My easy Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Brown Sugar Icing is a simple classic treat that everyone loves! It’s absolutely delicious to enjoy in the fall or as a wonderful homemade gift for Christmas. The pecans add a delightful crunch and perfectly complement the sweet, thick layer of brown sugar icing. This is the dessert that everyone is going to LOVE!
5-Star Reviews
“Drool! This looks amazing!!” -Cassidy
Brown Sugar Pound Cake Recipe
An old fashioned Pound cake Recipe, where each ingredient—butter, flour, sugar, and eggs—called for a pound. Brown sugar helps to bring out the rich caramel flavors and makes every bite incredibly amazing! I absolutely love my caramel glaze over this super moist pound cake, and I’m sure you will too!
Tips For Beginners
- If you over-mix the ingredients (thus developing the flour’s gluten too much), it will rise too high in the oven and then sink once you remove it. That will also result in a cake that is too dense/firm. Beating the eggs and dry ingredients on medium speed should help!
- Start the cake in a cold oven. Do not preheat it.
- I use 2 9×5-inch size pans for baking.
Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 2 9×5-inch loaf pan
- Stand Mixer
- Fine Mesh Sieve
Ingredients
For the Pound Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter 227 grams, room temperature (2 sticks)
- ½ cup vegetable shortening 92 grams (½ stick)
- 2 cups brown sugar 426 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 6 large eggs 300 grams, room temperature
- 3 cups cake flour 360 grams (SEE NOTE)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup evaporated milk 227 grams
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans 114 grams, optional
For the Brown Sugar Glaze
- ¼ cup salted butter 57 grams (½ stick)
- ½ cup brown sugar 107 grams
- ¼ cup milk 57 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 2 cups powdered sugar 226 grams
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans 57 grams, optional
Instructions
For the Pound Cake
- Grease and flour 2 9×5-inch loaf pans.
- Place the butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until creamy.Gradually add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition, just until incorporated.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup vegetable shortening, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar, 6 large eggs
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.3 cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a small measuring cup, mix the milk and vanilla together.1 cup evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add the flour to the butter/sugar mixture alternately with the milk/vanilla mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
- Fold in the pecans, if using.1 cup chopped toasted pecans
- Fill the prepared loaf pans with batter and place on the middle rack of a cold oven. Set the temperature to 300°F.NOTE: This Brown Sugar Pound Cake starts in a cold oven. Do NOT preheat the oven.
- Bake for 70 minutes, test with a toothpick, and check every 5 minutes thereafter. The cake is done when the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
- Transfer cooked cake to a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on the wire rack.
For the Brown Sugar Glaze
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Continue whisking and add the milk. Bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and add the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar in ¼ cup increments, whisking after each addition. Whisk until drizzle is creamy and smooth. (Add more milk, if necessary, to desired thickness.)¼ cup salted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 cups powdered sugar
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with toasted pecans, if desired.Note: Allow the cake to cool down completely before pouring glaze.½ cup chopped toasted pecans
Becky’s Tips
- If you don’t have cake flour, you can make your own by measuring 3 cups of all-purpose flour, removing 6 tablespoons from the cup, and adding 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk together and sift well before using.
- Feel free to swap the pecans for walnuts or cinnamon/butterscotch baking chips.
- All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Store
Refrigerate brown sugar pound cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Freeze and make ahead: This is one of the best pound cake recipes to make ahead of time. Just assemble the cake and refrigerate for 5-7 days. For freezing I suggest wrapping the pound cake with plastic wrap and freezing for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Prepare the fresh brown sugar icing, pour over the thawed cake, sprinkled pecans and it is ready to serve!
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this moist and lip-smacking pound cake during holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas along with Sangria. Or, place some slices on a Holiday Charcuterie Board!
Hi Mercedes, did you start the cake in a cold oven? That’s a really important step to ensure it gets cooked properly all the way through! I would also recommend checking your oven temperature with an oven thermometer, as oven temps can vary up to 25°F from the listed temperature!
By shortening, co you mean Crisco? thank you!
Yes!
I substituted coconut oil for the shortening. Also does it freezer well? It made two cakes.
Yes, you can definitely freeze them!
What size cake pan/s?
Great tasting cake but recipe needs to be edited to include information about pan size and quantity, and how the pan size impacts cooking time. The recipe yielded 3 medium sized loafs for me, but I needed to cook them for 25 minutes longer than the recipe recommends.
What size pan(s)did you use for the brown sugar pound cake
Caramel frosting
in tHe good old days we called this frosting Penuche. It was used i think on lady baltimore cake but i am spitballing about that. I have the recipe in an old southern living cook book but it is in my garage and we are not talkibg about that.
It is penuChe Frosting though fOr sure someone had to really love you to make it.
Awesome info to know!
I’m also wondering about pan size. It seems like 2 loaf pans or 1 Bundt. It sounds really tasty!
Drool! This looks amazing!!
After I look this cake picture, I really hungry… :D