Cake: Cold Oven Pound Cake

By NicoleS

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup skim or 1 percent milk (2% or whole milk results in a heavier cake with less height)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, separated, room temperature
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 cups sugar
• (Optional: Add up to 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, 1/2-1 tsp almond extract, 1/4-1/2 tsp lemon extract)

Details

Servings 12
Adapted from bing.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. (Do not heat the oven.) Grease and flour a 12-cup tube pan. Whisk the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the milk, vanilla, and egg yolks in a large measuring cup.


2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter, shortening, and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture and the milk mixture alternately in two batches, beating after each addition until combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the egg whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and place in the cold oven.


3. Heat the oven to 300° and bake the cake for 45 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 325° and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the cake, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour. (The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)