Cold Oven Pound Cake from Food Gal

Cold Oven Pound Cake - made June 13, 2024 from Food Gal (original recipe from Cheryl Day's Treasury of Southern Baking by Cheryl Day)

3 1/2 cups (438 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups (600 grams) granulated sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

confectioners' sugar for dusting, optional

1. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan and lightly dust with flour, shaking out the excess.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and vanilla.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is very light and fluffy,
5. Reduce speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed to keep mixture even textured.
6. Alternately, add dry ingredients and milk mixture, mixing on low speed after each addition until fully incorporated.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Place the pan on the middle rack of the cold oven and set oven to 325 degrees.
8. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the cake is golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes then invert onto another rack. Turn right side up and let cool completely.
9. Dust cooled cake generously with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

If you see me making more cakes and frosted cookies or any other baked goods that don't ship well, you know that means I'm getting out more and bringing desserts to local gatherings. In this case, I was giving financial literacy sessions and teaching local women in my area about investing in the stock market, retirement planning, estate planning and budgeting. For this particular occasion, one of the attendees offered to host at her house so one of the desserts I made was this pound cake.

I love me a good pound and I was intrigued by this one because you start it in a cold oven (hence the name), meaning no need to preheat. You make the batter, pour it into the bundt pan, put it in the oven then turn the oven on. Unlike lighter cakes with leavening agents, pound cakes don't need that initial heat to activate anything since any air in the batter comes from beating the butter and sugar together and not from baking powder or baking soda.

I have to say, this turned out amazingly delicious. I did use Kerrygold European butter for that extra buttery flavor and that worked well. The texture was that perfect dense pound cake texture and I love the simplicity of this cake. 

If I had to quibble about anything, I did find the crust a little too crusty. That developed from the longer baking time, especially starting from a cold oven. But still, it's not a dealbreaker and this was a delicious cake, perfect for hot summer weather. 

I was asked for the recipe by a couple of the participants who also enjoyed the cake and you can't ask for a more sincere compliment than that.