Most cakes and cookies need to be baked in a pre-heated oven. The heat activates the leavening agent, helping the dessert to rise the correct amount at the right speed. The burst of heat also quickly browns the outside of the dessert.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePound cake is dense - we aren't looking for a rise to make it light and fluffy - and using a cold oven helps to keep it that way. It also ensures that the outside of the cake doesn't get too brown while the interior is still cooking.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI ran a test to verify this. I baked half of the batter in a preheated oven and the other half starting in a cold. I then subjected my friends and family to blind taste tests (not that they minded).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEVERYONE liked the cold oven pound cake better! Some people went so far as to say that the cold oven version was like a completely different dessert. The difference was in the texture; the cold oven version was denser and had less of a crumb. It was exactly what you would expect from pound cake.