1-2-3-4 Layer Cake (“Back of the Box Cake”)

This classic layer cake is light, airy and so popular we put the recipe on the back of Swans Down Cake Flour boxes. Frost and decorate it to taste – it’s the cake for any occasion. Depending on how you wish customize this recipe, it can be baked in 3 (9-inch) round pans or 1 (9×13-inch) cake pan.

View Comments

  • It will be my first time baking this cake. I wanted it to be a coconut cake. Can I substitute both the vanilla and almond extracts with coconut extract? How much coconut flakes should I put into the batter? Thanks.

    • Hi Olga, I would recommend using the vanilla and adding coconut extract (about 1/2 teaspoon) to the recipe and anywhere from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of sweetened coconut flakes. We also have a recipe for a Coconut Cake with Citrus Curd. You could use that recipe for the cake and substitute any frosting or filling you would like. I will email you a recipe for that. Thanks for the question, we are always happy to help. Happy Baking.

  • This is the cake I grew up with. My mother would make 2 ten inch layers. She would either use a fudge frosting recipe from the Gold Medal 1941 cookbook, or a white frosting with coconut pressed into it. I have many fond memories of making this with my mom. The only difference is she used self rising cake flour which I can’t seem to find. I’m glad to have this recipe as it tells me how much baking powder to use. She had the recipe memorized. She’s 97 now and still going strong, but not baking much anymore.

  • I remember my grandmother making this cake but she separated the eggs. The yolk went in with the butter. At the end egg whites that had been whipped were folded into the final step for the cake batter mixture. Is this another way to make this cake so it is fluffier?

    • Hi Mary, You are correct. Whipping the egg whites then folding them gently into the batter will help to lighten the batter and promote the cake to rise nicely. You're grandmother knew all the baking secrets! Happy baking!

    • Hi Etrulia! If you're going to use 3 8-inch pans there would be no changes to the recipe. Just make sure to only fill the pans 2/3 of the way full to avoid overflow. If you have remaining batter you can always make a few cupcakes! Happy baking!

    • Hi Nae, Swans Down Cake Flour is sifted and resifted through fine silken sieves until it is 27 times finer than all-purpose flour. The result yields cakes that rise higher with textures that are lighter, fluffier, more moist, and, therefore, infinitely more delicious. For most recipes, unless the recipe specifically say not to sift, you should sift before measuring as there is some compacting during shipping and shelf life. The 1234 Cake in particular calls for you to sift before measuring, measure and then sift again with the baking powder and salt. Happy baking!

  • I have been using Swans Down for 50+ years. The cake used to be 1 2 3 and now it is 1 2 3 4, when was it changed OR is that 2 separate recipes? The best cake I ever made was a coconut cake in 1982 using the 123 recipe. My son still talks about it.

    • Hi Faye, As far back as we can see it's been referred to as 1234 Cake since the ingredients read as follows:
      1 cup butter
      2 cups sugar
      3 cups flour
      4 eggs
      If you come across the written recipe for 123 Cake we'd love to have it! Happy baking!

    • Hi Conswella, Most definitely! Swans Downs 1234 Layer Cake should bake nicely in a standard Bundt pan. Just make sure to not fill your pan more than 2/3 of the way full. Happy baking!

  • I want to make a banana cake with the swan down cake flour but how I put the banana in and also want to substitute the sugar.

Leave a Comment