This soft and buttery butter pecan pound cake is topped with a cinnamon brown sugar glaze! Made with sour cream and toasted cinnamon pecans, this butter pecan loaf cake is extra moist and rich. All of the wet ingredients are combined in a food processor and then the dry ingredients are stirred in - that's it! This has all the flavor of butter pecan but in a pound cake!
My brown butter butter pecan cookies are one of my most popular recipes, and for good reason! Nutty pecans toasted in cinnamon- who can resist that?
When testing this butter pecan pound cake, I used my tried-and-true pound cake recipe (this base is my go-to; I've used it with my simple cinnamon swirl pound cake) but swapped out some of the granulated sugar for light brown sugar. This helps give us more of that caramely, buttery flavor.
The cinnamon brown sugar glaze is made on the stove and it is so good with the pecans. If you're not a cinnamon fan, I think it would also be delicious with my easy maple espresso glaze.
A butter pecan loaf cake is perfect for all your year round, but it really feels like the perfect fall recipe for me! This plus a slice of my chocolate chip pumpkin loaf cake? Perfection.
Simple Pantry Ingredients
We're using super simple pantry ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Just a couple of notes:
- Did you know nuts can go rancid? Try to use fresh pecans (well, a freshly opened bag of pecans) if you can!
- Adding sour cream to the pound cake batter will keep this loaf cake extra soft and moist.
- Check the expiration date on your baking powder. If it has expired, the loaf cake won't rise too much, and you'll be sad, and I'll be sad.
The Perfect Loaf Cake!
This is a really straightforward loaf cake recipe, but there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Try to use a light metal loaf pan if you can. If you use dark metal, it will burn the sides quickly. Glass loaf pans don't conduct heat as well, so it'll take longer to bake and won't bake evenly.
- I've only tested this recipe with a food processor, but you could try using a handheld stick blender to emulsify everything together.
- Let the loaf cake cool completely before you start drizzling it with a glaze. Warm pound cake = melting glaze.
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Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Butter Pecan Pound Cake with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Glaze
Equipment
- food processor
- 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan
Ingredients
Butter Pecan Pound Cake
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup pecans roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup 130 g light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Glaze
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F/170°C. Grease and line an 8.5x4.5" loaf pan. I like to make sure the parchment paper overhangs on the sides so I can easily lift the loaf out once it has cooled!
- Start off by making the butter pecans. In a skillet or small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add your chopped pecans and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once they smell toasty, turn the heat off and pour the nuts into a bowl to cool.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup pecans, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Melt your butter in a microwave or in a small saucepan. Once melted, set aside.1 cup unsalted butter
- In a food processor, blend the sugars, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until blended. Pour in the warm, melted butter.¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ⅔ cup 130 g light brown sugar, 3 large eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt and baking powder.1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold everything together with a rubber spatula. Fold until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the buttered pecans.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 65-80 minutes, a tester should come out clean. If the loaf cake becomes too brown on top, tent with foil.
- Take out of the oven and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Glaze
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently until the butter melts.⅔ cup light brown sugar, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅓ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Simmer for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. It might sputter a bit, which is fine!1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk in the powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth, then let sit for 5-10 minutes before drizzling over your cooled loaf cake. If you let it sit too long, it'll be too firm and won't be pourable.½ cup powdered sugar
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