You’re gonna love my Brown Sugar Pound Cake Recipe! The cake’s texture is incredibly tender, and the molasses in the brown sugar takes it up a notch. Then that nutty brown butter glaze is just everything. It’s a breeze to pull together, and it will be a hit whenever you serve it. With inspiration from my Sour Cream Pound Cake and Cream Cheese Pound Cake, this pound cake is a keeper, especially when fall rolls around boos.
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How to Make Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Making this cake is pretty much a breeze! Be sure to read through all the directions in the recipe card before getting started.
Step 1: Make the Cake
- Cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt on high speed until light and fluffy. This will likely take about five minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each one until well mixed.
- Slow the mixer down to the lowest speed, carefully add in the flour, and then mix it in.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl. Cream just until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into a bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out moist but mostly clean.
- Cool the cake for ten minutes then invert the cake onto a cooling rack and cool until the cake is at room temperature.
- Mix together the browned butter, confectioner’s sugar, and milk until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Pour the icing over the top of the cooled cake.
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Brown Sugar Pound Cake Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and browned until specs appear
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and prepare your bundt pan with shortening and flour or non-stick baking spray. You will need at least a 10 cup bundt pan for this recipe.
- In your mixer bowl, cream together butter, both sugars and salt on high speed until light and fluffy for 5 minutes.
- Next add in eggs, one at a time, and mix until well incorporated.
- Slow mixer to lowest speed and carefully add in flour then add in sour cream and extract and cream until just combined.
- Pour cake batter into bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out moist but mostly clean.
- Cool cake for 10 minutes then invert cake onto cooling rack and cool until room temperature.
For the Glaze:
- Whisk together brown butter, confectioner’s sugar and milk.
- Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and serve.
Video
Notes
How to Store Brown Sugar Pound Cake
It’s cool to store your brown sugar cake at room temperature for the first day. Just be sure it’s in a cool location and keep that baby out of the sun. After that, store in the fridge in an airtight container or well-wrapped.How long will brown sugar pound cake last?
Stored in the fridge, a brown sugar pound cake will last up to a week. But mine certainly don’t last that long ha!Can I freeze brown sugar cake?
Yep, you can store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. I suggest wrapping it in several layers of plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil to keep it fresh. You can freeze the cake whole, in sections, or in individual slices, depending on how you think you will serve them in the future. If you want to make the cake ahead of time I suggest freezing the cake without the glaze. Then when you’re ready to serve it, let it thaw out at room temperature overnight and then top with the glaze.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Making Browned Butter. To make the brown butter all you need to do is melt the butter in a saucepan. After it melts, it will continue to cook and start to brown. Don’t walk away. Stir frequently and watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Prep Your Pan. Use my cake release if you want your cake to come up super clean.
- Use the Proper Pan. You want to use a 10-cup bundt pan to make your pound cake. I love this one from Nordic Ware!
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients. Make sure to start with room-temperature butter and sour cream. Both will more easily mix into the other ingredients.
- Let it Cool. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the glaze. This keeps the glaze on the cake rather than melting off.
Recipe Help
No, you must use the brown sugar as directed in this recipe for the cake to have the rich, caramel flavor of molasses.
The biggest culprits are over-mixing, overcooking, and not measuring properly. Be sure you mix the flour into the batter using the lowest speed and only mix until everything comes together. No longer than that otherwise you run the risk of activating the gluten too much. To avoid overcooking, bake the cake on the rack in the center of the oven and watch it closely in the last 10-15 minutes of baking just in case your oven cooks more quickly. It’s a good idea to occasionally check your oven’s temperature to make sure it is calibrated properly to help prevent overcooking. Last, make sure you are not scooping your dry ingredients. Use a spoon to measure the flour and scrape off the top with a knife. This method of measuring means you are less likely to add too much flour which may make a dry cake.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- 7 Up Pound Cake Recipe
- Caramel Cake
- Kentucky Butter Cake
- Apple Cake
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
This post was originally published in October 2016. It has been updated with new images and content.
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Hi. I just made sweet potatoes cakes. Thinking it sounds delicious goes with brown butter glaze? It is for Memorial Day. Brown butter has to be cool before add xxx powder and milk?
Hi Stacey, no it doesn’t have to cool. You want it to be hot/warm to dissolve the powdered sugar and be pourable on top of the cake. Hope you enjoy!
girl, you got it going on!! It was delicious!! It was a hit at my dinner party! I served it with fresh berries and a mascarpone whipped cream!
Thank you so so much! So glad everyone enjoyed this. I love how you served it.
Made it for work. Needless to say, no leftover cake. It was so good. One of the nurses trekked past my desk four times on the way to get more slices!
Yay! So happy to hear that!!
Hands down my favorite pound cake!!! It’s a hit to everyone I serve a slice to.
Thank you so so much!
Loved this cake! A little dense but still moist and delicious. I added brown sugar for a caramel flavor and dry milk powder to the glaze to give it a deeper brown butter flavor.
Awe, thanks boo!