If there is a movie star chef who does issues by the guide, it is Ina Garten. From utilizing high-quality elements (particularly for pound cake) to making sure a wonderful consequence from each dessert recipe, Garten maintains exacting requirements. However there’s one candy bake that requires rather less fuss, even for Garten: pound cake. The Barefoot Contessa’s Good Pound Cake recipe is adamant that the oven should not be preheated. In actual fact, Garten explicitly says, “DO NOT preheat the oven,” because the very first route in her pound cake recipe. However why? It simply so occurs that you simply would possibly get a greater pound cake when baking it in an oven that begins from chilly – and Garten would know.

Scorching, preheated ovens are sometimes known as for as a result of desserts want an preliminary burst of warmth to get a correct rise. For instance, desserts which have plenty of lamination, or layers created by flakes of butter melting, like pastry, want on the spot warmth to attain the specified texture. However pound cake doesn’t want warmth to attain its rise as a result of it makes use of baking soda. And when the cake has extra time to develop contained in the chilly oven, its greatest qualities grow to be even higher. 

A chilly oven helps create a fair higher, extra caramelized crust on pound muffins. You will discover a extra even, golden exterior that is delightfully crunchy in comparison with the mushy cake on the within. And talking of the inside crumb, pound cake takes on a finer, extra delicate texture when it’s baked with out preheating the oven. Pound muffins may even rise taller when utilizing this technique. Though the cake might want to bake a bit longer — the time it takes in your oven to come back to temperature and the bake time — relaxation assured, you’ll nonetheless get a moist, tender cake regardless of the additional time. 

So, the subsequent time you need to make a pound cake, do not hassle warming up the oven whilst you prep the batter. You need to use Tasting Desk’s Basic Pound Cake Recipe, or strive including extra taste with lemon zest or a flavored glaze. No matter recipe you employ, know that you will get nice outcomes each time with this system.