Can I Add Amaretto To The Easy Almond Cake?

Our answer

Amaretto is a liqueur made from the kernels of apricots or from sweet almonds. It has an almond flavour to it which would go well with Nigella's Easy Almond Cake (from Domestic Goddess and on the Nigella website). Most of the alcohol should evaporate, leaving an almond flavour. However you do need to be careful that you do not add too much to the cake batter as too much liquid can affect the cake's structure. We would suggest using 1 tablespoon amaretto and if you want more then no more than 2 tablespoons, and maybe also omit the almond essence as the almond flavour could become overwhelming. Add the Amaretto when you add the vanilla extract.

You could also consider as an alternative drizzling a tablespoon of amaretto over the cake once it has been baked and is still warm, as the cake will absorb the liqueur as it cools. Nigella suggests an apple puree or an orange compote to go with the cake. Either of these could also have a small slug of amaretto added to them as an alternative to adding the liqueur to the cake.