Imagine an extremely buttery rich pound cake, moist and dense, drizzled with a milky caramel (made from sweetened condensed milk!) That’s what this Brown Sugar Caramel Pound Cake is. The batter makes a generous Bundt pan of golden goodness. Perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.
So yesterday I alluded to the fun fact that we went on a long road trip over the holiday weekend. (I also introduced the most amazing Thick ‘n chewy TRIPLE Chocolate Cookies, just in case you missed it.)
Armed with our barely used minivan DVD player and snacks, we packed up The Littles and set out for a lengthy drive up to the North Shore. After living in Minnesota for nearly six years, it’s high time we took the plunge and headed “up north” where apparently all the locals spend their summer days.
We must have felt a need to make up for all these past summers that we never did the up-north thing, because we went well past Duluth and all the way up through Grand Marais. We went so far as to set our feet on the Canadian border…
I didn’t anticipate the 30-40 degree drop in weather between the Twin Cities and Grand Marais.
I was clueless to the fact that we needed more than shorts and hoodies. I mean, really. Nobody told me about the ominous thunderstorms that weave in and out all day long. The kind that makes you pull over to the side of a dirt road ’cause you can’t see a thing in front of you.
Pathetically, I scoured the small town gift shops looking for pants for The Littles. Apparently, pants are not a hot gift shop item.
Thankfully, we did get to make our way to some crazy gorgeous waterfalls and hiking trails, covered by canopies of beautiful forest trees. It’s the kind of nature that reaches all your senses and puts you in awe.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups butter softened
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 8oz bag toffee chips (I use Heath)
1 cup pecans, chopped
Caramel Drizzle:
1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray or grease and dust with flour
Beat butter until creamy. Add sugars beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mix to batter alternately with milk, beat until just combined. Stir in toffee chips and pecans. Spoon batter into pan and bake 85 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. To prevent excess browning, cover cake with foil while baking.
Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Spoon caramel drizzle over cooled cake.
Directions for Caramel Drizzle
In a medium saucepan combine condensed milk and brown sugar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat, and SIMMER for 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes before using. NOTE: Make sure to drizzle the caramel while it’s still HOT.