1-2-3-4 Pound Cake (Our Most Requested Recipe)
This is it, our famous 1-2-3-4 Pound Cake, the most often-requested recipe in Swans Down history. Not to be confused with our 1-2-3-4 Layer Cake recipe on the back of the Swans Down Cake Flour box, this is pure, buttery pound cake in every bite. Sift confectioner’s sugar on the top or serve it your own way; one Swans Down fan slices it horizontally in half and adds in a layer of whipped cream and sliced bananas.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (or margarine)
- 3 cups Swans Down® Cake Flour
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup milk (whole or low fat)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
Makes 2 loaves or 1 round (tube pan) cake.PREHEAT oven to 325º.
BUTTER and lightly flour two 9-inch loaf pans (or you can use one 10-inch tube pan).
SIFT Swans Down Cake Flour, then lightly spoon into measuring cup for 3 cups.
CREAM butter and gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy.
SIFT the sifted cake flour with baking powder and salt. Add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, blending after each addition.
ADD flour mixture alternately with milk and extracts, blending after each addition until smooth. (Do not over mix as this will yield a dry cake.)
POUR into prepared pan(s).
BAKE at 325º for approx. 1 hour and 15-25 minutes. (If using loaf pans, test at 1 hour and 15 minutes and see if the cake tester comes out clean. For tube pan, you might need the full 25 minutes.)
COOL in pan(s) 15 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan(s) and finish cooling on rack.
