Brown sugar pound cake is a classic Southern dessert that is buttery rich with caramel flavors. This buttery pound cake is moist, dense, and rich, making it the perfect dessert for any occasion.

This cake is topped with caramel sauce but is delicious served plain, or with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Jump to:

• Substitutions
• Variations for Brown Sugar Pound Cake
• What's Needed to Make Pound Cake
• Storing Pound Cake
• FAQ's
• How Long Does Pound Cake Last?
• 📖 Recipe
• Brown Sugar Pound Cake
• Brown Sugar Glaze

This easy pound cake recipe is perfect for the holidays because of the warm and cozy flavors. It's also great for a cup of coffee any time of year. 

This Brown Sugar Pound Cake recipe was inspired by my Sweet Potato Pound Cake, another delicious recipe for the holiday seasons.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make a brown sugar pound cake:

• unsalted butter
• dark brown sugar
• granulated sugar
• vanilla extract
• large eggs
• all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• baking powder
• salt
• milk

See the recipe card for ingredient quantities.

How to Make Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Making a delicious brown sugar cake is easier than you might think. Follow these simple steps to create this easy pound cake.

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan or spray with baking spray that has flour in it.
2. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy in a bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric mixer for best results.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated, then stir in the vanilla extract.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the spooned and sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. 
5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until the cake batter is combined.
6. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth out the top of the batter with a spatula.
7. Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a plate and letting it cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Once the cake has cooled, pour the caramel sauce over the cake and allow it to harden before slicing.

Brown Sugar Glaze:

1. Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. 
2. Stir in the brown sugar and stir until the brown sugar breaks down. This will take about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the milk and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, remove the saucepan from the heat. 
4. Stir in the vanilla extract and slowly mix the powdered sugar into the sauce until smooth.
5. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake once it is completely cooled.

Substitutions

When making a brown sugar pound cake, there are a few ingredients that can be substituted. Here are a few. 

• Butter: If you don't have unsalted butter, you can use salted butter instead. If using salted, omit the salt in the recipe. 
• Vanilla: If you don't have vanilla extract, you can substitute it with almond extract. 
• Flour: If you're out of all-purpose flour, you can use cake flour instead. Keep in mind that cake flour has a lower protein content, which will result in a more tender cake. You will need 3 cups of cake flour for this recipe.
• Milk: In place of milk, use sour cream. It will give the cake a more tangy flavor.

When substituting ingredients, it's important to keep in mind that the texture and flavor of the cake may be slightly different than what this recipe intends.

Variations for Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Brown sugar pound cake is a versatile dessert that can be customized in many ways to suit different tastes and occasions. Here are a few variations to consider:

Make a Cream Cheese Brown Sugar Pound Cake -Cream cheese can be added to the batter to give the cake a tangy flavor and to change the texture. Substitute a half cup of butter for cream cheese in this recipe and beat the cream cheese in with the butter at the beginning of the recipe. 

Add toppings- This brown sugar pound cake is topped with a sweet caramel icing but you can it with fresh fruit such as strawberries, and apples.  Toffee bits or chopped pecans can be added to the top of the glaze before it hardens or it can be mixed into the batter before baking.

Change the icing- Instead of a caramel glaze, you can make a brown butter glaze by browning the butter in the saucepan before mixing in the brown sugar. You can also make a maple glaze but stirring in maple syrup instead of stirring in brown sugar.

Tips for Making Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Here are some tips for a successful bundt cake:

• Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin. This will help blend the ingredients easily together without overbeating the batter. 
• For best results, spray your bundt pan with cooking spray that has flour in it. Buttering and flouring your bundt pan will work as well. 
• Light brown sugar can be used in place of dark brown sugar if needed. It will change the rich molasses flavor in the recipe to be subtle. 
• Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the glaze to prevent the glaze from melting down into the cake.
• Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

What's Needed to Make Pound Cake

To make this brown sugar pound cake recipe, you will need the following items:

• Bundt Pan: I used this bundt pan for this recipe but any 10-cup bundt pan will create a beautiful Brown Sugar Pound Cake.  You can also use a tube pan if you wish, just make sure to use a 10-inch bundt or tube pan for this recipe.
• Mixing bowls: A large bowl and a medium bowl are needed to make this recipe.  Once the wet ingredients and one for the dry ingredients. 
• Electric mixer: A stand mixer or a hand mixer is recommended to mix the batter thoroughly.
• Measuring Cups and Spoons: Every recipe needs a set of measuring cups and spoons to correctly measure the ingredients.
• Small saucepan: A saucepan is used to create the caramel icing for this recipe. 
• Cooking spray: A nonstick cooking spray such as a baking spray that has flour in it is essential to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. Buttering and greasing the pan works as well but a spray will get into all the nooks and crannies of the bundt pan.

Storing Pound Cake

Pound cake is a classic dessert that can be enjoyed for days after it's baked. Here's how to store it short term and long term.

Store this brown sugar pound cake recipe at room temperature for best results. Refrigeration is not necessary and it will alter the overall texture. To store the brown sugar pound cake, wrap the cake tightly to prevent it from drying out and place it in a cake carrier.

To store this cake for a longer period of time, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.  Make sure to label your container with the date it was frozen. 

FAQ's

How Long Does Pound Cake Last?

When stored properly, pound cake can last for up to three days at room temperature. When frozen, brown sugar pound cake can last up to three months when stored properly.

What to Serve with Brown Sugar Pound Cake?

This pound cake has a rich molasses flavor that pairs wonderfully with whipped cream or ice cream. Serving it with fresh fruit is also a good choice.