Nothing says the weekend like Cupcakes & Cocktails! These Amaretto Cupcakes with Orange Amaretto Frosting are a tribute to my college days. Yes, Amaretto Sours were my fancy drink of choice in college, haha. You may be thinking, did she go to college at a retirement home? 80 year old grandmas come to mind for most people when they think of Amaretto Sours, but not me. They conjure up memories of playing quarters in Milos (the local bar), having dance parties in Campus Pizza (the local pizza joint) and staying up too late gossiping over a steaming hot cup of Wawa mac & cheese (that stuff is crack).  

My best friend from college is coming for a visit this weekend which inspired the cupcakes arrival on the blog today! 

In case you don’t know, Amaretto is a sweet, almond flavored, Italian liquor – probably more suitable for a cupcake than a drink anyway! These cupcakes are flavors with Amaretto and topped with an orange amaretto frosting and a maraschino cherry. Again, paying tribute to the Amaretto Sour which is typically served with an orange and cherry garnish. 

I like to call this method of frosting cupcakes the “plop” method. I know that doesn’t sound super appetizing, but that is pretty much what it is. The frosting is thick so it can form into a ball and press it on top of the cupcake, eliminating the need to pipe or spread it. I especially like this method with a cupcake like this that is getting garnished, because it leaves a little pillow for the garnish, in this case the cherry, to rest in. 

Cheers to the weekend! We will be over here reminiscing about our college days, eating cupcakes and sipping on amaretto sours 🙂 What are your plans?! 

Amaretto Cupcakes with Orange Amaretto Frosting

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• Author: Chocolate Covered Cheetah

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Ingredients

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• Cupcakes:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup amaretto
• 1 1/4 cup white all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• Frosting:
• 2 tbsp cold, unsalted butter
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tbsp amaretto
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 maraschino cherries with stems

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Instructions

1. Cupcakes:
2. Pre-heat oven to 350° In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the blade attachment, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy
3. Add vanilla, mix
4. Add eggs 1 at a time, mix until fully combined
5. Add amaretto, mix
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and sea salt
7. Slowly add 1/2 the dry mixture to the mixing bowl
8. Pour in the almond milk
9. Add remaining dry mixture, mix until just combined
10. Fill cupcake liners with batter
11. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry when inserted in the center
12. Allow cupcakes to cool completely
13. Frosting:
14. Add butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with blade attachment, beat on high
15. Slowly add 1/2 of the powdered sugar
16. Add orange juice, amaretto, vanilla and orange zest, mix
17. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until fully combined and the frosting is thick
18. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
19. With clean hands, form frosting into small balls, place one on top of each cupcake
20. Press a cherry into each ball of frosting
21. Serve immediately

Notes

You can make the frosting and cupcakes ahead of time, but do not assemble them until you are ready to serve them.

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