 3 minutes. We want it to be light, fluffy, and creamy. To the butter, add the powdered sugar and cacao powder (or cocoa powder) and whip for another 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed. Lastly, add the heavy cream and amaretto and whip on medium-high for 3 to 5 minutes.
To assemble the cake, place the first cake layer on a plate or cake stand and pipe some of the buttercream around the edge of the cake. I used a piping tip equivalent to a Wilton 6B, but feel free to use any tip you choose. Inside the buttercream ring, pour the caramel. Place the second cake layer on top of the first cake layer. With the rest of the buttercream, pipe two rings of frosting around the top of the cake, working from the outside toward the inside. A small space will be left at the center of the cake once the two rings have been piped. I filled that space with caramel; you can also fill it in with buttercream. Sprinkle a few almond slivers over the tip of the cake for a final look, and the cake is ready to serve.
Helpful tools/tips:
Feel free to make all the components ahead of time. You can easily assemble the cake the day you plan to serve it. The caramel and buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days; the cake layers can be stored in the freezer until you are ready for them. This cake will stay fresh for 3 to 5 days if kept in an airtight container.
Caramel Amaretto Cake (Vegan)
Ingredients
Amaretto Cake
- 1½ cups + 3 tbsp / 200 grams all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup / 150 grams cane sugar
- 3 tbsp oil – I used olive oil
- 3 tbsp plant based butter with salt (room temperature)
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 4 tbsp / 60 grams plant based yogurt (room temperature)
- 6 tbsp / 90 grams plant based milk (room temperature)
- 6 tbsp / 90 grams amaretto liqueur – I used Disaronno
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Caramel
- ¼ cup see recipe for salted caramel on the website (omit the salt) or purchase or make your favorite caramel sauce. (room tempterature)
Chocolate Amaretto Buttercream
- 2 cups / 240 grams powdered sugar
- 8 tbsp / 113 grams plant based butter with salt (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp plant based heavy cream (cold -straight out of the refrigerator)
- 2 tbsp cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
Instructions
Cake Layers
- Prepare two 6 inch round cake pans by greasing and lining the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; whisk to fully incorporate. In a medium bowl, add the oil, room-temperature butter, and sugar. With a hand mixer on medium speed, whip the ingredients together for about a minute. Add the yogurt, vinegar, milk, almond extract, and amaretto to the sugar mixture and continue blending for another minute. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend them together on medium speed until just combined.
- Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans and set them aside. Preheat the oven to 350F. Once the oven is ready, bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until the edges start releasing from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes rest in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- While the cakes are cooling, the buttercream can be prepared. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and whip on medium-high for about 3 minutes. We want it to be light, fluffy, and creamy. To the butter, add the powdered sugar and cacao powder (or cocoa powder) and whip for another 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed. Lastly, add the heavy cream and amaretto and whip on medium-high for 3 to 5 minutes.
- To assemble the cake, place the first cake layer on a plate or cake stand and pipe some of the buttercream around the edge of the cake. I used a piping tip equivalent to a Wilton 6B, but feel free to use any tip you choose. Inside the buttercream ring, pour the caramel. I ended up using 2 to 3 tablespoons of caramel. Place the second cake layer on top of the first cake layer. With the rest of the buttercream, pipe two rings of frosting around the top of the cake, working from the outside toward the inside. A small space will be left at the center of the cake once the two rings have been piped. I filled that space with caramel; you can also fill it in with buttercream. Sprinkle a few almond slivers over the tip of the cake for a final look, and the cake is ready to serve.If kept in an airtight container, the cake stays fresh for 3 to 5 days.
