Mile High Maple Pecan Pound Cake

This delicious and rich pound cake is filled with maple flavor and toasty pecans. It's covered in a decadent maple caramel for the ultimate dessert.

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple extract
1 teaspoon salt
10 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup maple syrup, room temperature

Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by brushing with pan coat (if using two piece pan, fit with a parchment paper square between the two pieces first). Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Add extracts, salt, and 1/2 cup flour, beat until combined. With the mixer running on low, add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Combine buttermilk and maple syrup. With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour and buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix each addition of flour just until it disappears before adding more liquid. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 15 seconds. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and gently shake to settle the batter. Place on middle rack of oven with a baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any drips. Bake 2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool until the pan is comfortable enough to handle. (If using two-piece pan, place it over a metal can and press down to remove the outer piece first). Transfer the cake to a wire rack in two steps: first, turn the cake up on its side, then invert fully. Let cool completely.

Maple Caramel

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup water
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 tbsp maple extract
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup pecan halves, toasted

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together sugar, maple syrup, butter, water, and extract. When butter is melted, stir in sweetened condensed milk. Stir and scrape the bottom occasionally until it starts boiling, then do not stir. Keep boiling, tipping or swirling the pan occasionally, until mixture reaches 235° to 240°F. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until thickened (about one hour or until it is around 125-130F), then pour over cake. Combine any leftover caramel (reheating if necessary) with pecans and spoon over the top of the cake.