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Cold oven pound cake on a pedestal, server in forground and flowers in background

Cold Oven Pound Cake

Our Cold Oven Pound Cake checks off all the boxes for a delicious, tender, buttery, and dense cake.
While it might sound counterintuitive, starting out with a cold oven ensures that the cake will bake slowly as the oven heats up. It prevents the cake from rising quickly which gives it a tight, dense crumb like a pound cake should be.
4.45 from 34 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 8 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 23 minutes
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 419kcal
Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

  • 3-½ cups all-purpose flour 420 grams
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice powder
  • 1-½ cups whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1-½ cups butter 3 sticks, room temperature
  • 3 cups 600 grams granulated sugar
  • 6 large eggs room temperature
  • Zest of 2 lemons

Instructions

  • Grease and flour a 12-inch Bundt pan making sure to get into all the crevices of the pan.
  • In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon juice powder.  Set aside
  • Place the butter in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add the sugar, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.  Stop the motor several times to scrape the bottom and sides with a spatula.
  • Combine the milk, vanilla, and lemon juice in a pitcher.
  • With the motor on medium-low, add a third of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl. Add half of the milk mixture and continue alternating with the flour and milk mixture. Mix only until combined and no flour streaks show.  Do not overmix.
  • Remove the bowl from the machine and stir in the lemon zest by hand, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl well.
  • Tip the batter into the prepared bundt pan, smoothing out the top.  
  • Place the pan in the center of a COLD oven and set the temperature to 325° (165°C).  Bake for 65-70 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven, set on a cooling rack, and let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Invert the cake and lift off the pan and allow to cool on the rack completely.

Notes

  • Alternative to greasing and flouring the pan, coat with non-stick baking spray (a combination of cooking oil and flour) located in the baking aisle of most supermarkets.
  • Lemon juice powder will give your cake a great flavor boost.  Use one tablespoon per cup of flour. 
  • Suggestions for serving:  Whip cream, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, ice cream, or lemon curd.
  • If your oven has a quick pre-heat feature, do not use that setting for this recipe.
  • Gas ovens heat up quicker than most electric ovens and results will vary if you use a gas oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 515mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g