The Best Million Dollar Pound Cake Recipe - Miss in the Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Why a cold oven is the secret to a better pound cake? ›

The difference is mainly in the cooking method. True to its name, the recipe uses the cold oven approach, aka forgoing the preheat. Cooking pound cake at a lower temperature for a longer period of time results in a fluffier cake with a crunchy golden crust. Simply put, it's the ideal baking method for pound cake.

However, anyone well-versed in the ways of the dump cake will tell you that there is one rule you should never break when making a dump cake. Since it's not a step that you'll ever see in most other cake recipes, it can be easily missed. The mistake to avoid is simple: Don't mix it.

Extra sugar or leavening causes a cake to fall; extra flour makes it dry.

The Oven. The main factor in managing the cooking time of your cake is the oven temperature. It's not unusual for an oven to run below temperature, often by at least 25 degrees, and some ovens run hot; if the sides of your cake brown before the center is set, you will need to lower the temperature.

Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Not 350°F. Generously grease a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

1) You forgot to add baking powder, or you used expired baking powder. 2) Your pan is too big, so the mixture can't rise enough to fill it. Or 3) You over whisked.

A dump cake is an American dessert similar to a cobbler but with a cake-like topping. It is so named because it is prepared by "dumping" ingredients (typically canned fruit or pie filling, followed by a boxed cake mix) into a cake pan without mixing.

Unlike layer cakes, which use a thin batter that should never fill the pan more than halfway (more on that here), pound cake batter is thick, and should fill the pan within an inch of the top to encourage a prominent crown.

Those gluey pound cake streaks happen when your over-cream the butter and sugar. The cake rises in the oven and then it quickly collapses a bit while cooling which causes those gummy streaks. To prevent this, use a low speed with creaming and do so just until combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

What causes a pound cake to crack on top while baking? ›

Pound cakes, in particular, are dense batters. In the oven, the outside begins to cook much faster than the inside; the crack is from the inner batter rising and releasing steam through the semi-cooked outer batter.

Do not overbeat your batter. Just like my Vanilla Cake Recipe! This is a pound cake must. If you over beat your batter, not only will you cause too much gluten to form in the flour (resulting in a tough cake), you'll also whip too much air into the batter.

Second, some baked goods actually fare better when started in a cold oven. A longer, slower bake can result in a more controlled spread for drop cookies, a higher rise for muffins, a fully baked center for quick breads, and, in the case of some cakes, a tasty caramelized crust. Velvet Pound Cake started in a cold oven.

How long do you leave pound cake in the pan? When it's done baking, let the cake sit in the pan for 10 minutes: no more, no less. It's enough time for the cake to firm up some after baking so that it doesn't fall apart, but not so much time that the cake gets stuck to the pan. Ten minutes is the sweet spot.

A longer bake time and lower temperature allows the leavening more time to work before the cake sets, resulting in a taller, fluffier cake.

put the dough into the cold baking vessel and score; put the pot with the dough in into the cold oven, with the lid on; turn the oven on, turn the heat up to 220C/425F fan/convection or 230C/450F non fan/convention.

Prepare cake pan by coating with butter and sugar. Set aside a different pan filled with a few inches of water (this creates moisture in the oven and prevents the cake from drying out while baking).