If there’s a celebrity chef who does things by the book, it’s Ina Garten. From using high-quality ingredients (especially for pound cake) to ensuring an excellent outcome from every dessert recipe, Garten maintains exacting standards. But there’s one sweet bake that requires a little less fuss, even for Garten: pound cake. The Barefoot Contessa’s Perfect Pound Cake recipe is adamant that the oven shouldn’t be preheated. In fact, Garten explicitly says, “DO NOT preheat the oven,” as the very first direction in her pound cake recipe. But why? It just so happens that you might get a better pound cake when baking it in an oven that starts from cold – and Garten would know.
Hot, preheated ovens are often called for because desserts need an initial burst of heat to get a proper rise. For example, desserts that have a lot of lamination, or layers created by flakes of butter melting, like pastry, need instant heat to achieve the desired texture. But pound cake does not need heat to achieve its rise because it uses baking soda. And when the cake has more time to develop inside the cold oven, its best qualities become even better.
A cold oven gives pound cake more time to develop
A cold oven helps create an even better, more caramelized crust on pound cakes. You’ll notice a more even, golden exterior that’s delightfully crunchy compared to the soft cake on the inside. And speaking of the interior crumb, pound cake takes on a finer, more delicate texture when it is baked without preheating the oven. Pound cakes can even rise taller when using this method. Although the cake will need to bake a bit longer — the time it takes for your oven to come to temperature and the bake time — rest assured, you will still get a moist, tender cake despite the extra time.
So, the next time you want to make a pound cake, don’t bother warming up the oven while you prep the batter. You can use Tasting Table’s Classic Pound Cake Recipe, or try adding more flavor with lemon zest or a flavored glaze. Whatever recipe you use, know that you’ll get great results every time with this technique.
