Amaretto Cake

Matt and I recently spent a rainy beach weekend with our good friends Kim and Brian in Ocean City, Maryland.  While the weather wasn't really ideal (it was rainy and quite cold the entire time), we managed to have a great time anyway, as we always do when we get together.  It happened to be Brian's birthday that weekend so I decided to make this cake for the occasion (but really do we ever need a reason to have cake?)

I have been making this cake for years.  This cake smells wonderful and never fails to come out perfect-it is always a hit with everyone and is perfect for travelling if you are looking for a cake that you can bring with you.   This is probably the most moist cake you will ever have and it stays really moist for about a week (not that there will be any leftover that long if you make it!)

A former coworker of mine used to make something similar and through the years I've kind of put my own spin on the recipe to make it truly wonderful.  It is super easy to make-it even uses a box of cake mix and vanilla pudding!  It can be altered with different flavors-you can substitute chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding for a chocolate cake if you prefer, but truthfully, I like this version the best.  Enjoy!

Amaretto Cake

Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix (I usually get a "moist" variety)

1 box vanilla pudding mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

4 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

6 tablespoons Amaretto

Frosting:

Amaretto

confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a bundt pan (I use Pam spray).  Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir to combine.  Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.  Bake 45-50 minutes until golden brown.

Allow cake to cool slightly-about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile make the frosting by stirring confectioners sugar and amaretto together until a light paste forms. 

Run a knife around the exterior of the cake to loosen (don't forget around the middle!).  Carefully turn cake over onto a large plate. 

Poke holes in cake using a fork or knife and drizzle frosting over the cake.  Allow cake to cool completely.