The Secret to a Perfect Pound Cake? Skip This Step

As I’ve mentioned before, the 'Old Recipes' subreddit is one of the internet’s hidden gems. This community is all about sharing recipes from decades past, including vintage cookbook scans, recipe pamphlets, and—best of all—handwritten family recipes.

This subreddit shows that the classics never fade, and the recipes here often go viral. A recent hit is a cold oven cream cheese pound cake shared by user _PopsicleFeet, featuring just six ingredients and an old-fashioned baking technique.

What’s Cold Oven Pound Cake?

Cold oven pound cake isn’t drastically different from regular pound cake in terms of ingredients. It uses cake flour, sugar, eggs, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract. The main difference lies in the baking method. Instead of preheating, the cake is baked in a cold oven. This slower, lower-temperature approach creates a lighter, fluffier cake with a crisp, golden crust. It’s a foolproof method for the perfect pound cake.

The type of flour used plays a key role in making this pound cake so delicious. Cake flour, which has less protein than all-purpose flour, absorbs less water, resulting in a lighter, extra-moist texture with a delicate bounce.

My Honest Take on the Cold Oven Pound Cake

Have you ever sliced into a cake and instantly known it was perfect just by looking at the inside? That’s exactly what this pound cake delivers. It has a wonderfully dense crumb (in the best way), while the crust—especially the bottom—is satisfyingly crunchy. The flavor strikes a great balance between the tang of cream cheese and sweetness. Next time, I might reduce the sugar by half a cup since the sweetness was a bit too overpowering for my taste.

This cake succeeds because it combines a tried-and-true technique with high-quality ingredients. Reddit user Mimidoo says it best: “In a world full of flourless chocolate cakes and death-by-chocolate desserts, I love these recipes that don’t try to be extravagant—just simple, consistently delicious, and full of authentic flavor.”

If you're hesitant about making this cake, don’t be. I had no issues, even when removing the cake from the Bundt pan—it slid right out once I flipped it. Any minor imperfections I encountered were likely due to my own mistakes, as it was my first time using a Bundt pan, and I used a generous amount of shortening to grease it.

Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe

This cake comes together in just a few simple steps and under two hours. For a smoother process, allow the eggs, cream cheese, and butter to reach room temperature beforehand.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  
• 3 cups sugar
  
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• In a bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat until fluffy.
• Add the sugar, eggs, flour, and vanilla extract, beating well after each ingredient is mixed in.
• Grease a bundt or tube pan with shortening, then dust with flour.
• Bake at 325 degrees F for 90 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out smoothly.
• Let cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan. Serve as is or with your favorite topping or glaze.
  

Adapted from the Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe on Reddit