I have tried three different pound cake recipes and two different tube pans and with four attempts within the last 24 hours to bake a simple pound cake, every one of them seem to be doing fine for the first 45 minutes of baking time and then all of a sudden they cave in in the middle.  When I take them out of the oven the outer ring appears to be done, but the center ring is a soggy mess.  I have tried recipes that called for milk, one that called for sour cream and this last one with cream cheese.  There is no one that this same thing should be happening with all three cakes.  I baked regular cakes and cupcakes two days ago and they baked perfectly.  Can anyone tell me what is going on?  My guess is that it's either my oven, my pans or could it have anything to do with the fact that I live in a second floor apartment?  I can't even say that it's the flour because I tried some recipes with all purpose and some with cake flour.  I give up!  I can't even begin to calculate the money I just threw down the drain.

i use the cold oven pound cake recipe the one without the cream cheese--it's google-able

maybe you are not mixing this correctly--you are not melting your butter are you?

like this one:

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/g11bq3bx/cold-oven-pound-cake.html

i use cream and i use all butter--

when you are adding the eggs you want a nice smoothy smooth mixture at the end--real pretty no separation in evidence--so after putting in all the eggs beat it for a minute or so--not too high a speed--add the half the flour, half the milk then repeat--

be sure you are scraping the bowl continuously for every step  -- maybe only twice when you're doing the eggs 

what kind of mixer are you using?

and of course you place in an oven that is not pre-heated

i'm sorry you're having this problem and i admire your patience/determination/diligence

we can do this!

Awe.....bless you.

Well let's see... I didn't melt the butter, I used one recipe with all butter, I used one recipe with butter and vegetable shortening and of course the one with butter and cream cheese.

I didn't melt the butter at all.   I did the 1//3 flour, half milk (beginning with flour and ending with flour),  the batter was beautiful and silky smooth with no breaks or curds on all of the batters.  My mother seems to think though I just purchased the eggs, that they were bad and that caused all of the problems.  I am not convinced there.

Oh and I used my Kitchen Aide on all but the last attempt in which I used my hand electric mixer.  The cream  cheese pound cake recipe called for a lot of mixing.  A whole lot.  Not used to mixing a cake of any sorts that long.  I followed the recipe precisely as well.

I have never tried the cold oven pound cake recipe.  Perhaps I will make one last attempt and try that one.  Just not to day.  I feel too defeated by this.  My pies, cupcakes and other cakes came out great.

Does the cold oven recipe work well with an electric oven?

i don't know why your pound cakes won't work--so long as your oven holds the temps and cycles correctly --there should be no reason for the cake to fail--

you weren't hanging the door open part way through or anything i'm sure--

i'd test your oven to make sure it holds the right temp--maybe something like that?

sometimes they cycle too slow and don't maintain the right temp and can mess you up --

pies won't really be effected by a lazy oven--cupcakes and cookies bake faster

AThank u. I am convinced it is the oven. I can't stand the way electric ovens will click on and off. Makes me really nervous.