Amaretto Cheesecake is rich, creamy and full of almond flavor. It has amaretto (almond flavored liqueur) in the batter and sugared sliced almonds on top. The whole thing is drizzled with an Amaretto Cream Sauce for even more almond flavor.
What Is Amaretto?
Amaretto is a delicious almond-flavored liqueur that is great for cocktails and desserts. It originated in Italy and is typically made from apricot kernels or a combination of apricots and almonds. It has a sweet, nutty flavor.
Almond is one of my favorite flavorings for desserts, especially during the Christmas season.
Almond desserts, like this cheesecake and this Almond Cake with Amaretto Filling, seem formal and fancy to me.
This rich and decadent Amaretto Cheesecake is perfect for serving during the holidays when most people are willing to consume a few extra calories.
What’s Amaretto Cheesecake Made Of?
Amaretto Cheesecake starts with a Vanilla wafer crust, which I usually prefer to a graham cracker crust. A blend of cream cheese and sour cream in the filling creates a creamy, dense filling that has a little tang. The flavor of almond is a little on the light side. If you like a heavy almond flavor, add a few drops of almond extract.
A topping of sugared almonds gives some crunch and a luscious Amaretto Cream Sauce really rounds out the almond flavor.
If you wanted to cut down on the steps, this cheesecake is perfectly delicious without the sauce.
Recommended Equipment
- Electric Mixer– either a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer will do.
- Springform Pan– this recipe makes quite a bit of batter. You will need either a 9-inch springform pan with high sides or a 10-inch springform pan.
Tips For Success
Use room temperature ingredients and avoid overmixing.
Try not to overcook or undercook your cheesecake. When you turn the oven off, it should still wobble slightly in the middle. It will set more as it cools.
Storage
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
More Cheesecake Recipes
- Bananas Foster Cheesecake
- Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake
- Butterfinger Cheesecake
- Banana Pudding Cheesecake
- English Toffee Cheesecake
Amaretto Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 3/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds,, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter,, melted
Filling
- 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese,, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 6 large eggs
- 3 (8-ounce) containers sour cream
- 1/3 cup amaretto liqueur
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Amaretto Cream Sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons Amaretto
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- To make crust, combine vanilla wafer crumbs, finely chopped almonds, brown sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Transfer to a springform pan and press firmly on bottom and 1 inch up sides.Refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Make the filling. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Gradually add sugar and cornstarch. Beat well to combine. (After this point you want to beat as little as possible.)
- Add eggs one at a time, beating just long enough to get most of egg incorporated into batter before adding the next one.
- Add sour cream, amaretto, and vanilla extract and beat on low speed just until evenly mixed.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan. Place pan on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Turn oven off but leave cheesecake in oven for another 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. Cheesecake should still have some jiggle in the middle when you shake the pan.
- Place on counter and let cool to room temperature.
- To make topping, melt butter in a small skillet. Add almonds and sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until almonds are light brown. Let cool partially (you don’t want to put it on the cheesecake while it is hot, but if they cool too much the almonds will all stick together.) and sprinkle on top of cheesecake.
- Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- For Amaretto Cream Sauce, heat heavy cream in a small saucepan until simmering. In a small bowl, whisk together amaretto and cornstarch. Add to cream and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in sugar and let cool. Refrigerate.
- Drizzle with Amaretto Cream Sauce just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published November 24, 2014.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
I made this but used crushed amaretti biscuits for the base and it added a bit more almond flavour and crunch to the base – I would definitely recommend this option. The cake is great!
Hey there! This sounds like an awesome recipe and I have just put mine in the oven. I used a 9 inch springform pan and filled it to the top and have about a cup of batter left over. What do you think I did wrong? I followed the recipe exactly.
I don’t think you did anything wrong Louise. Some brands of springform pans have a little more height to them than others. Hope it turns out well for you.
It poofed up about 3/4 of an inch over height of the pan and then settled down. I baked the leftover in an ovenproof bowl and got a preview of what it tastes like! yummy!
So, the larger the spring-form pan the better I think. Mine is a 9 1/2 inch Wilton.
Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re welcome Louise!!
I served it with the sauce, Crisitn, and it was perfectly yummy! Everyone liked it! Thank you again! XOXO
I am in awe, pics just look so wonderfully delicious! Only have one BIG problem, I’m diabetic, do you know how many carbs one slice has; you think taste would change terribly if I used Splenda or Sweet n Low?
Made this for a dinner party and it was a hit. I like a little more almond flavor so I added extract to the filling and the sauce. The almond topping is genious! I made a pumpkin cheesecake too and stole the topping idea but did it with pecans. It was ahhhhmazing!
So glad it was a hit. It’s hard to have too much almond flavor isn’t it? Love it! 🙂
Vanilla wafer crumbs? From round vanilla cookies or the vanilla wafer kids sandwiches?
From crushing up Vanilla wafer cookies like these- http://www.amazon.com/Nabisco-Nilla-Wafers-850-gm/dp/B00196P9OQ
When specifically do you add the cream sauce — after the cake has been refrigerated for eight hours or before it goes in the fridge?
Before serving. 🙂
I like to serve the cream sauce warm!
When should you separate the springform pan from the cheesecake? Would it be once it is at room temperature or after it has set overnight in the fridge?
It doesn’t need to cool all the way to room temperature, but definitely do it before you refrigerate it or it will really stick.
Do you think this cake could be made using almond extract instead of the amaretto or will the recipe then just not work?
I think you could use almond extract but you would need to use a much smaller amount. I find that even 1/2 a teaspoon of almond extract gives a pretty strong almond flavor. If you use almond extract in the filling, you may want to add a little heavy cream to make up for adding less liquid.
wow 3 containers of sour cream seems like a bit much…is that a typo?
3 containers of sour cream is the correct amount.
what do you do with the cream sauce?