Easy Brown Sugar Pound Cake (From a Mix)
This pound cake has brown sugar in the cake and in the icing, giving it a delicious depth of flavor that’s irresistible.
Brown sugar pound cake is a dessert that looks impressive and tastes amazing, but it’s super simple to make, thanks to a doctored-up cake mix.
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I’ve been a fan of pound cakes ever since I was a kid, when they were a popular dessert at our church potlucks (southerners have perfected the art of the pound cake!).
I couldn’t get enough of the moist, tender, and slightly dense texture and the different flavor options.
Many of my favorite pound cake recipes are made from scratch, but sometimes I need a good shortcut recipe.
After having success making pound cakes using cake mix, I decided to create a recipe for brown sugar pound cake from a mix.
This cake is SO good. The texture is just right, thanks to butter and cream cheese, and the addition of brown sugar to the batter gives it another layer of sweetness.
Paired with the brown sugar icing on top, it’s simply heavenly!
More Cake Mix Pound Cake Recipes:
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake Using a Mix
- Red Velvet Pound Cake from a Mix
- Chocolate Pound Cake Using Cake Mix
- Cake Mix Strawberry Pound Cake
- Coconut Pound Cake from a Mix
How to Make Brown Sugar Pound Cake
It’s really easy to make this sweet bundt cake.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Yellow cake mix
- All-purpose flour
- Water
- Milk
- Powdered sugar
How to Make It:
Find the full printable recipe available below
Make the batter. First, you’ll beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the brown sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla extract.
Next, you’ll add in the cake mix and flour, mixing until incorporated. Then add in some water and mix to combine.
Bake. Then, you’ll spread the batter in a prepared bundt pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for a bit, then invert it onto a serving plate to cool completely.
Prepare the icing. Once the cake is completely cooled, make the glaze by adding some butter and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Bring it to a low boil and allow the sugar to dissolve.
Remove from heat and stir in some milk.
Glaze the cake. Then, you’ll use an electric mixer to beat some powdered sugar into the brown sugar and butter mixture.
While the glaze is still warm, spoon it over the cake. Let the icing sit for about 15 minutes, so it can harden to a satiny finish.
Then you can slice and serve the cake!
Notes and Adaptations:
- Cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- If you want to skip the icing, you can dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar instead. However, I highly recommend using the icing, as it really pairs well with the flavor of the cake and gives even more brown sugar flavor to each slice.
Recommended Equipment:
Brown Sugar Pound Cake (From a Mix)
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 4 eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 13.25 ounce yellow cake mix (can also use 15.25-ounce size)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup water
For the Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325F and spray a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray, such as Baker's Joy (or grease and flour the pan). Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a large electric hand mixer), beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in brown sugar, beating until well-combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the cake mix and flour. Mix on low speed to incorporate, then add the water and mix just until combined.
- Spread the batter in the prepared bundt pan, then bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then run a knife along the edge of the cake to ensure it's loosened from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate and let cool completely.
For the Glaze:
- Once the cake is cooled, prepare the glaze by combining butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring frequently, bring it to a low boil and cook until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved (this will likely only take a couple of minutes, since it's a small amount).
- Remove pan from heat. Carefully stir in 2 tablespoons of milk, mixing to incorporate.
- Using an electric mixer, beat powdered sugar into the liquid mixture until it's nice and smooth. If it seems thick, add another tablespoon of milk and mix to combine. You want it to be thin enough to spoon it over the cake, but not so thin that it just runs right off the cake.
- Working quickly while the icing is still warm, spoon it over the cooled cake. Let the icing cool and harden for about 15 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
- Cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- If you want to skip the icing, you can dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar instead. However, I highly recommend using the icing, as it really pairs well with the flavor of the cake and adds more of that brown sugar flavor.
Nutrition
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