Triple Vanilla Pound Cake

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Triple Vanilla Pound Cake ~ not one, not two, but three layers of intense vanilla flavor in this easy cake to excite even the most serious vanilla fans.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups cake flour (see instructions for making your own in the notes, below)
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1¼ cups vanilla sugar (directions in the notes below)
• 1 tbsp vanilla paste (substitute 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 3 eggs (at room temperature)
• ½ cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
• glaze
• 1½ cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• milk, half and half, or cream to thin

Method

1. Set oven to 325F
2. Lightly spray a standard 9x5 loaf pan and line it with a sheet of parchment paper or foil so you can easily lift the cake out for glazing.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Let the mixer go for at least 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
5. Blend in the buttermilk. Then slowly add the flour. Make sure everything is well mixed. Do the last bit by hand.
6. Turn the batter into the loaf pan and spread out evenly. Bake on the middle rack for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Cool on a rack.
7. Make the glaze by whisking the sugar and vanilla together with enough milk or cream to create a thick spreadable glaze. Beat it until there are no lumps. You can add more liquid to thin it down, or more sifted sugar to thicken it up.
8. When the cake is almost completely cool, spread a thick layer of glaze over the top and let it drip down the sides. The idea is to have the glaze thick enough that it doesn't completely slide off the cake. If that happens, gather it up and re-glaze the cake.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island