This has to be the brightest cake I've ever made! It uses Jell-O in place of all the sugar in a traditional mile high pound cake recipe and comes out brightly colored with a strong flavor and wonderful smell. The texture is a little chewier and stickier, but quite moist and rich.
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
27 oz raspberry Jell-O (4 family size boxes plus one regular box), not sugar-free
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by brushing with pan coat (if using two piece pan, fit with a parchment paper square between the two pieces first). Beat butter and Jell-O in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and sticks to the bowl (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Add baking powder and 1/2 cup flour, beat until combined. Add one egg at a time, beating after each addition until fully incorporated. With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Mix each addition of flour just until it disappears before adding more liquid. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and gently shake to settle the batter. Place on middle rack of oven with a baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any drips. Bake 2 hours 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool until the pan is comfortable enough to handle. (If using two-piece pan, place it over a metal can and press down to remove the outer piece first). Transfer the cake to a wire rack in two steps: first, turn the cake up on its side, then invert fully. Let cool completely.
Buttermilk Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
3-5 tablespoons buttermilk
With an electric mixer, beat together powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Add more buttermilk a tiny splash at a time until desired consistency. If a thicker icing is desired, add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. If a thinner icing is desired, add more liquid, one teaspoon at a time. Slowly drizzle over cake.
