The Aperol Spritz Is Good, and This Aperol Spritz Cake Is Even Better

Recently, there has been some controversy over the Aperol Spritz, that citrusy, refreshing cocktail that has become a bar staple in the past few years. Last week, The New York Times proclaimed it was "not a good drink," which lead to a wave of rebuttals from Aperol defenders. The main complaint of the Times writer is that Aperol is too sweet and the cocktail therefore lacks complexity. But there's nothing wrong with a sweet cocktail. And anyway, the MyRecipes test kitchen hit upon a perfect solution for those who think Aperol is more of a dessert than a drink: Make an Aperol Spritz cake.

It turns out that the fruity, sweet flavors in Aperol lend themselves really nicely to a cake, particularly with the addition of orange juice and orange peel. Add some more of that magic to the frosting, along with a little food coloring, and you've got a stunner of a bright, sunny cake that has the same slightly bittersweet taste as the Aperol Spritz. Adding orange slices and mint sprigs on top just makes it that much prettier.

This recipe makes a three-layer cake, but there's nothing that says you can't adjust it too be single-serving Aperol Spritz cupcakes and top each of those with a wedge of orange and a sprig of mint, or otherwise divvy up the batter in a way that makes sense for the cake pans that you have on hand. It would go perfectly with a swoop of fresh whipped cream that's barely sweetened, some vanilla ice cream, or even, well, another Aperol Spritz. Who says you can't double down when it's Spritz weather?

Get the recipe for Aperol Spritz Cake.