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Buttermilk Almond Pound Cake

Chemistry of Baking

This buttermilk pound cake has a fine texture and tender crumb with a hint of almond flavor.

The first time I made this cake, I thought I had gotten the buttermilk amount wrong. I poured one cup of buttermilk into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and added the baking soda to it per the directions. I turned my back to tend to something for a moment. When I got back to the buttermilk and started to pour it the measuring cup read 1 2/3 cups. I thought that I had measured too much buttermilk. Or had I? In reality, the baking soda had reacted with the buttermilk, producing bubbles that raised the buttermilk another 2/3 cup! Those same bubbles help raise the cake during baking.

Greasing the Pan

I have found the best and quickest way to grease a pan is to use a brush. It makes it easy to reach all the crevices and corners. When you add the flour, you can see if you missed any areas. If so, brush and flour again.

Cooling the Cake

In order to get the cake out of the pan, let it cool for 10-15 minutes after you remove it from the oven. Then run a small cake release spatula or knife between the cake and the pan to loosen it. Finally, place a cooling rack on top of the pan and flip the pan and rack together. Then tap the rack onto the countertop to help loosen the cake from the bottom of the pan. If you greased and floured the pan well, the cake should release easily. Then let it cool on the rack.

Baking Notes

  • When using buttermilk in a recipe, shake it before using it because buttermilk will separate after sitting.
  • For a light and fluffy cake, use cake flour. It has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour and will make a tender cake.
  • To make a vanilla pound cake, omit the almond extract and add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to this recipe.

Stopping Additional Gluten Formation

Many recipes tell you how to add the flour and liquid to the creamed butter/sugar mixture by saying to alternate the flour and milk additions, beginning and ending with adding the flour. If you don’t know why, it is to prevent as much gluten formation as possible. When you mix flour and a liquid it forms gluten. If you add the flour to the creamed butter, the butterfat will coat the flour and prevent gluten from forming. When you end with flour, it will be coated with the fat already in the batter.

Why is this important? Because gluten makes cakes tough. Think about pizza dough that has a tough chewy texture. This texture arises because the dough has been worked to develop the gluten. With cakes, alternating flour and liquid and stirring infrequently both help to prevent the gluten from further developing.

Print Recipe
Buttermilk Almond Pound Cake
Pound cake that has a fine texture and tender crumb with a slight almond taste.
Votes: 8
Rating: 3.75
You:
Rate this recipe!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
Ingredients
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 8
Rating: 3.75
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Use a silicone brush to grease and then flour a cake tube pan that has a hollow center.
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and shortening until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar a little at a time until it is all added. Beat about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating only until the yellow disappears after each egg.
  5. Measure out 3 cups of flour and then sift it and the salt together into a separate bowl.
  6. Shake the container of buttermilk to mix it well. Then pour 1 cup into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add the baking soda and stir to dissolve the baking soda. The mixture will rise as a reaction takes place between the buttermilk and baking soda.
  7. Alternate adding the flour and buttermilk to the batter, starting and ending with flour. Beat on low speed after each addition, being careful not to overbeat.
  8. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
  9. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If the top of the cake is getting too brown, add a greased sheet of aluminum foil to the top of the cake pan.
  10. After removing the baked cake from the oven, let it sit for about 10 minutes to cool. Then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack and let it finish cooling.
Recipe Notes

Yield:  About 14 slices

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