Brown Sugar Chai Pound Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

I like big bundts and I cannot lie.

Especially when said bundt is of the brown sugar and chai spice variety. Oh, and even more so when said bundt is doused in a heavenly salted caramel glaze.

Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it?

I’m talking about the epitome of fall baking. And *gasp* no apples or pumpkins are in sight! I’m not knocking either of them (especially apples – give me ALL the apples!), but it’s nice to do a slight departure from the expected every now and then.

Chai spice, for me, is where it’s at. I’ve talked about this at length before, but for me, chai outweighs pumpkin spice every time. I like it so much better and find it far less cloyingly spicy, if that makes sense. I love using it in sweet and savory dishes, and this pound cake has, well, taken the cake for my favorite use of the spice mix. At least for now.

Pound cake is such a simple and humble dessert, but I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love it. It’s moist and buttery and sweet when done right, and it is a very nostalgic taste for me. I decided to amp up the flavor a bit with this version by subbing out 2/3 of the traditional white sugar with brown sugar. Not only does it add more moisture and density (in a good way!) to this cake, but it also lends the most amazingly cozy, caramely flavor.

It is so, so good.

I tested this recipe a handful of times because I couldn’t get the moisture level quite right. The first time, the cake was way too dry. The second, too moist. The third time was the charm, and I have to say, I’m extremely happy with the results. For me, there were a couple key adjustments that make this cake work so well.

The first being buttermilk!

I am usually irked when recipes call for buttermilk because I almost never have it on hand. It usually means an extra trip to the store…for a single ingredient. Is there anything worse? Well, I tried this cake the first time using regular whole milk. And guess what? It was way too dry and dense. The cake had a heaviness to it. The next two recipe testing rounds used buttermilk, and let me just tell ya, it made a world of difference. So, I’m going to enforce one of my own pet peeves and ask that you get buttermilk for this recipe. I promise it’s worth it!

The second tweak I made was the addition of canola oil to the batter. Just a few tablespoons makes a huge difference in the texture and moisture level of this pound cake. No dry bites here! But don’t worry, you don’t taste the oil at all. Just the butter and sugar and chai spices. Which is how it should be if we’re calling something chai spice pound cake.

To me, all pound cakes need a glaze of some kind. No exceptions. If you’re making a lemon pound cake, you better believe I expect a lemon glaze on there! And this pound cake’s glaze is everything.

Salted caramel, will I ever tire of you? It is seriously one of my favorite food trends that has stood the test of time for several years now, and it still remains one of my favorite sweet treats in the world. If given the option between salted caramel and another flavor, I will always pick salted caramel. I’m a sucker for it!

And I thought it would go beautifully with the flavors of this pound cake. So, I went for it. And I have zero regrets.

The salted caramel glaze adds amazing flavor and sweetness, of course, but it also creates those irresistible gooey portions of the cake. You know what I’m talking about. The parts of the cake that always seem to get nibbled off when others aren’t looking. AKA, the BEST bites of the cake.

Yes, glaze on cakes like this is absolutely mandatory, and this one is extra special.

Well, really, this whole situation is special.

And now you know why I like big bundts and cannot lie.

Brown Sugar Chai Pound Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 8-10 servings 1x

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Description

This brown sugar chai spice pound cake is perfect for fall baking when you’re looking for a departure from apples and pumpkins. It’s sweet, cozy, and spiced and topped off with a salted caramel glaze that really makes it something special.

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Ingredients

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For the Cake:

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus another tablespoon or so for the pan)
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 5 eggs, at room temperature
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons chai spice mix
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup buttermilk

For the Salted Caramel Glaze:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or other flaky sea salt)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or extract)

Flaky sea salt, for serving (optional)

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Instructions

For the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and liberally grease a bundt pan with softened butter.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light, fluffy, and smooth, about 3 minutes (you can also use a hand mixer).
3. Beat in the vanilla and the oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine after each egg is added to the batter.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, chai spices, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
5. Add half the flour mix to the batter and mix until just combined.
6. Add in the buttermilk and mix until combined.
7. Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-75 minutes or until golden brown all over and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Cool the pound cake in the pan for 10 minutes and then carefully invert on a cooling rack to cool completely. Cool the cake completely before adding the glaze.

For the Salted Caramel Glaze:

1. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat and add the sugar. Whisk until the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 3 minutes.
2. Slowly add in the heavy cream and sea salt and whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently, until the mixture thickens.
4. Remove the caramel from the heat and whisk in the vanilla bean paste. Allow to cool for a few minutes. It should thicken as it cools.
5. Pour the cooled caramel generously over the pound cake. If saving for later, transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge.
6. Once the glaze sets on the cake for a few minutes, garnish with a few sprinkles of flaky sea salt, if desired. Slice and serve.

Notes

• I tested this recipe a handful of times, and I think using buttermilk instead of plain whole milk works better. You can sub it out in a pinch, but if you can, use buttermilk! It yields a moister, less dense cake.
• This cake will keep well wrapped at room temperature for a couple days.
• The caramel sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge until needed.
• Cake lightly adapted from here.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Category: dessert

Keywords: brown sugar pound cake, pound cake recipe, chai spice recipe, chai cake, chai pound cake recipe, fall baking recipe