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Amaretto Delight: Italian Almond Cream Dessert Recipe

I shared a photo of this cake on social media because it looked beautiful and tasted even better. We served it for New Year’s lunch and it was a hit: creamy, crunchy and light thanks to the sponge base. The recipe is straightforward and quick if you use store-bought sponge — about 30 minutes — but I recommend making your own sponge for the best flavor. Amaretto di Saronno is an Italian liqueur with a distinctive bitter-almond aroma (despite containing no almonds) and it brings a lovely fragrance to desserts. Buon appetito!

Delizia all'Amaretto
5 from 1 vote

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Delizia all’Amaretto

A delightful Italian dessert that pairs a light sponge with Amaretto-flavored cream and a crisp white chocolate collar.

Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
Italian
Prep Time:
1 hour
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 30 minutes
Servings:
10
Author:
Recipe adapted from La Cucina Italiana – Cioccolato, ed.Quadratum S.p.A. 2001

Ingredients

  • Sponge cake – 20 cm / 8 inches
    store bought or homemade
  • 400
    ml
    cream to whip
  • 250
    g
    pastry cream
  • 200
    g
    white chocolate, grated or finely chopped
  • 75
    ml
    Amaretto di Saronno liqueur
  • 6
    large amaretti cookies, plus extra for decoration (crushed)

Instructions

  1. Make the sponge cake and allow it to cool completely.
  2. Cut a strip of baking paper about 8 cm (3 inches) high and long enough to wrap around the sponge, leaving a little overlap for the chocolate.
  3. Brush the sponge with half the Amaretto diluted in 1 tablespoon of water.
  4. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, spread it evenly onto the paper strip, then wrap the strip around the sponge. Press lightly so the chocolate adheres. Freeze until the chocolate sets, then carefully peel off the paper.
  5. Crumble the amaretti (reserve some for garnish) and mix them with the pastry cream and the remaining Amaretto.
  6. Whip the cream until firm. Reserve one-quarter for decoration and gently fold the rest into the pastry cream mixture.
  7. Spread the cream mixture over the sponge, level it, then decorate with the reserved whipped cream and crushed amaretti.
  8. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Recipe Notes

To make the sponge, use half the quantity of a standard recipe and bake in a 20 cm (8 inch) springform tin filled a little over three-quarters full. You can bake the remaining batter in muffin tins for mini sponges—great with jam or Nutella.

Make the sponge a day ahead and wrap it tightly in plastic to prevent it from drying out.