Butter Pecan Pound Cake with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Glaze
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!
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 532kcal
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
Notes
Salt: If you don't have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt. Please note, I am using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and not Morton Salt. Morton salt is far too salty for this!
Pan Size: I have only tested this recipe with an 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan. If you use a 9x5-inch loaf pan, the pound cake won't be as tall and won't need as much time in the oven.
Sour Cream: you can swap out the sour cream for full-fat yogurt.
Storage: the loaf cake lasts up to 4 days at room temperature, keep it well wrapped.
Freezing: slice up your loaf and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months. To defrost, take it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
This recipe method is based on Alice Medrich's food processor pound cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 818IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg
