Amaretto Cheesecake

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.

Slice of cheesecake on plate with rest of cheesecake in background.

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.

Slice of Amaretto Cheesecake on blue plate.

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

Amaretto Cheesecake

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake

Prep Time 9 hours

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 10 hours 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 385kcal

Author Christin Mahrlig

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.