Salted Caramel Pound Cake
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Dense, buttery cake with caramel notes and a salty twist. Butter and sugar whipped fluffy, eggs added slow. Flour mixed with soda.Pan greased, batter alternating wet and dry. Oven heat moderate, cake baked till tester clean, edges golden. Caramel icing bubbles, thickens with sugar, cream, butter. Drizzle warm over cake’s dome. Swap whipping cream for half-and-half for lighter texture or sour cream for tang. Salted butter gives balance to sweetness. Time varies slightly depending on oven quirks. Visual cues and aroma key. Fork pokes model doneness. Cast iron pan works too but adjusts bake time. Keep cake moist using cream replacements. Sticky caramel coats with glint, tempting. Avoid overmixing batter or crumb toughens. Patience with caramel crucial or burns bitter. Classic bundt with punch, keeps well.
Prep:
25 min
Cook:
1h 25min
Total:
1h 50min
Servings:
12 servings
#American
#bundt cake
#caramel
#dessert
#baking tips
#cake icing
Butter and sugar creamed to near cloud fluffiness. Eggs folded in slow, deliberate. Flour blends in gently; sour cream gives moist weight. Vanilla hints, subtle but key. Oven’s warmth shifts batter slowly. Bundt shape traps heat evenly. Creamy caramel sauce bubbles on stove; sweet earthy aroma fills air. Pours in hot ribbons onto cake’s crown. Sticky glaze seeps into cracks, shimmering gloss. I’ve messed this up before; rushed creaming leads to dense brick. Dry cake? Overbaked, no crumb spring back. Caramel burns fast; must watch, stir. Salted butter, non-negotiable. Balances sweetness with punch. Took a while to figure timing, but learn sensory cues more valuable than clock. This cake’s got soul.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted salted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE ICING===
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
About the ingredients
Swap whipping cream with sour cream for increased moisture and subtle tang in batter – keeps cake less dense but still rich. Salted butter in batter and icing means fewer separate salt additions – simplifies and balances flavor organically. Light brown sugar chosen for caramel’s deeper molasses notes; dark can overpower while white sugar lacks nuance. Oven temperature lowered slightly from common 325F to 320F to avoid crust burning before center cooks. Flour sifted but not beaten too much; aerates without overstretching gluten. Powdered sugar in icing optional; omission yields thinner drizzle, add gradually to adjust texture. Can replace half-and-half with cream or milk with more attention to caramel thickness. For bundt pan, heavy steel preferred over thinner aluminum for even heat conduction and sturdier release.
Method
For the cake
- Heat oven to 320F. Grease and lightly flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Use butter and flour shaken out, not too thick a coating. Sets texture baseline.
- Whip softened butter and sugar until pale, fluffy, air trapped, about 6 minutes. Listen for subtle creaming sound, smooth texture, no gritty sugar bits. This traps air giving crumb lift.
- Add eggs one at a time. Blend fully before next. Don’t rush or batter breaks. Eg: separate bowls for eggs if worried yolks runny or whites over mix.
- Mix flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl. Baking soda replaces baking powder here for subtle tang and rise. Salt balances sweetness, but watch quantities.
- Add dry flour mix and sour cream alternating spoonfuls; start and end dry. Folding gently rather than overmixing preserves crumb tight but tender. Vanilla stirred last.
- Pour batter into bundt pan. Batter thick, spoonable. Scrape sides well to get every bit in pan. Tap pan firmly on countertop to release large air bubbles.
- Bake 1hr 15 min to 1 hr 30 min. Start checking at 1 hr 15 min with toothpick or skewer inserted in middle it should come out mostly clean with few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Edges pull slightly away from pan, golden brown.
- Cool 10 min in pan on wire rack. Warm cake helps release easily from pan. Turn out gently. Too hot means breakage; too cool means sticking.
For the icing
- Combine brown sugar, butter, and half-and-half in saucepan. Heat on medium-low, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Bubble appears, then gentle boil. Boil 2 min to thicken; watch carefully to prevent scorch.
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla then powdered sugar for sweetness and body. Warm, runny consistency perfect for drizzling. Too thick add splash more half-and-half; too thin simmer 30 sec longer.
- Drizzle warm caramel icing over slightly warm cake. Moves easily, glossy finish, soaks edges slightly but doesn't run off pan. Let icing set before slicing.
- Store leftovers wrapped tight at room temp up to 3 days. Cake’s moist from sour cream base, but icing benefits from fresh drizzle if stored longer.
== Tips & swaps ==
- Sour cream adds moisture and slight tang, swapping for whipping cream or half-and-half changes texture but keep moisture balance.
- If no salted butter, add 1/4 tsp fine sea salt to batter and icing to mimic that subtle salty pop.
- Use unbleached flour for richer flavor. Overmixing flour toughens crumb – fold gently and sparingly.
- Test toothpick near center and edges to gauge even bake; ovens vary.
- If caramel is grainy, whisk vigorously off heat or add teaspoon corn syrup during boiling next time to smooth sugar crystallization.
- Don’t substitute baking soda with baking powder without adjusting acid levels; reaction and rise differ.
- For a twist add toasted pecans or orange zest to batter for complexity.
Cooking tips
Creme butter and sugar needs full 6 minutes – superficial mix traps no air, resulting crumb dead. Egg addition slow; watch batter for signs of breaking – curdling or separation means temperature mismatch or overmixing. Alternate wet and dry ingredients carefully; all flour at once, tough chew; all wet first, gummy batter. Sour cream folded last, or batter too loose. When baking, smell is early alert if caramelizing edges getting too dark. Toothpick test most reliable near thickest part. Cake slumps or cracks signal under or overbake. For caramel, constant stirring critical to avoid burning sugars. Use medium heat – too high caramel scorches, losing flavor, too low takes forever thickening. Icing consistency changes fast off heat. Pour warm not hot or glaze runs off like syrup. Let cake cool briefly on rack but not cold; warmth softens crumb, soaks glaze nicely. Cover cake loosely after glazing to prevent sogging.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Butter whipping needs full 6 minutes or air won't trap; fluffy but not gritty sugar bits. Cream sound subtle, like soft hum. Too fast egg addition breaks batter; fold slow, watch texture shift, curdling means temp or speed problem.
- 💡 Alternate dry and wet mix gently; all flour at once hardens crumb; all wet makes batter gummy. Start and finish with dry; fold sour cream last. Overmix spawns tough cake; underfold means streaks of sour cream. Visual: pearl-like batter signals readiness.
- 💡 Watch caramel closely; bubbling first sign but watch heat low to medium. Boil 2 full minutes or sauce stays runny. Scorch happens fast; smell toasted sugar, not burnt. Whisk off-heat if grainy, or next time add corn syrup to smooth crystals.
- 💡 Swap sour cream with half-and-half or whipping cream if need lighter crumb; affects moisture deeply. Salted butter best; if none, 1/4 tsp sea salt added in batter and icing mimics balance. Brown sugar matters – light for caramel depth, dark overpowers.
- 💡 Bundt pan choice matters; cast iron holds heat steady but adjust bake time. Grease thin; too thick coating ruins texture. Tap pan after fill; big bubbles pop. Bake 1h15-1h30; test at thickest spot with toothpick. Smell edges; caramelizing aroma means close.
Common questions
How to tell when cake's done?
Toothpick inserted near thickest part should come out mostly clean, a few moist crumbs ok not wet. Edges pull slightly away, golden brown. Smell sweet caramelizing. Touch cake gently; spring back means ready.
Can I substitute sour cream?
Yes half-and-half or whipping cream lighten texture but lower moisture. Sour cream adds tang and density; without it cake less moist. Adjust salt in batter if changing dairy for balance.
Why does caramel sauce grain sometimes?
Sugar crystallizes if boiled too fast or stirred too hard. Cooling too quick too. Solution: stir gently off heat, add teaspoon corn syrup next boil. Low steady heat critical to keep edges smooth.
How to store leftovers?
Wrap tightly room temp works 2-3 days. Refrigerate if hotter kitchen but icing sets hard; rewarm caramel drizzle fresh if possible. Freeze wrapped in foil and airtight bag; thaw slow to keep moist texture.
