Almond Vanilla Pound Cake

Code Red Code Red! I'm about to disclose a very important secret for making the best pound cake.

 

My birthday was on the 9th, and school ended on the 7th for Chinese New Year break. Being that friend who fits the female stereotype *ahem loving time in the kitchen*, I spent hours looking for the perfect recipe to make and to bring to school.

Everyone who tried these loved them. A few asked for the recipe, and another asked me to live with her (: The secret of this is baking these babies from a cold oven.

After grueling hours of reviewing for my 8 chapter AP Bio test, I was finally able to relax and look for a recipe. This Cold Oven Poundcake found on Cupcake Project's blog caught my eye. I loved the idea of almond extract in pound cake. But...also, I would feel guilty for not using the almond extract I bought in Arizona over winter break.

I will definitely make this dense and well-flavoured and textured cupcake again. mmm tastey!

Cake Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 & 1/2 cups of white sugar
• 3 very cold eggs
• 1 & 1/2 cups of cake flour (you can use all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup of milk (taken straight out of the fridge)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (Stef used coffee extract...go ahead and use any kind)

 Cake Directions:  **do not preheat oven!**

Makes about 14 cupcakes

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. One by one, beat in the eggs.
3. Beat in the milk and flour. Alternate the two, starting and ending with flour.
4. Add in vanilla and almond extracts.
5. Beat these things on medium to medium high for two minutes.
6. Line your cupcake tins, and fill each tin about 3/4 full.
7. Place tins on the middle rack of a cold oven and bake at 275 F (135 C) for 1 hour, rotating about half way through to ensure thorough baking.

Here's a suggestion: Unless you have a huge oven that can fit over 24 cupcakes, I would not double the recipe. If you do decide to double the recipe, you will have to let the oven cool before making the next batch.

After taking the cupcakes out and letting them cool, I topped each cupcake with some vanilla glaze; this glaze complemented the pound cupcakes very very well.

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 3/4 tsp milk
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp unsalted butter

Glaze Directions:

1. Melt butter
2. Mix in confectioner's sugar, milk, salt, & vanilla extract

Happy Monday!