This Brown Sugar Pound Cake is amazingly moist bursting with sweet toffee bits, crunchy pecans and rich creamy caramel in every bite!
This Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake is the most AMAZING crowd pleasing cake! The brown sugar cake itself is rich, moist, and decadent and the homemade caramel sauce is out of this world delicious – seriously the best you will ever make or try. This Brown Sugar Pound Cake is quick and easy to make from scratch (yay for no rolling individual cookies!) and will be a hit everywhere you take it.
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Brown Sugar Pound Cake Recipe
I am so excited to share with you this Toffee Pecan Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake! I know that’s a loaded name, but this cake is LOADED with epic deliciousness! It comes from my love of everything brown sugar, caramel, toffee and pecan.
Every year my mother-in-law gifts us with homemade toffee at Christmas time. It is my most favorite food/dessert combined that I eat all holiday season. She gives all of us a bag of toffee as we depart her home. It doesn’t last the car ride. (Get the toffee recipe here)
So naturally, the combination of toffee pecans, creamy caramel and brown sugar in CAKE form is the best combination IN. THE. WORLD. In fact, the first time I made this Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake, I didn’t have a bundt cake pan, so I adjusted the cooking time and the result was an overcooked cake. Even still, I brought the entire cake to a baby shower and and left with an empty plate and a long list of people to email the recipe to.
Because this Toffee Pecan Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake is a crowd pleasing cake.
A toffee lover pleasing cake.
A caramel lover pleasing cake.
A pecan lover pleasing cake.
And simply a dessert lover pleasing cake.
In short, everyone loves this Brown Sugar Pound Cake making it perfect for large gatherings (think Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day).
Or better yet, small gatherings. Because you get to eat more cake. And believe me, you will want to eat more cake.
caramel Pound Cake Ingredients
Despite its long name, this brown sugar caramel pound cake has a short list of ingredients.
- Unsalted butter: Unsalted is the way to go when baking so you can control the amount of salt in the dessert.
- Light brown sugar: Make sure it’s packed tightly into the measuring cup when measuring it.
- Granulated sugar: This is a fairly sweet cake, embrace it!
- Eggs: Should be room temperature before making this recipe.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure. I don’t like using cake flour for this brown sugar pecan pound cake.
- Baking powder: Gives the cake some lift.
- Salt: You need a little salt to enhance the overall flavor and balance out the sweetness of the batter.
- Whole milk: USE WHOLE MILK. Don’t sub low-fat!
- Toffee bits: I use Heath Bits O’ Brickle Toffee Bits.
- Chopped pecans: You want to use raw unsalted pecans.
- Caramel sauce: See my tips below on which caramel sauce to use.
What’s the Best Caramel to Use?
When I first made this Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake, I already thought it was nearly perfect, but needed a different caramel sauce. After experimenting with several caramel recipes for this cake, I discovered my Easy Creamy Caramel Sauce Recipe. It is foolproof – if you can boil butter, brown sugar and a smidgen of water then stir in evaporated milk and vanilla, than you can make this caramel in 5 minutes! SO EASY!
I am asked for the recipe for this Caramel Sauce every time I bring it anywhere! Its rich, creamy, buttery and sweet and 1,000 times better than any store bought Caramel Sauce Recipe. It is lick-the-jar-delicious and makes everything it touches better. So just imagine that epic deliciousness enveloping this Brown Sugar Pound Cake?! Indescribably, outrageously, otherworldly delicious.
How to Make Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake
This is such an easy pound cake recipe! Here are the basic steps on how to make brown sugar caramel pound cake:
- Preheat oven and generously spray all surfaces of a 12-cup nonstick bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray WITH FLOUR.
- Beat the butter until creamy, then add sugars and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk in between each third.
- Stir in toffee bits and pecans then spoon batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until a wood pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean.
Tips for the Best Pound Cake
- Use room temperature ingredients. You need room temperature milk and room temperature eggs for this Brown Sugar Cake recipe. Room temperature ingredients mix much easier (so it’s harder to overmix) and result in a softer Bundt cake with maximum volume.
- How to bring ingredients to room temperature: If you don’t plan enough ahead, that’s okay! Add warm (not hot) tap water to a bowl then add eggs (still in their shells) for at least 20 minutes. You can microwave your milk until room room temperature (NOT hot).
- Don’t over beat: Once you’re done creaming the butter and sugar, you want to beat the batter as little as possible. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears after each egg. You never want to overbeat eggs as this will cause the batter to be runny and may cause the batter to overflow when baking. Overbeaten eggs can also create a fragile crust that crumbles and separates from the cake as it cools.
- Don’t peek! Don’t open the oven doors until it is time to check your Brown Sugar Pound Cake for doneness. Opening the doors can cause your cake to cook unevenly and to fall.
- Don’t overbake! One of the main reasons people complain of dry cakes is because they over bake their cake You want to remove your cake when there are just a few crumbs clinging to a toothpick.
How to Prevent Homemade Pound Cake From Sticking to the Pan
The outer layer of your Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake becomes beautifully caramelized as it bakes. While this layer is my favorite part of the cake, it also is the stickiest so you need to make sure you grease your bundt can very well. My favorite way to grease my pan is with a nonstick cooking spray WITH FLOUR IN IT – as simple as a 10 second spray! Alternatively, you can grease and flour your pan.
To grease pan:
- First, take care you are using a 12-cup nonstick bundt cake pan.
- Use a pastry brush to grease every nook and cranny of the pan thoroughly with softened butter or solid shortening (I prefer butter).
- Sprinkle some flour over the butter in the pan.
- Hold floured pan over the sink and tilt the pan in a circular motion in order to distribute the flour evenly. Add more flour if there are any bare spots.
- Flip the bundt pan over and tap out any excess flour.
How to Remove a Bundt Cake from the Pan
- Let Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake cool for 15 minutes. This allows the cake to retract from the pan and become firm enough to remove without breaking. If you leave your cake in the pan for too long, however, then it can become damp and stick to the pan.
- After 15 minutes, firmly tap the outside of the pan a few times to loosen the cake.
- Place a cooling rack over the open side of the bundt cake pan and hold the sides so you are holding both the edges of the bundt cake pan and the cooling rack. Carefully and quickly flip the cooling rack and bundt cake over to invert the cake, then remove the bundt pan.
- Let the Brown Sugar Pound Cake Cake cool completely on the wire cooling rack
CAN I MAKE Caramel Pound CAKE AHEAD OF TIME?
Absolutely! I actually think this Toffee Pecan Brown Sugar Pound Cake tastes even better the second day.
I would bake the cake but wait to add the caramel to the top of the cake until ready to serve. Once your cake has cooled completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature.
You can prepare the caramel in advance as well, refrigerate then microwave (because it will thicken in the fridge) when ready to serve.
How to Store Caramel Pound Cake
Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 5 days, noting that it will dry out slightly over time.
CAN I FREEZE BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE?
Yes! You will want to wait until your Brown Sugar Pound Cake is completely cooled then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap WITHOUT the Caramel. Freeze cake for up to 3 months. Allow you cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
What to Serve with Homemade Pound Cake
This pecan caramel pound cake is delicious as is, but you could also serve it with:
- Fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and/or blackberries
- A dollop of whipped cream (and berries!)
- Vanilla ice cream (and berries!)
- Chocolate ganache
Looking for more Cake Recipes?
- Coconut Cake (Triple Coconut!)
- Carrot Cake with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pound Cake
- Lemon Poke Cake
- White Cake with Cranberry Filling
- Cream Cheese Carrot Cake
- Strawberry Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache
WANT TO TRY THIS BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE RECIPE?
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (24 TBS) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 8 oz. bag of toffee bits (I use Heath Bits O’ Brickle Toffee Bits)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 Recipe Easy Creamy Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and generously spray all surfaces of a 12 cup nonstick bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray WITH FLOUR*, OR grease and flour the inside. Set aside.
- Beat the butter until creamy then add sugars, beating until fluffy (no less than 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just the yellow disappears after each egg.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk in between each third. Beat until just combined. Stir in toffee bits and pecans then spoon batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until a wood pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean, 75 – 90 minutes (wide range due to different pan colors/shapes). You may need to cover the top of the cake with foil near the end of cooking time to prevent excess browning.
- Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Spoon caramel over cake and devour. (Slices are exponentially more delicious if heated in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or heat a plate of slices for 30 seconds.)
- IF MAKING AHEAD: I suggest keeping the cake and caramel separate. Reheat the caramel just until warm. Working in batches, add slices of cake to plate and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds then drizzle with caramel.
Notes
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Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!
Recipe Source: Caramel Cake adapted from The Taste of the South’s Southern Cakes Magazine
Sharon Barker says
I baked this cake for a friend’s birthday. It has got to be one of the best cakes ever. It really doesn’t need the caramel to be delicious. Everyone asked for another piece to take home to eat later. I served it with ice cream but really the ice cream was too much. This cake stands alone!!! YUM.
Jen says
Thanks so much Sharon! I’m so pleased this Brown Sugar Cake was such a hit – and I agree – the Caramel make the cake!
Yonnie says
This cake was perfect. Good with or without the caramel. Actually, amazing!
Jen says
Thank you so much Yonnie! I’m thrilled it was a winner!
Colleen M says
This is fantastic! We’re in cake heaven right now! Thanks so much!
Jen says
Yay! I love hearing that! Thank you for making my day Colleen!
Elizabeth says
Want to make this for work & thinking a 13 × 9 sheet cake would be so much easier to travel & portion out? Do you think recipe will still work and what would baking time equate to?
Jen says
Hi Elizabeth, yes you can definitely bake the cake in a 9×13 pan. I have never done it for this particular cake so I am just guessing it will require 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F or until done.
Sandra says
I made the Toffee Pecan Caramel Pound Cake. My husband said it was the best cake he has ever eaten. It turned out real nice and also made the caramel sauce. Awesome. Thanks
Jen says
I love hearing that Sandra! Thanks for the ultimate compliment!
Lori Bonner says
This was truly delicious. I think my bundt pan must be a bit smaller than standard as I had a little overflow while baking. Someone just had to eat all those edges I cut off to even it up. I didn’t mind. Thanks for the detailed instructions and tips. You really set me up for sucess.
Jen says
Thank you for your thoughtful comment Lori and being noble enough to eat those edges 😉 I’m so pleased this cake was a winner!
Bobbi says
Sinfully delicious. Especially when drizzled with your caramel sauce. Pound cake…it weighs 5 Pounds! This cake would travel well and just add caramel at destination. I made no changes. Be sure to use a 12 cup Bundt pan. It baked all the way to the top. Mine baked for 85 minutes. Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing!
Jen says
Thank you for your awesome review Bobbi, I’m so happy it was a 5 pound winner!
Becjy says
I just made this, but mine boiled over in the 12 cup bundt pan I used. Any ideas why this happened?
Jen says
I’m so sorry, how frustrating! I haven’t had anyone with this problem before – is it possible you used a 12-inch and not 12 cup?
Fara says
Can I make half the recipe in a loaf pan . For half a rec do I add. 3 eggs
Thank you
Jen says
Hi Fara, yes you can divide this between loaf pans and yes, I would use 3 eggs for half the recipe. Enjoy!
Linda says
Do you think it’s possible to make this recipe into cupcakes?
Jen says
Absolutely! Just keep in mind they will be more dense and less fluffy than traditional cupcakes.
Rhonda Rich says
Hi. The recipe looks amazing! I’d like to try in layered with the pecan toffee caramel sauce between layers. Do you think this would work out ok?
Jen says
Thanks Rhonda! Can you clarify? Are you wanting to make a layered cake with your own pecan caramel sauce in between layers?
Lymari Woodson says
Can I make this cake with almond flour?
Jen says
No almond flour is not a good substitution. You are better off using a gluten free 1 to 1 baking substitute like Bob Red Mills.
Rose says
Absolutely love you and your recipes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jen says
You’re so sweet, thanks Rose!
Jessica says
I made this cake last year 2020 and it came out terribly dry, caramel was perfection and still use this recipe for everything fall) I’m going to try it again this year (2032, but trying to add pumpkin purée or apple sauce with the wet ingredients to see if it moistens up this gif round)
Jen says
Hi Jessica, I’m sorry your cake was dry, I’ve never had one complaint of this before. Make sure you don’t pack the flour, overmix the batter or over-bake the cake, all can make cakes dry.
Khristi says
I baked this cake yesterday, as I spent the day trying new recipes; and it is absolutely DELICIOUS! In my opinion, it stands alone just fine without the caramel sauce, as it’s already sweet enough. And, I put the toffee bits in the pan before pouring in the batter, instead of mixing throughout, so that added a sticky-sweet, caramelized top layer to the cake. This is a definite keeper that I will make again!
Jen says
Thanks for the awesome review Khristi, I’m so pleased this is a new repeat favorite! And what a great idea to add the toffee bits to the top!
Jeanne Harned says
This recipe is absolutely delicious! My husband loved it too. The cake is so good by itself that we seldom added the caramel sauce but the sauce does make a nice presentation when serving to guests.
Jen says
Thank you Jeanne, I’m so pleased it’s a fav even without the caramel!
Karen Browne says
Hi
Can you substitute walnuts for the pecans?
Jen says
Yes, totally personal preference!
Lisa Theoharatos says
1 1/2 cups butter equals 24 tablespoons? How?
Jen says
8 tablespoons in one stick/half a cup. 8×3=24 tablespoons/1 1/2 cups
Leonora says
I can’t wait to make this
Jen says
Yay!!