Ingredients
(for one cake tin, 26 cm Ø)

• 300 g stale white bread
• approx. 250 ml lukewarm milk
• 2-3 tbsp almond liqueur
• 100 g amarettini + amarettini for decorating
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 120 g sugar
• 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 2 eggs
• 50 g roasted almonds + 50 g to decorate 
• Butter and flour for the mold
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Cut the bread into cubes, place in a bowl and mix with the lukewarm milk and almond liqueur. Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film and leave the bread to soak for approx. 1 hour. (The bread must be completely soaked in milk. Depending on how much milk is absorbed by the bread, the amount of milk can vary greatly).

Grease and flour the baking tin and heat the Merklinger to approx. 200° C.

Now work the bread into a homogeneous mass with your hands.

Crush the amarettini in a freezer bag with a rolling pin to make fine crumbs.

Mix the cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and amarettini crumbs in a bowl.

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl.

Add the amarettini mixture, eggs and roasted almonds to the bread mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Pour the cake mixture into the tin and smooth it out.

Bake in the hot Merklinger at 200 °C for approx. 45 minutes. 

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool.
Dust with powdered sugar and decorate with the roasted almonds and amarettini.

Tip: 

In winter, the amarettini cake can also be refined with orange zest and gingerbread spice.