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.

Prep: 25 min
Bake: 25 min
Yield: 1 Layer Cake
Ingredients
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups Swans Down® Cake Flour, sifted before measuring
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk, whole or low fat
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Butter and lightly flour 3 (9-inch) layer pans.
  3. Sift flour and then lightly spoon 3 cups of the flour into a large measuring cup. Then sift the already-sifted cake flour with the baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside.
  4. Cream butter in a large bowl. Gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and extracts, blending after each addition until smooth. (Do not over beat as this will yield a dry cake.)
  5. Pour into prepared pans.
  6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tester inserted into cake comes out clean.
  7. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on racks.
  8. Frost and decorate as desired.
    Kitchen Tips:

Depending on how this cake is to be customized, it can be baked in 3 (9-inch) round layer pans or 1 (9×13-inch) rectangular pan.

To make the cake chocolate: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the dry ingredients OR 3 ounces melted baking chocolate, cooled and added when the eggs are added.

To make the cake strawberry: Add a 3-ounce box of strawberry Jell-O to the dry ingredients AND 1 cup mashed strawberries with the eggs.

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View Comments

    • HI Carol, sorry we must have missed this comment. Yes you can substitute buttermilk for the whole milk but it will give a tangier flavor to the cake. Buttermilk is more acidic than whole milk. It is also possible that it can affect the crumb of the cake perhaps making it slightly denser. Please let us know how your cake comes out. We love hearing from our bakers. Enjoy and happy baking!

  • I live in Colorado and think the elevation caused my cake to drop in the center. What adjustments are needed to high elevation?

    • Hi Daniel, High elevation baking definitely requires some adjustments. I am going to email you a few notes I have on high elevation baking. I think it will help resolve your issues. Happy Baking!

  • Can you use buttermilk instead of regular milk. Buttermilk makes a cake moist as well, and with the 1234 cake no baking powder or baking soda is needed. I know eggs help in rising also

    • HI Patricia, you can definitely use salted butter but reduce the amount of added salt. It will not make your cake dry. Enjoy and happy baking!

  • I have made many of these cakes, sometimes they are dry, sometimes it's dry and sometimes it's not. Last one I made I was very careful not to over beat it. Didn’t stop and let it sit during mixing, that had happened before, phone calls and people dropping in and interrupting. Even though I tried to be careful it was still dry. What am I doing wrong? Very careful with measurements, and sift as instructed.

    • HI Patricia,
      I am sorry to hear you are having trouble with this recipe. There are many reasons that a cake could be dry. Is it possible that your oven temperature is off? I would suggest that you get an oven thermometer just to be sure that your oven is calibrated. Sometimes if the oven is too hot it can cause your cake to dry out.
      I will also send your comment on to Consumer Affairs in case they can give you more information.
      Thank you for reaching out to us. Happy Baking!

  • 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!

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