This brown sugar pound cake is a keeper boos, especially when fall rolls around. I love starting the season with comforting recipes, and this one is a Southern staple that everybody’s grandma kept scribbled in a notebook. My brown sugar pound cake bakes up with a light molasses flavor and a soft crumb. Some days I slice it plain or top it with a dollop of whipped cream, but this time I poured a delish brown butter glaze over the whole thing. It’s simple, nostalgic, and real good. Get into it.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
How to Make Brown Sugar Pound Cake
These step-by-step photos show how to make brown sugar cake, but be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Brown Sugar Pound Cake Recipe
1. Cream the butter, sugars, and salt
Beat them until light and fluffy, then mix in the eggs one at a time until fully combined.
2. Add the remaining ingredients
With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, then mix in the sour cream and vanilla just until everything is incorporated.
3. Pour the brown sugar batter into a Bundt pan and bake
Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Cool briefly, then invert and let the cake cool completely.
4. Make and pour the brown butter glaze
Whisk the browned butter, powdered sugar, and milk until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled cake.
PRO TIP: To make 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. But don’t walk away, boos! Stir frequently and watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Full Brown Sugar Pound Cake Recipe
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
- Room Temp: Keep your pound cake covered on the counter for the first day. Just park it somewhere cool and out of the sun so it stays soft.
- Fridge: After that, move it to the fridge in an airtight container or wrap it up well. It’ll stay fresh for up to a week, but let’s be real boos… mine never makes it that long, ha!
- Freezer: Wrap the whole cake or slices in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 6 months. If you’re making it ahead, freeze it without the glaze. When you’re ready to serve, thaw it overnight at room temp and glaze it fresh.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Prep your pan. Use my cake release if you want your brown sugar bundt 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!
- Start with room-temperature butter and sour cream. Both will mix more easily with the other ingredients.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the glaze. This keeps the glaze on the cake rather than melting off.
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Recipe Help
I mean, you can boo, but it won’t be a brown sugar cake anymore. The whole point is that slight molasses flavor from the brown sugar.
The biggest culprits are over mixing, over baking, and not measuring properly. Keep that mixer on the lowest speed when you add the flour and stop as soon as it comes together. Bake on the center rack and start checking early in case your oven runs hot. And ALWAYS spoon your flour into the cup and level it off so you don’t pack in too much.
pinterest 
facebook 
twitter 
email
I just made this. It is INCREDIBLE. I’d never made anything with brown butter before – it was SO easy and came out perfect! I’ll be saving this recipe to make again…to me, it’s the perfect recipe for somewhat experienced home bakers. Real, simple ingredients you’d have on hand anytime – easy and fast (except for inevitable baking time) to make if you are familiar with baking – and relatively foolproof, and DELICIOUS.
Hooray fantastic! I’m so so glad you enjoyed it!
This cake looks exceptional! Thanks for the recipe and for motivating me to spend more time in the kitchen, Jocelyn!
Hooray! Absolutely! I hope you enjoy it!
OMG your Brown Sugar Pound cake recipe was my 1st attempt at baking a pound cake from scratch or homemade. Let me tell you (well I surely dont have to tell you) but this cake was nothing short of amazingly delicioouuussssss!!! It was the most moist cake that has ever come out of my oven. I am so looking forward to baking with more of your recipes.
Hooray I am beyond happy to read this and so so glad you enjoyed this cake!!!! Keep coming back for more recipes.
Hi!! So I noticed you mentioned that there was molasses in the cake in your blog but I didn’t see any listed in the ingredients?!! Wanted to make sure I was reading everything correctly!!!
Oh the molasses comes from the brown sugar component.
I made this cake yesterday for today – Thanksgiving. My husband apparently had to taste test it after I went to sleep. lol That man is a kid at heart! He LOVES it!
Hooray!!!!!!!!
Hi Jocelyn, in the directions it says to add in “flour then add in sour cream and extract and cream until just combined.” I don’t see cream in the cake ingredients. Please advise. Thank you. Looks delicious and am making it today.
Hi Lynn, Cream means to mix when used as an instruction in making a cake. It means to cream everything together. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy the recipe. Post a photo of the cake and tag me on social media with GrandbabyCakes!
I made this cake for my job on Monday and it was DEVOURED in 10 minutes! Thank you Grandbaby-Cakes for a great recipe!
Hooray!!!! I am so glad Christie!!! Woot woot. Next time snap a photo and tag me on social. I would love to share!
This looks great! Can’t wait to make it…do the eggs do all the leavening? No baking powder or soda?
No its actually the creaming of the butter and sugar that adds the air and lift to the cake! Make sure you cream for a while to give it enough air.