Almond-Amaretto Cake

Here is an excellent everyday cake, one  to enjoy for breakfast or an afternoon snack, or as a simple dessert. It comes together easily and has a toasty almond flavor that comes from almond flour and a couple of glugs of Amaretto liqueur; a big dollop of yogurt in the batter gives it a moist, tender crumb. Baking the cake in a Bundt pan bestows on it a festive appearance so that it needs only a few shakes of the sugar shaker as a final flourish.

Amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur) is one of those liqueurs that I can never remember buying but always seem to have stashed away at the back of the liqueur cabinet. Maybe that's the case with all Italian families? I don't care for it as a drink (I prefer less sweet, more bitter digestivi), but I do like Amaretto as an ingredient; I spike my fig preserves with it, and I love the flavor it imparts to baked goods such as this cake.

ALMOND-AMARETTO CAKE

This is an accommodating recipe, so if you don't have Amaretto, you can substitute a dash of pure almond extract, or fresh lemon zest. You can also switch out the yogurt for sour cream, creme fraiche, mascarpone, or even ricotta.

Makes one 6-cup Bundt cake, to serve 10

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups (150g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 1/4 cups (150g) almond flour (see NOTE)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick + 2 tablespoons; 150g) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
2/3 cup (150g) thick, Greek-style yogurt
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 6-cup Bundt mold or an 8-inch round springform pan.

2. Whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium-low until the sugar is incorporated into the butter. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and Amaretto. Turn off the mixer and add half the flour mixture. Beat on medium-low until incorporated. Beat in the yogurt followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes, until it has risen and the top is golden-brown. A cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean.

5. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Carefully invert the cake onto the rack and tap it out of the pan; it should come out easily. Let the cake cool to room temperature. To serve, place the cake on a decorative platter and dust the top with confectioners' sugar.

NOTE: Almond flour is available at most supermarkets. Bob's Red Mill makes two types: "natural" is made from skin-on almonds, and "blanched" is made from whole peeled almonds. Either works in this recipe (I used blanched to achieve a light-colored crumb).