Perfect Holiday Pound Cake with Sugar Glaze Topping Recipe Video

Cream a stick butter and 1/2 cup additional shortening with 2 cups sugar. Beat well. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 3 cups self-rising flour to the mixture, alternately with 1 cup of buttermilk, until flour and buttermilk are used up. Mix well after each addition. Stir in 2 teaspoons lemon extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract. *** For a "Lucky" cake, at this point, add 1 whole almond to some spot in the center of the cake. (For children, use a raisin--no choking!) The piece of cake served with the almond (raisin) is considered "lucky!"*** Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes. I placed an oven rack toward the center of the oven and removed the other rack before preheating oven, because the tube pan needs a lot of space. I also placed a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the cake pan for the first 45 minutes of baking. When I removed it, the top of the cake was pale, so I let it brown up for 7 minutes, and then returned the foil to the top of the pan for the remainder of the baking. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake, and, if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove the cake from the oven, and let it cool in the pan for at least 10 to 15 minutes. I let mine cool for about 3 hours. Run a thin knife around the outside of the pan and around the tube. Then, remove the cake from the pan, put it on a nice serving dish, and let it cool completely. This cake may be eaten as is, or you may ice it with your favorite icing. I used a sugar glaze (below).