Carla Hall’s Striped Malted Pound Cake Is a Total Showstopper
Malted milk powder and a cold oven start create the most tender, flavorful treat
Carla Hall’s new cookbook, Carla Bakes: Sweet, Savory, and From the Heart, is bursting with must-try recipes for everything from cakes and pies to her take on Pop-Tarts and more. One recipe that tops our list of favorites is the Striped Malted Pound Cake, and it’s surprisingly easy to create this showstopper. Beautiful swirls of vanilla and chocolate create a stunning marbled effect when you slice into this tender, buttery cake. The secret? Not preheating the oven. “Starting off in a cold oven allows the cake to bake evenly without over-browning and results in a smooth, fine, melt-in-your-mouth crumb,” Carla explains.
For more delicious recipes from Carla, check out her new cookbook, Carla Bakes: Sweet, Savory, and from the Heart, out September 8, 2026.
Reprinted with permission from Carla Bakes: Sweet, Savory, and from the Heart by Carla Hall with Lauren Chattman, copyright © 2026. Published by 4 Color Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Total Time
Prep Time
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 16 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temp.
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup malted milk powder
- 3 large eggs, at room temp.
- 4 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp. whiskey or bourbon (optional)
- 3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
PrintGrease 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. Dust pan with flour, shaking out any excess. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder. In stand mixer fitted with paddle, combine butter, sugar and malted milk powder. Beat, starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high until lightened in color and fluffy, 5–7 min., scraping down sides of bowl once or twice.
On medium-low, add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl after each one is incorporated. Add one-third of flour mixture and beat on lowest speed until just combined. Add 2 Tbs. of heavy cream and beat on low speed until just combined. Add another one-third of flour mixture, beating until combined, and another 2 Tbs. of cream to combine. Add remaining one-third of flour mixture and beat until batter is smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Mix in vanilla and whiskey (if using).
Transfer 1 1/2 cups of batter to medium bowl. Sift in cocoa powder and add remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream, stirring to form smooth chocolate batter. To create striped layers, drop 1 cup vanilla batter into center of loaf pan and then drop 1/2 cup chocolate batter on top of vanilla batter. The alternating layers do not have to totally cover each other. Continue to drop those same-size portions of batter directly on top of each other, alternating vanilla and chocolate, until all batter is used. The batter should have spread to corners, but if not, gently rap pan on counter to help it even out. Smooth top with offset spatula.
Place cake in cold oven and set temp. to 300°F. Bake until loaf is golden, its top is slightly cracked and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 1 hr., 20 min.–1 hr., 30 min. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 10 min., then run knife around edges to release it. Invert cake onto wire rack, re-invert, and cover warm cake loosely in plastic until completely cooled. The cake will keep, wrapped in plastic at room temp. for up to 5 days.
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