Decadent Caramel Pound Cake

To Make the Batter:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.  It’s highly recommended to use an oven thermometer for this recipe, since proper oven temperature will impact the outcome of your cake.
2. Sift together the flour, kosher salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3. Place the room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer.  Mix on low speed until smooth.  
4. Slowly add the brown sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.  
5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next egg.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Don’t cut corners on this step because this technique helps the cake rise!
6. Add vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined. 
7. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on lowest speed until combined. 
8. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add all of the whole milk and mix until just combined.
9. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until almost combined.  Stop mixing just before the mixture is fully together.
10. Using a rubber spatula, fully scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.  Then, stir the batter until it is smooth and consistent.  Make sure to fully scrape the bottom of the bowl during this step!
11. Grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan as you normally would and place the batter in the pan.
12. Bake the cake at a true 325°F for 65-75 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 210°F-215°F.  My preferred internal temperature for this cake is 212°F.  Alternately, the cake is done with a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and a fingerprint indentation bounces back.
13. Allow the cake to rest for ten minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

To Make the Simple Syrup:

1. Combine water, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove from heat.
2. Allow the simple syrup to cool, then, using a pastry brush, gently brush the cooled simple syrup over the entire cake.

To Make the Salted Caramel Sauce:

1. Start with caution.  Caramel is hot sugar and the steam it produces can cause burns, so please do this step when you’re fully engaged.  I don’t want you to get burned!
2. Place granulated sugar in the bottom of a large (at least 3-qt), heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Turn heat to medium and watch sugar carefully as it begins to melt.
3. Once the sugar begins to melt, stir constantly with a balloon whisk like this one.  It’s important that the whisk not have a metal handle, since a metal handle will conduct heat from the pan.
4. Keep stirring constantly until all of the lumps of sugar melt and the sugar has a slightly nutty smell.
5. Add all of the butter and continue whisking.  The mixture will bubble A LOT when you add the butter and there will be a lot of steam, so be careful with this step.
6. Stir butter gently until it’s mostly incorporated (I find it impossible to completely get the butter to cooperate at this point), then remove the mixture from the heat.
7. Add all of the heavy cream at one time while the mixture is off the heat.  Again, the mixture will bubble so be careful!  Stir the mixture until everything is fully combined.
8. Add the salt and stir to combine.
9. Allow the caramel to cool in the saucepan for 10-15 minutes, then pour into a heat-safe container.
10. Using a spouted measuring cup or spoon, you can pour this salted caramel sauce on your cake about 40 minutes after it’s done.  If the sauce thickens too much before you use it, you can microwave the sauce at 10-15 second intervals until it’s just pourable.