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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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.