Almond Pound Cake
I’m distrustful of really pretty cakes. You know the ones I’m talking about, right? Look in any bakery window and you’ll see those cakes showing themselves off like they do. I admire their beauty, but I’ve been let down by their taste too many times. I’d much prefer a slice of pound cake over a piece of beautifully decorated wedding cake any day. Like this almond pound cake for instance– it’s buttery, soft and just a little sweet on the inside, with a caramelized crust on the outside. The almond flavor is not too strong, but it definitely makes its self known in every bite. You don’t have to even glaze this cake, but I did anyway. I just wanted her to look a little more attractive. The old saying is true, however… it’s not how you look on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And when you’ve a lot of fat and sugar on the inside you’re delicious!
Couple of things to keep in mind when baking a pound cake:
- When creaming the fat and sugar, beat at low to medium speeds to prevent raising the temperature.
- Add each egg separately and beat slowly when incorporating into the batter.
- Flour is added a little at a time, and is alternated with the liquid (buttermilk). This allows the liquid to be absorbed and prevents the gluten from overdeveloping.
My friend and fellow avid home baker, Kelly (you should see her Christmas cookies!), tried this recipe using all butter instead of the butter and shortening version I have below. She said it was “freakin’ delicious!”. If you are going to make an all butter version just substitute the same amount of butter that there was shortening. Thanks Kelly!
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 g) Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup (227.5 g) All-Vegetable Shortening
- 2 cups (400 g) Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp. Almond Extract
- 3 cups (375 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 cup (250 ml) Whole Buttermilk
- 1 cup (113 g) Powdered Sugar
- 1 1/2 TBS Milk
- 1 tsp. Almond Extract
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch tube or bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.
- In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening, and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla and almond extracts.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted 1-inch from the edge of cake comes out clean, approximately 75 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, milk and almond extract. Keep stirring until there are no lumps. Add more milk or more powdered sugar to get your desired consistency.
- When cake has completely cooled, pour sugar glaze all around top. Garnish with berries.
- Electric mixer with whisk attachment
- Bundt or tube pan
- Rubber spatula
