“Fluffy & moist brown sugar caramel pound cake with homemade caramel glaze. Easy, from scratch recipe!”
I’m not much of a cusser. Cussing just doesn’t really do it for me. I prefer to use more creative forms of expression like “well pumper my nickel bread!” and things like that. But every now and then something comes along that just needs a solid DAMN DAMN DAAAAMN!!!
This brown sugar caramel pound cake is one of those things. Mercy. Excuse the crappy pictures by the way. Would you look at me differently if I told you that every time I got a slice I had to sing “I want some of your brown shuuuuga!” ? I really did and now that you’ve just read that I can bet a dollar you’ll probably do the same thing. We’re in this together now.
But omagosh y’all let me tell you….. this pound cake! Baaaaabeeeee! Please forgive me for keeping this to myself for so long. I made this brown sugar caramel pound cake years ago for a cookout and totally forgot how amazing it was.
I filed it away under “recipes to post in the fall on Divas Can Cook” and never looked back. I’m good for doing things like that. It would be a sin to make you guys wait until the fall time for this. I You NEED this. Like right now!
This brown sugar caramel pound cake is incredible!! It’s fluffy and moist as heck! Full of buttery, vanilla, caramel flavors… epic I tell ya!
Those sweet & salty toffee pieces thrown into the batter and the glaze is everything good and holy. Don’t even get me started on that easy caramel glaze.
Throw on a side of vanilla ice cream and this pound cake becomes simple yet a bit over the top. Perfect for company and holidays.
I decided not to add the pecans into the batter but you certainly can put some in if that’s your thangthizzle! Even some finely shredded coconut would be good in this pound cake.
I’m sorry, what did you say? Oh, you want more pound cake? Thought you’d never ask!! Try this classic 7-Up pound cake recipe!!!
Watch me make this brown sugar caramel pound cake from start to finish!
Brown Sugar Caramel Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
- 2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup toffee baking bits plus more for garnish
- FOR CARAMEL FROSTING
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pecan cookie pieces & toffees bits optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. F.
- Generously grease and lightly flour bundt pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and shortening.
- Mix in brown sugar and white sugar.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
- Fold in vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Gradually add dry mixture into the wet mixture while alternating with the buttermilk and heavy cream.
- Mix well until combined being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Fold in toffee pieces. (Can also add in some pecan pieces if desired)
- Pour batter evenly into prepared bundt pan.
- Shake the pan back and forth and up and down to even out batter and release air bubbles.
- Bake on the middle rack for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cake sit in pan for 10-15 minutes before removing and placing on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- When cake is completely cooled start making the caramel frosting.
- In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together sweetened condensed milk and brown sugar.
- Keep stirring until bubbles begin to gently break on the surface.
- Reduce heat if needed, do not let the mixture boil or simmer too rapidly to prevent burning.
- Continue cooking for about 5 minutes until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
- Stir vigorously until butter is combined.
- Sauce will begin to thicken up even more as it cools.
- Pour the hot caramel sauce over the cooled cake. (I always have sauce left over. Goes great on ice cream!)
- Garnish the cake with pecan pieces and toffee pieces if desired (highly recommended)
- Let cake sit until frosting begins to harden.
- Slice and serve, add vanilla ice cream to take it over the top!
Video
This cake is always a hit – truly a bomb cake! I have done various things, like use dark brown instead of light brown sugar, and I have also used toffee pieces that had milk chocolate on them when I couldn’t find regular toffee pieces. It all still turns out very well, still moist and rich – one of my favorite cakes to do!
Can I freeze this?
Is there a way to make this without butter flavor shortening?
Mine fell and didn’t cook all the way through. Should I have cooked it longer. I used new baking powder.
Where’s the recipe?
Do you use salt or unsalted butter for the cake and caramel sauce?
Unsalted
Omg figured out where i went wrong i will admit i was used SELF RISING FLOUR instead of ALL PURPOSE FLOUR this is all the ppl cakes explode like mines BUT I GOT IT YESSSS AND ITS DELICIOUS
This recipe is a family favorite. My niece requested this for Christmas, but i will be traveling 2 days to see her and then staying in a rental. Could I refrigerate the batter and bake when I get there? Looking for suggestions on how i can best make this for her.
I made this at Christmas two years ago, and my family went “gaga” over it. Soooo delicious. Thanks! BTW…do you know how many loaf pan pound cakes this recipe will make? I’d like to give them as gifts to my co-workers.
Followed it exactly as written. My goodness what a delicious cake!! From the cake to the icing it was absolutely perfect! Making another one tomorrow. And you 7 Up cake is just this good! I’ve lost count at all these I’ve made! I’ve never been disappointed in any of your recipes!
Probably nothing use a larger bundt pan. When I did mine it was close to running over.
Hi
I plan on making this for my husbands birthday. Can I use cake flour?
Is the caramel sauce supposed to thicken up (almost like the caramel coating for a caramel apple)? I might have cooked sauce a little too long??
Yes it will thicken but not as thick as caramel apple coating.
Is the 1 cup of butter salted or unsalted?
Unsalted
I followed the recipe exactly as written to try something outside of my own recipe and it came out as sheer perfection.
Thanks a Million,
Mary Nwachukwu
P.S. I did your baked beef ribs!!! Girl!!!! Thank you, they were so tender and flavorful I marinated them over night.
I have been dying to make this. I made a very happy accident. Instead of the toffee chips, I was thinking caramel and grabbed caramel bits out of the pantry instead. Didn’t realize it until I was putting it into the bundt pan. I’m going to play the old lady card on that one. Bad memory.
It was very yummy.
I may have cooked the icing too long because once it hardened it was very thick, like a caramel apple.
Still, a big hit with the family.
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.
Try to make your caramel cake it spilled over in the oven make a mess what did I do wrong followed the recipe to the tee.
Follow the recipe to the tee put cake in oven at right temp cake ran over all in the over what did I do wrong.
All I can say is WOW! I always like to put my own spin on great recipes and I must say! You recipe for this cake is a killer!! It was moist and rich and the same damn time! The slight crunch set it off with the nuts! Thanks Ms. Diva
not so much a comment but a question, what’s the best size pan for this cake? maybe I missed it, but didn’t see a recommended cake pan size in the recipe.
Can I substitue the all purpose flour with cake flour?. Have never been disappointed with your recipes…LOVELOVE your recipes
Good day, Can I freeze this?
I tried this recipe three times and it was awesome even better without the frosting perfect little cake for brunch.
What kind of Toffee was used for the Caramel cake?
Omg this recipe is the best! This was my first time ever making a pound cake and I came out perfect. I followed the instructions bit by bit my husband and kids loved it. I had to stop my kids from eating it all, they kept asking for more. This is now going in my personal recipe book. Thank You!!! 🙂
BEST recipe ever! Delicious! Thank you Mrs. Diva!
I made this for my husband who is from Alabama. He LOVED it. He declared it his favorite pound cake and that it needs to be my signature. Love your website!!
I just love your videos. You are so lively and entertaining and your recipes are easy to follow. I can’t wait to try this one. It looks so good!
Thanks so much Becky!
This was bomblightful! My favorite ice creams are Blue Bell’s Butter Pecan and Moollineum Crunch. This cake put me in the best of both worlds. The beautiful Carmel rich butter and brown sugar flavor was like a warm blanket with the topping. I did not have toffee so I candied the walnuts with brown sugar and butter. I am still learning pound cakes so I overlooked it. However, this recipe will go into my famous recipe book. This is sure to be a show stopper/crowd pleaser. Thank you so much!!!
Sorry, over cooked it.???????? It was still fabulous just thicker. The butter, shortening, buttermilk, and whipping cream shout have given a melt in your mouth texture. It was moist yet dry. Don’t over cook it friends.
I’m going to make this cake for music birthday. Thinking about topping it with salt to make it a salted caramel pound cake
I bake that 7-up cake for the my Thanksgiving holiday it was the first cake to go,I had did other but your”s we”re the best thank you. Ms.A
As usual your recipes are fail proof. I didn’t even want ice cream. Normally I won’the eat cake without ice cream. J
Hey!!!! I love using your recipes!!!! They are always big hit. However, when I make the caramel sauce it never thickens….What could I be doing wrong. I’ve made it like 4 times and I get the same result each time. Everyone still loves it anyway by the way lol….
I made this cake for Thanksgiving and my family loved it. Adding a scoop of ice cream makes it even better!
Will I need to make changes to the recipe if I use cake flour instead?
Thanks
Hi Monique, I don’t get shortening in my country, so may I just use all butter? Will the difference be too much?
I can mail you some if you like.
I made this recipe last year and it’s superb!
Hello, love your recipes! I purchased your books but cannot open the download, can someone contact me with a new link please I can’t seem to get a response. Thanks.
I love this recipe, I added Carmel bits instead of the toffee, and it’s a hit, thank you for sharing your wisdom!!!! Keep up the good work and the videos are awesome! ????
I used the caramel recipe on the grandma’s pound cake and it was gone before the night was over. Thanks much for sharing! DELICIOUS
HOOONNNNEYYYYY!!! “I want some of your brown sugar” I made this for Thanksgiving…….just saying…..there isn’t any left!! My family inhaled it!! I have enough for another….maybe for tonight! lol LOVE THIS CAKE!!! Thanks girl!
I love the flavor of this cake, but I must have done something wrong. It looked beautiful when I took it out of the oven but after 5 minutes it completely sank in the pan and when I flipped it, it was a mess? Did anyone else have a problem? Im wondering if I mixed the ingredients in the wrong order or something?
This happened to me too. The outside looked great, but once I flipped it I realized the inside was still liquified. I put it back in the oven at 200 for another 1-1.5 hours and when I took it out it was better, but still extremely moist like something went wrong with the butter or shortening. I don’t think it’s raw and it has a good taste to it, but it didn’t turn out how it should have. I’m not sure what the problem is.
Girl!!!! This video was so funny. This will be my next cake. Your 7Up cake is off the chain so I have no doubt that this one is killer too. Thanks for sharing and entertaining!
Dearest Monique,
I absolutely freaking love you and this recipe is an absolute favorite!!!! Thanks a million for sharing ✌????????????
hahahah!Thanks for trying it love!
I dont know how many times i made this recipe but it was my first time making a pound cake. The first time i made it the cake was really dry and the icing was way to thick it was still good lol but the second third fourth and fifth time i made it omg can you say B.O.M.B ? i loooooooove this recipe and my kids and man loves it to. I will be making this Thanksgiving:) thank you Monique!
This was an amazing cake. I love baking pound cakes and this one and the 7up cake oh my everyone of my friends go crazy over them. I have been baking since I was 10yrs old. I’m now 63yrs. and l love learning new recipes. You are a very gifted cook to be your age. I learned to cook from my older relatives and I can tell some of your wisdom comes from yours as well. Keep up the good work. I’m trying to instill these values in my granddaughter.
Hi! Is there any alternative for butter flavored shortening? Thank you
Yep just use regular shortening.
This cake is incredibly delicious! I’ve made it several times and it was a hit each time. Thank you for the recipe.
This recipe looks so delicious I can’t wait to use it!!
I have a few different size bundt pans and how many cups was the pan you used.
Ok, this pound cake has my name all over it. And my family will love it. Thank YOU for the recipe!
Best cake ever! My sister is the baker in our family . And when I make cakes I’ll ask her did she like it? And she always says IT’S OK! But after I made this cake I asked how did you like the cake? And for the 1st time she said that it was GOOD! Great Cake thanks Moe!
Hi Monique the cake came out good, but mines looked a little darker than yours, I did everything think right, except I add a few extra toffee pieces do you think that’s why?
Thanks
Hi Monique that you so much for sharing . I am making your pound cake for my husband and son birthday. Can you tell me what size pan did you use.
Thank you
I have made this several times already. It reminds me of a praline cake. It’s awesome!!!
Thanks Monique for another great recipe!!! I couldn’t wait for this cake to cool. Simply delicious!
So annoyed, I could scream!! This recipe calls for 1 cup of butter (which equates to 2 sticks) & half a cup butter flavored shortening. I didn’t have the shortening so I intended to make the recipe using all butter. However, I misread the recipe! I used 1lb of butter instead of 1 cup & again I replaced the shortening with more butter. So now instead of 3 sticks of butter (2 sticks to make up 1 cup & 1 stick to make up 1/2 C. shortening) I used 5 sticks. 🙁 I know the cake is going to be ruined.
oh no! I was actually going to ask her if I could swap out the shortening for the butter…how did it turn out? Still good I bet, just buttery? 🙂
I just made this cake. Realized I forgot to buy a bundt pan! So in the ceramic dish it went. I’m going to make the icing and see what happens. I’m so disappointed tho.
I left it in for about 30 extra minutes. It is very good. For my first time making pound cake, it’s awesome! A little square tho, lol.
Omg I made this cake 3 days in a row and this is my first time making pound cake EVER ! NOT bad for a beginner thnks monique !
Girl! Everyone loved this pound cake!! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
I made this for Thanksgiving. Mine ended up falling apart, but it was still delicious! This was my first homemade cake. I will do this recipe again
Mo, this is the best cake I made so far. It was moist and oh so buttery! Girl the toffee pieces folded in the batter just put it over the top. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will definitely being making this cake again.
I think it’s misleading for people to rate a recipe unless they have actually made the recipe. Giving a recipe a good rating because it sounds like it might taste good based on how the recipe sounds or based on ones plans to make it is not a true rating and when I see recipes given high marks from people who haven’t even attempted to make the recipe, I’m blown away.
Can you use the milk chocolate toffee bits? I accidentally picked them up at the store.
Carolyn, I have used the chocolate toffee bits on two separate occasions, and the cake was the BOMB. Tonight I am using the toffee only bits. Hopefully, the family will like it just as much!
I used that kind and the cake turned out fabulous.
I did the same thing and it came out great!
I was wondering if low fat buttermilk messed up this recipe? I can’t seem to find anything but low fat or gourmet .
MJay, I have made the cake both ways (with and without the low fat buttermilk), and you could not tell the difference. The cake remains the BOMB!
lord have mercy i know what im making for dessert to go with my bbq pulled pork, this cake had me salivating thank you Monique
WOW. This is seriously the best pound cake I’ve ever made. Thanks so much – it is fantastic and a big hit with…well, everyone!
This was a very good recipe. We shared with the neighbors so we wouldn’t be tempted to eat it all.
Just made this cake and devoured a slice. YAS LAWD!!!
Holy smokes, this was the first recipe I made in my bundt pan and it will definitely be hard to beat! I couldn’t wait to make the icing before I dug into it and truth be told, you do not need icing one bit, it is already overly rich and sweet, and this is coming from someone who loves dessert. I do want to try the icing though. Dust with powdered sugar for looks if you want. I used all butter instead if buying shortening and fat free vanilla Greek yogurt, watered down to a buttermilk consistency, instead of buying buttermilk, but I want to compare flavor and texture differences since I can’t imagine how it could get any better. I love your Spunk, Mo, keep them southern dessert a-comin!
Best cake ever!!
Waw ! I Like This Cake Thank You For recipe
Wow, this looks incredible. I’m a sucker for glazed cakes (we call it ‘icing’ in England 🙂 and this looks amazing. Plus, I got into eating pound cakes when I lived in the US and could cheerfully eat through a whole one to myself in just a couple of days. Will definitely be trying this one. Thanks.
This cake is delicious! My family loved it. I will definitely be making it again!
I made the cake. The toffee pieces softened once baked in the cake. My family really enjoyed this cake.
Thanks Diva..
Omg Monique this is the best Damn delicious cake I’ve ever had and I can’t believe I made a pound cake like that thanks to you! Usually I would have to ask my granny or my ex boyfriend mom but I won’t have to ask either one anymore! To Jackie about the toffee pieces they soften once baked and you won’t even be able to tell that there inside the cake. Thanks Monique for sharing your awesome recipes keep them coming!
Do the toffee pieces in the cake batter remain hard or do they soften once baked? Don’t want to bite down on hard pieces of toffee when eating the cake.
They toffee pieces softens
It will not be hard.
This looks absolutely divine!!!! I just have one question. I loveeeeeeeee condensed milk but doesn’t the brown sugar make the glaze too sweet??
Monique:
You are so cute and funny! I love the descriptions of your dishes and how excited you are to share them. I am a girl from Brooklyn NY who has been living the Southern life for the past 28 years. I love the recipes and good home cooking from the Southern ladies. This pound cake looks so amazing —I have not tried your biscuit recipe yet but I have all the ingredients in the pantry and fridge and I will attempt tomorrow to replicate them. I still have not mastered the technique but you give me hope! Blessings to you and thanks for such a great site.
I so want to try this cake. It sounds so yummy. Was wondering thouogh if I could use all butter. I can not use shortening.
This cake looks OMG I’m making it tomorrow good, but I need to know is there a substitute for the butter shortening-pork by product I don’t consume. In the 7-up cake you suggested the butter flavoring, can that substitution work in this cake?
There should be an all vegetable butter shortening available.
Ms. Divas can cook, Your recipes are absolutely Great! I’m looking forward to your healthy recipes blog. I like to leave you a suggestion and I pray that you will not take it offensively but constructively. I have notice that in your blog that you tend to use what you said you don’t mean to say, “cuss remarks” along with your recipes. This is offensive to me and to probably other Christian Women. They might not visit your blog because of it. I hope that you would take this into consideration and as a word of advice with the love of Christ. Thank you, Pastor Helen
Looks delis Will try love your videos . . You are so animated lol