Thursday, June 9, 2011

Amaretto Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

I was in the mood for cake, but with out all that heavy icing.  Bundt cakes are some of the best cakes for stand alone flavor and this one is no different.

The cake has some amaretto in it and a light sprinkling of mini chocolate chips.  In addition, almond flour and extract are included to really bring out the nut flavor.  I used bread crumbs to line the pan so the cake came out toasty on the outside.  It also made it very easy to release from the pan, which always guarantees a lovely presentation.

If you are a fan of almond and chocolate, then this is something you should try.  My friends and family really like this one.

Amaretto Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1/2 cup of almond flour
2 1/2 cups regular flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
3 eggs (room temp)
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup amaretto
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup mini choc chips (mixed with 1/4 cup flour)
1 cup or 2 sticks butter
2-3 tbs melted butter (for greasing pan)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (for dusting pan)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  To prepare 12 cup bundt or tube pan, take a paper towel and dip in melted butter.  Then rub butter on the inside of the pan, covering all areas.  Lastly, dust the inside with the breadcrumbs.

In a medium size bowl, sift together baking soda, baking powder and the two kinds of flour.  Set aside.

Put 1 cup of butter in a large mixer bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and glossy.  This should take about 1 minute and butter should cling to the sides of the bowl.  Add the sugar in 1/2 cup increments and continue to beat.  Beat for about 4-5 minutes total, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Beat one egg in a small bowl with a fork and add it to the butter mixture.  Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Continue with this process with each of the remaining eggs.  Should your batter look curdled or watery, you will have to continue to beat until it gets back to a smooth consistency.

Add the amaretto and the almond extract to the batter.  Then stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Take 1/3 of the sifted ingredients and fold into the batter.  Pour in half of the buttermilk and stir.  Continue by stirring in the sifted ingredients and buttermilk in stages, ending with the dry ingredients.  Lastly, fold in the chocolate chip/flour mixture until evenly distributed.

Spoon batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula.  Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  Remove pan and place on rack to cool for about 20 minutes.  Then run a butter knife around the edges and invert cake onto a wire rack to cool.  Let cool completely.

Cake can be sliced and served after cooling.  To make ahead of time, cake can be frozen for up to one month and then thawed at room temperature for 3 hours prior to serving.