Classic ColdOven Pound Cake Recipe (2024)

September 16, 2018 by Debby | 9 Comments

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A vintage recipe for Cold Oven Pound Cake claims that starting in a cold oven yields a cake that is especially tall and boasts a crisp crust. Can this unlikely recipe really work? I can attest that it does! Yes, indeed, the cake rose beautifully, and tasted even better than hoped for.

This cake recipe is one I’ll keep in my back pocket for potlucks or to showcase fresh fruit. Though this cake is delicious just plain, with a cup of coffee or tea.

I have a paid subscription to Cook’s Country Magazine and I came across this recipe at a time that juicy, red strawberries were in abundance just right down the road where I live. I’ve made a number of strawberry-themed cakes, but this particular recipe really caught my eye.

I confess. I eat cake batter, and I have lived to tell the tale. Because I’m such a fan of almond/marzipan, I added a bit of almond extract to this dough. The dough was amazing– and I’m sure that there are two and a half sticks of butter doesn’t hurt.

I managed to get most of the batter into my 12-cup bundt pan, even though I did some quality control tasting. This cake definitely took the higher end of baking time– around 75 minutes.

When I shared a photo of this cake on Facebook, I was asked “what is a Cold Oven Pound Cake“?! It’s exactly that. Breaking the tradition of preheating the oven, the batter is put into a pan, set into the oven and then turned on to 325F to bake for 65-80 minutes. The end result was a cake that was moist and had a very tender crumb.

Cold-Oven Pound Cake

A 100-year-old recipe claims that starting in a cold oven yields a pound cake that is especially tall and boasts a crisp crust. Can this unlikely recipe really work? I can attest that it does! Yes, indeed, the cake rose beautifully, but tasted even better. This cake recipe is one I’ll keep in my back pocket for potlucks or to showcase fresh fruit. We love it and so will you!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Equipment

12-cup bundt or angel food pan

Ingredients

3 cups cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 used 1-1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract
20 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 1/2 sticks, softened
2 ½ cups sugar
6 large eggs

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Grease and flour 16-cup tube pan. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Whisk milk and vanilla in measuring cup.
With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined.
Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of milk mixture. Mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Use rubber spatula to give batter final stir.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Place cake in cold oven.
Adjust oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake, without opening oven door, until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 80 minutes.
Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack.
Cool completely, about 2 hours. Serve. (Cooled cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

Notes

Recipe Source: Cook’s Country