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Peanut Butter-Caramel Pound Cake

This recipe creates a decadent pound cake featuring a swirl of caramel and peanut butter within, baked until golden brown and moist. After baking and cooling, the cake is finished with a warm drizzle of the remaining caramel sauce, offering a rich and comforting dessert.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 12 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 34 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 6806.6 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 9x5x3 inch Loaf Pan Nonstick metal recommended
  • 1 Small, Heavy Saucepan For melting caramel
  • 1 Medium Bowl For dry ingredients
  • 1 Stand Mixer Fitted with paddle attachment
  • 1 Cake Tester or Skewer To check for doneness

Ingredients
  

Main

  • Vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 1 9.5-ounce bag soft caramel candies, unwrapped (recommended: Kraft Classic Caramels)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions
 

  • Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-5-by-3-inch nonstick, metal loaf pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a 14-by-3 1/2-inch piece of parchment paper. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the sides of the pan with a 14-by-7-inch piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the caramel candies and heavy cream over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the candies have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the eggs and vanilla. With the machine running, gradually add the flour mixture in batches to form a thick batter. Beat in the peanut butter. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan. Pour 2 tablespoons of the caramel lengthwise along the center of the batter. Using the tip of a knife, swirl the caramel sauce into the batter. Place the remaining batter on top and pour another 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce lengthwise along the center of the batter. Swirl the caramel sauce into the batter. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and peel away the parchment paper. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour (center of cake will fall during cooling). Slice the pound cake and place on a serving platter. Warm the remaining caramel sauce over low heat. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the pound cake slices or serve alongside.

Notes

Ensure all cold ingredients, especially butter and eggs, are truly at room temperature for proper emulsification and cake structure. Melt the caramel and cream very gently over low heat; high heat can cause the caramel to seize or burn. Properly lining the loaf pan with parchment paper ensures the cake releases cleanly. When swirling the caramel, use a light touch with the knife tip to create streaks without over-mixing the batter, preserving the swirl effect. Allowing the cake to cool completely on a wire rack is crucial before slicing to prevent it from collapsing further and improve texture.