This “Secret” Southern Pound Cake Technique Has Been A Family Secret For Decades, And Now I Understand Why Everyone’s Obsessed

There are few things more comforting or better with a cup of tea than a homemade pound cake — the kind of cake that doesn’t need frosting or fancy fillings to be absolutely scrumdiddlyumptious. But there’s one lesser-known technique that quietly separates bakers who consult cookbooks from those who learned at grandma’s elbow: starting your pound cake in a cold oven.

At Tasty, we inherited a cold-oven pound cake recipe that’s been a beloved mainstay at one family’s gatherings for decades. “This recipe is so popular in our family because it’s so easy,” says Kemi, who baked the cake alongside her aunt in a recent video. “It looks like it takes a lot of time, but it really doesn’t — and it’s kind of foolproof.”

The cake she’s referring to is Aunt Gussie’s Pound Cake — a buttery, lemon-vanilla loaf baked without preheating the oven. It’s a technique many younger bakers are encountering for the first time, but for countless Southern families, it’s simply tradition.

To learn more about the technique, we had to consult an expert. TikTok creator and pound cake expert Jaffry Ward, who’s known for sharing soul-soothing bakes, says the cold-oven method absolutely works, as long as you’re looking for a specific outcome.

“I do sometimes start my pound cake in a cold oven,” he told Tasty. “The gradual heating helps the batter rise evenly and creates a tender crumb with a nice crust.”

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As the oven slowly comes to temperature, the cake rises gently as the exterior of the cake has time to bake into a golden, crackly shell (the kind you want to peel off and eat first).

Still, Jaffry notes that it’s not always his go-to. “Honestly, I’ve baked the majority of my pound cakes in a preheated oven, and they always come out perfect,” he said. “In my experience, the cold-oven method can sometimes result in a slightly drier cake — especially if the recipe doesn’t include extra fat, like sour cream or cream cheese.”

The acidity and fat in cultured dairy products, such as cream cheese and sour cream, help to tenderize and moisturize butter cakes like pound cake. Aunt Gussie’s recipe uses standard whole milk, but if you want to follow Jaffry’s suggestion, you can substitute half of the whole milk with sour cream, crème fraîche, or cream cheese; this swap will result in an extra moist cake with a slightly tangy flavor.

Even if you stick with plain old whole milk, Aunt Gussie’s cake holds up beautifully (thanks to a bit of shortening in the butter base and a bunch of eggs). We find the texture stays moist even through the longer bake. “You don’t have to preheat the oven… it’s the technique,” Kemi says — and it’s one her family has trusted for generations.

More than just a method for better texture, cold-oven baking is, for many, a tradition wrapped in memory. “When I make it, I think about my mother,” Kemi told Tasty. “This recipe is keeping her alive — and the memory of her.”

So, is the cold-oven method the way to go? If you’re after that signature crust, a gently risen crumb, and the kind of cake that comes with a story — it’s absolutely worth a try.

As Jaffry says: “I can’t argue it gives you a great crust.” And that might be all the reason you need to bake it the way grandma — and Aunt Gussie — did.

To access our step-by-step video tutorial as well as the full grocery list for Aunt Gussie’s Pound Cake, download the free Tasty app and search “pound cake.” Happy Baking!