Mile High Southern Caramel Pound Cake

 This Mile High Southern Caramel Pound Cake pairs buttery pound cake with delicious homemade hard caramel.

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
8 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
1 1/3 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by fitting a parchment paper square between the two pieces and brushing with pan coat. Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Add extract, salt, and 1/2 cup flour, beat until combined. With the mixer running at low speed, add 1 egg and beat until fully incorporated. Repeat with each egg, beating well after each addition. Add 2 cups of flour, beating until it just disappears. Slowly drizzle in half the milk with the mixer running on low. Beat in the rest of the flour, then drizzle in the remaining milk with the mixer running on low. 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 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool until the pan is cool enough to handle. To unmold, place it over a metal can and push down to remove the outer piece. Once the tube is cool enough to touch for 4 seconds, lift or turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Make caramel glaze (recipe below). Set the wire rack over a heat proof surface to catch any drips. While the caramel glaze is still hot, pour over cake. Let cake sit until glaze begins to harden, then transfer to serving plate.

Hard Caramel Glaze

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and butter. Keep cooking and scraping the bottom occasionally until mixture reaches 245° to 250°F. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, heat until bubbles begin to break on the surface then cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until thickened, then pour over cake.