Step 15:
So, the 45 minutes are up, what now? Well, we don't actually remove the pound cake from the oven just yet. Now we start poking it with a toothpick. If you've never used this method before, it's fairly simple. Take a clean toothpick, and poke the cake midway between the center and edge of the bunt pant. Jam that toothpick in there deep. Now pull it out. Is the toothpick dry and clean? If it is, the pound cake is ready. If there's batter or goop on the toothpick, or the toothpick is wet, we need more time. You almost certainly need longer than 45 minutes, but 45 minutes is a good time to start watching your cake more closely.
As you can (kind of) see from the goopy toothpick, our pound cake definately needs more time.