Brown Sugar Walnut Pound Cake with Peach Maple Sauce

We've spiced up a classic pound cake with brown sugar, walnuts, and a peach-maple sauce.

For the Cake:
1 lb (3¼ cups) flour, unbleached
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
4 sticks butter, softened
2 cups dark-brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
9 large eggs, room-temperature
2 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped

For the Topping:
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
¼ cup heavy cream
1-2 peaches, sliced

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 5x9” loaf pans. Combine flour and 1 Tbsp. salt in a bowl.

Cream 4 sticks butter and dark-brown sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.

Lightly beat eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Fold walnuts into finished batter. Divide batter between pans. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.

Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Make the peach-maple sauce: Combine maple syrup, light-brown sugar, 1 stick butter, and 1 tsp. sea salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves and liquid comes to a boil.

Cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in heavy cream, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; add sliced peaches. Let thicken, 5 minutes.

Makes 2 cakes.