Rx Recipes: Cold Oven Pound Cake

Betty Hussey, BSPhar ’83, PharmD ’87, shares a cold oven pound cake recipe just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Recipe and photos provided by Betty Hussey | Published February 11, 2025

Our Rx Recipes series explores recipes provided by faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Alumna Betty Hussey, BSPhar ’83, PharmD ’87, shares a cold oven pound cake recipe just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Cold Oven Pound Cake Recipe:

Ingredients

2 sticks butter at room temperature
3 c sugar
½ c shortening
5 eggs at room temperature
3 c sifted cake flour
1 c milk at room temperature
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 tsp lemon flavoring

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and shortening together
2. Add eggs one at a time
3. Add sugar
   
4. Add flour and milk in small batches (alternating between the flour and milk) with baking powder in the last batch of flour
5. Add the vanilla and lemon flavorings
   
6. Pour batter into a round tub pan that has been lightly greased and put it in a cold oven
7. Turn the oven on at 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Don’t open the oven until the time is up!

This recipe comes to us from alumna Betty Hussey, BSPhar ‘83, PharmD ‘87, Drug Development Fellowship ‘89.  

Despite having an aunt that taught home economics and a mother that baked pies every Saturday, Betty didn’t start baking this cake recipe until much more recently. This tried-and-true recipe was given to Betty from her mother-in-law and has been a favorite at many potlucks. While this cake makes for a delicious dessert, it is also a wonderful choice for a decadent breakfast! 

Betty is a devoted Tar Heel with years of dedicated service to the School. She is currently a member of the Pharmacy Alumni Association Advisory Council (PAC), providing invaluable insight for developing a stronger Pharmacy Community within the School and beyond. 

With the career track to prove it, Betty has been a leader of many teams across multiple pharmacy disciplines. She currently serves as the Vice President of Clinical Pharmacology at Allucent, where she focuses on drug development and clinical pharmacology. Betty has also served as a preceptor for pharmacy interns and fellows throughout her career. 

When Betty is not baking or working, she is enjoying the outdoors, reading, assembling jigsaw puzzles, spending time with family, or watching Carolina basketball. Her service extends beyond the School, as well, as she’s spent decades volunteering time with her church, the Girl Scouts, and many other volunteer organizations. 

Many thanks to Betty for providing us this sweet recipe just in time for Valentine’s Day!