Salted Caramel Pound Cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan 
• 3/4 cup cake flour (or see the substitution using flour and cornstarch if you don’t have any)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan 
• 1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 2 large eggs, room temperature 
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature 
• 3/4 cup heavy cream 

What you need for the salty caramel glaze:

• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 & 3/4 teaspoons fleur de sel, divided 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted 

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F with the rack in the centre of the oven.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Cut a long piece of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of the pan with the long end extending up the two long sides of the pan, with a little bit of overhang. Butter the parchment and dust it with flour.
3. To make the cake flour: measure 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour, then remove 4 & 1/2 teaspoons of flour. Replace the flour with 4 & 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Sift the mixture 5 times.
4. Whisk the flours, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
5. On high speed, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
6. Add the vanilla and beat it in.
7. On medium-low speed beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you are doing this.
8. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
9. Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
10. Place the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing it. (I forgot to do this and broke the corner of the cake.) Carefully run a small sharp knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the side of the pan, then remove it from the pan by pulling up on the parchment paper. Leave it to cool on the cooling rack.
11. To make the salty caramel glaze, place the brown sugar, cream, and butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir over low heat until the butter is half melted, then increase the heat to medium-high, bringing it to a boil. Whisk constantly for 1 & 1/2 minutes of boiling time. Remove from the heat and whisk vigorously for 1 minutes to release some of the heat. Add 3/4 teaspoon of fleur de sel. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
12. Sift 1/4 cup icing sugar and whisk into the sauce until combined. Continue adding sugar, just a little at a time, until the mixture is slightly thick and pourable. It will continue to thicken as it cools. You may not need to add all of the icing sugar.
13. To prepare for glazing the cake with the caramel sauce, place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet, then place the cake on top of the baking sheet. Use a skewer to poke holes in the cake. Pour the warm caramel glaze over the cake, then sprinkle it with the remaining 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel.
14. Let the cake cool 15-20 minutes before serving. I didn’t serve it for a few hours, so it was completely cooled, and tasted great. It was really good a few days later too, with a cup of tea.