Recipe

Cold Oven Pound Cake

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Muffinj's Notes: This is my grandmother’s pound cake. Like any good Southern cook , she had all her recipes on much used and splotched index cards. I used to have the index card she scratched this recipe...
This is my grandmother’s pound cake. Like any good Southern cook , she had all her recipes on much used and splotched index cards. I used to have the index card she scratched this recipe on but in several moves it has been lost. It is now my go-to cake for food gifts, funeral food, breakfast toast, dessert with macerated strawberries – the variations are endless. Friends swear it makes whatever illness they have better immediately. There is no leavener, no whipping cream, no sour cream, no fancy extracts – just simple ingredients.
Tips - do not use whole milk, 2% is best but non-fat works as well. Whole milk is too heavy and it will not rise as well.
If you do not want to eat it all at once – it freezes beautifully.
It also travels well and does not dry out quickly.

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Makes one bundt pan sized cake

2 sticks salted butter Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup solid shortening Ask a question about this ingredient

3 cups sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

5 eggs, separated Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup milk, 2% or less Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient

3 cups all purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient

Grease and flour a tube pan. Set aside.
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Separate the eggs - yolks go in a small bowl . The whites go into a medium bowl. Set aside.
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Using a heavy stand mixer, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add the egg yolks to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated.
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Pour vanilla into the milk.
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Pour 1/3 cup of the milk mixture into the butter, sugar, egg mixture along with 1 cup of flour. Beat only until incorporated - do not over beat. Repeat milk/flour additions twice more until all used and beaten until just incorporated.
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Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry and fold gently into the cake mixture.
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Pour into the greased and floured tube pan and place in a COLD oven.
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Turn oven on to 300 degrees. Place cake in this cold oven. Bake the cake for 45 minutes. Raise temp to 325 degrees and bake another 45 minutes.
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Let cool in the tube pan on a rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and invert onto the rack and then invert back onto a plate.
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Serve right then or toasted in the morning for breakfast or with macerated fruit and ice cream for dessert.
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1 Comment on Cold Oven Pound Cake

AntoniaJames added 6 months ago

So interesting! I've never seen the technique of adding the liquid and dry ingredients into the creamed butter and sugar, and beating at the same time. Nor have I ever seen, read or heard about putting the cake into a cold oven. I am simply going to have to try this. We love pound cakes here, so I was planning to make one over the T-Day holiday weekend. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! ;o)