American Cake - Cake #34: Cold Oven Pound Cake

Time Period: 1917 - 1945

Modern Americans are used to preheating their ovens before baking anything, but it wasn't also so. It used to be common wisdom to not turn on gas ovens until you were ready to start baking, not only because it was cheaper to use less gas, but because people thought putting a cake into an already-hot oven would adversely affect the texture and the rise. 

Obviously, attitudes shifted, as this recipe is now one of a grand total of two that I've used a cold oven for. This cake starts at zero, and once the oven is lit, is increased in temperature partway through the process. Doing this preserves the moist center while providing a nice crust on the exterior.

One thing I've noticed along the way with this project is the challenge of getting cakes out of a tube pan (however nice it is) without the exterior looking raggedy. Am I over-buttering? Under-buttering? Not letting it rest long enough once out of the oven? Resting it for too long? How on Earth does one get a smooth exterior out of these things?

That said, I made this one for a friend's birthday, and was heartened by his reaction. Despite its...humble appearance, there were no complaints, flavor-wise. I'm not sure if this'll be a repeat recipe or not, but it was definitely a solid dessert (in more ways than one).