This Amaretto Bundt Cake is a soft, ultra-moist yellow cake infused with amaretto and almond extract, using a convenient cake mix base and pudding, and finished with a buttery amaretto glaze. Using an easy one bowl prep, from prep to bake time you can get this done in less than an hour.
This tested recipe has quickly become a favorite at Savory Spicerack, having been shared over 24,000 times because it’s so good! This fuss-free, beginner friendly cake uses a box cake mix, eliminating the multi-step layers and complicated fillings often found in made from scratch recipes. The result is a beautifully moist buttery cake with a luxurious amaretto flavor that looks like it took hours to prepare.
It’s perfect for holiday dinners and potlucks. Plus, its Bundt shape looks super elegant making it entertaining ready.
INGREDIENT NOTES
Here are some essential tips and information about the ingredients to guide you through the baking process. Check out the recipe card below for all the ingredients you’ll need!
Yellow Cake Mix – Make sure to purchase a 15.25 oz cake mix for this recipe. Any standard brand works.
Instant Vanilla Pudding – This is the secret ingredient to lock in moisture and give a plush tender crumb when using a box cake. Using cook and serve pudding mix is not recommended as it will not cook and thicken at the same rate as the cake. This can result in a heavy, dense, and potentially undercooked cake.
Eggs – Helps to provide structure and richness.
Oil – This helps to keep the crumb nice and tender. You can definitely use butter in place of the oil if that’s what you have on hand.
Almond Extract – The amaretto flavor in the cake may diminish during baking. This helps to boost the almond notes without adding extra liquid. Add an additional ½ teaspoon almond extract to the batter for a stronger almond flavor.
Milk – It brings the batter together, giving it a slightly richer texture that helps give it that homemade taste.
Sugar – You can use white sugar or pure cane sugar for the glaze portion of the recipe with similar sauce results.
THE BUTTERY AMARETTO GLAZE
This sauce gives it the traditional soaked results that this cake is popular for. Here’s how to make it.
Simmer – In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, water, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and syrupy. Putting the Amaretto into the butter sauce at the end helps to give it a stronger Amaretto taste.
Amaretto Infusion – Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the amaretto and almond extract. The glaze should be pourable and glossy.
Pro Tip – Pouring half the sauce over a warm cake creates that ‘soaked’ taste and prevents a crusty glaze. To achieve a shinier glaze, it’s important to reserve half of it to pour over the cake after unmolding.
Troubleshooting – If the sauce looks separated or grainy, it may have cooked too long or at a hotter temperature. Gently rewarm and whisk to help remedy this. If glaze looks to thin, whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. If glaze looks too thin, whisk in 1 to 2 teaspoons of water.
HOW TO MAKE IT
Batter – In a large bowl, whisk the cake mix and pudding mix together. It should look like a pale yellow powder. Then, add the wet ingredients. The batter should loosen into a pourable but not runny consistency. That’s your sign to not overmix.
Bake – After you pour it into a well greased Bundt pan, bake at 325 degrees. It should bake up domed, golden and just starting to pull away from the edges. You’ll smell the almond/amaretto near the end of baking – that’s the doneness cue. A toothpick or skewer in the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
Soak – While the cake is still warm (not hot), poke holes all over the top with a skewer. When you spoon half of the warm sauce over it, it should disappear into the holes instead of running off the sides.
Unmold and Finish – After letting the cake rest for about 5 to 10 minutes, invert onto a serving plate, pour remaining buttery glaze over the cake when ready to serve. Cool before slicing for a beautiful slice.
Pro Tip – Let all the cold ingredients come to a slight room temperature. This helps the batter to come together smoothly and bakes more evenly.
VARIATIONS
Alcohol Free – Replace the amaretto with milk or water and add an extra ½ to 1 teaspoon of almond extract to still get the familiar almond taste.
Garnish – Add about a half cup of toasted sliced almonds over the glazed cake for a crunchy texture and beautiful presentation.
Icing – If you want a no soak glaze and prefer white icing, mix together 1 ½ cups powdered sugar + 2-3 tablespoons of amaretto or milk + 1 -2 teaspoons of corn syrup or honey, whisk and then drizzle over the cooled cake.
PAN CONVERSIONS
Here’s other pan sizes and baking times to cook this in various ways. After baking using the adjusted baking time, follow the remainder of the recipe instructions in the recipe card.
- 9×13 inch pain – Bake for 30 – 38 minutes at 325 degrees.
- Two 8×4 inch loaves – Bake for 45 – 55 minutes at 325 degrees.
- Cupcakes (about 24) – Bake for 18 – 22 minutes at 325 degrees.
SERVING AND STORAGE
- Storage – You can store this covered at room temperature for about 2 to 3 days.
- Fridge – For longer storage, refrigerate in a covered container for up to 5 days. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
- Freeze – After you have done the soaking part of the recipe, wrap the cooled cake in plastic then foil, and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw it wrapped at room temperature for about 1 to 2 hours. Add the remaining glaze before serving.
- Serve – It’s best to serve this slightly warm or at room temperature after the sauce sets and gets that shiny look.
- Rewarm – For a quick go to snack or dessert you can reheat individual slices for about 10 to 12 seconds in the microwave.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Bundt cake pans need heavy greasing in all of the crevices. Use baking spray with flour or grease the pan with butter and flour. Let the cake cool for at least 8 to 10 minutes before unmolding. If you unmold it when it’s still too hot, it will tear. When ready to remove from the pan, gently loosen the edges with a thin spatula, then invert firmly onto a rack or plate.
Yes – in fact, the sauce soaks in even more the next day with more of an infused flavor. Bake, soak, cool, then cover well. Add remainder of sauce before serving.
MORE DESSERT RECIPES
If you need more potluck or holiday desserts, this Homemade Cranberry Orange Bread is great for any get together. It’s made with fresh cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest and has the perfect amount of sweetness.
This moist Banana Bread Cake recipe is another great user friendly semi-homemade recipe that’s also using box mix with bakery results.
Amaretto Bundt Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Bundt Cake Pan Size 10 to 12 cup
- 1 Sauce Pan
- 1 Skewer
- 1 Baker's Rack
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix 15.25 ounce box
- 1 Box Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix 3.4 ounce Box
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon pure almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Amaretto Liqueur
Amaretto Butter Glaze Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Amaretto Liqueur
Instructions
Cake Instructions
- Preheat Oven at 325 degrees.
- Generously grease a Bundt cake pan with baking spray or with flour or butter.
- Add the cake mix and pudding mix to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix the cake mix and pudding mix with a whisk until well blended to prevent the batter from clumping as you add the wet ingredients.
- Add the eggs, milk, cooking oil, almond extract, vanilla extract, and Amaretto to the bowl and mix just until blended.
- Place in cake mix in the greased bundt cake pan. Place the cake in the center of the preheated oven.
- Cook the cake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Place the cake pan on a baker's rack to allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes.
Butter Amaretto Sauce Instructions
- Make your sauce while the cake is cooking.
- Place the butter, water, white sugar, and vanilla extract into a medium saucepan.
- Mix these ingredients together, and then cook the sauce for about five minutes using medium heat. Be sure to frequently stir the sauce as it cooks.
- Once the sauce is cooked, remove from heat, and mix the Amaretto into the sauce, and set aside. The sauce will thicken after cooking.
- After the cake has cooked and cooled for about 10 minutes, use a skewer to poke holes into the cake, and then pour half of the glaze over the cake.
- Let the cake cool completely after this. Once the cake has cooled completely, place a cake dish over the top of the Bundt cake pan and flip the pan over while you hold the cake dish and cake pan together, this will allow the cake come out of the cake pan onto the cake dish.
- When ready to serve, pour the other half of the glaze onto the cake after the cake has been placed onto the cake dish.
Nutrition
Please note that I am not a nutritionist, and the nutritional information is an estimate only. It varies based on the products and brands used.
Thanks for stopping by! Welcome to the Savory Spicerack! In my kitchen, there is no such thing as a bland meal. Each of my creations are just the way food should be – packed with flavor and created with love.
The Bundt cake was incredible! I loved the sweetness of the sauce! And the recipe was very easy to follow just like the rest of your recipes. I’ll be making this again for sure!
The single BEST dessert I have ever made. We devoured it!!!
So moist!
Fabulous recipe! You can switch it up with Kahlua and chocolate cake mix, or just like this with Peach Schnapps. Sooooo good!
This looks AMAZING! I am about to try making this for a neighborhood gettogether tomorrow. Can’t wait to try it.
Oh my goodness!!! Just made this and used homemade amaretto I made a few months back. This cake is so moist and soooo yummy! Definitely a recipe keeper
My late mum always made my favourite: the Bacardi Rum Recipe with her own ‘tweaks’ & magic touches❣️ This recipe is almost the same! However, I can’t ask my mum her secrets anymore, so I’ve added my own ‘tweaks’ over the years: I use mango applesauce in place of oil and add the almond extract as well. If I want the full richness of a ‘homemade cake’ I use butter and milk and don’t omit an egg. I also put the pecans in a light cinnamon mixture and coat the bottom of bundt after preparing it. Like someone else mentioned they used confectioner’s sugar for the glaze and I seem to remember my mother doing this! I JUST made this cake for my husband’s birthday tomorrow! lol (He’ll eat it whilst he watches the coronation with a cup of tea❣️ lol)
PS: Also, flip cake back into pan while still warm & pour glaze into holes that way for about 10 min. and cake will absorb the golden goodness! Then flip onto a cake plate and add more glaze. Serve with fresh berries & dobbles of whipped cream or ice cream.
This Amaretto Bundt Cake is faaaaaabulous!! It was a big hit with family and I am making it a continued favorite recipe. I made one change: I made the glaze using 1/2 cup Amaretto and 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar. I mixed the 2 ingredients and once cake cooled 10 minutes i poked holes in the cake and poured all glaze over cake. I did not add glaze over cake once removed from pan. I served with sliced strawberries mixed with Amaretto. Soooo good…an adult cake made this way.
I made this again over the weekend because my son’s girlfriend said it was her favorite. It turned out perfect again and of course is completely gone so I am in mourning. If for some insane reason I decide to change it up a bit do you have any suggestions for a liqueur that would work as well as amaretto? I’m thinking Kahlua would be too thick. But maybe rum would work? What are your thoughts?
So happy to hear! I think rum would be another good choice!
Absolutely delicious It is moist and flavorful. I made it exacyly as written. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
So great to hear!!!
This cake is truly wonderful!! Made as written. Thank you for a definitely keeper recipe. Not a cake for kids. They can have cupcakes
That looks delicious! This is a must try!
I love the channel. Have been following them for quite a while now.
Thanks so much!! Guess what! We have been working on making the site better for you all and now I am coming out with new content soon and updating my recipes on here with more tips and things to help! Happy cooking to you!
This recipe is a family favorite. The directions are easy to follow and the end result is amazing!
Yay! Happy to hear! Happy New Year!
Fantastic cake that must be so much full of flavor. I love desserts with liqueur, and this one must be absolutely delicious!
Absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS I used the Duncan Hines Butter Golden cake mix & a stick of butter instead of the cooking oil. I will definitely be making this cake again! Thanks for sharing
Yay I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this cake!! The butter sounds like a great addition! Thanks for sharing the tips!
That looks so yummy! Pinning it to try for the holidays. Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty
Thanks so much!!! Swinging over your way!
Yum! You had me at buttery amaretto sauce! this looks and sounds just amazing! Saving this recipe for later! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much! I look forward to sharing your delicious turkey dish soon. Will be working on it Monday to finalize! Thanks for stopping by!
Question. Why does my recipe say 1/2 cup oil and 1 tbsp. oil. Does this mean combine the two in the cake batter? I am used to seeing 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. oil.all on one line. Please clarify. Thanks.
Hello. Please add all of this oil the 1/2 cup of oil and 1 tbsp of oil to the cake batter.
Thank you. The cake is in the iven!
Awesome! Hope you enjoy.
This cake looks very good dear Sharee! We like to make our own cake mix, so we’ll be using that one, but LOVED the addition of Amaretto in a cake!:) Great idea, thank you for sharing it!
xoxoxo
Thanks so much!