Description
A rich and moist Butter Pecan Cake featuring browned butter and finely chopped pecans for a nutty, buttery flavor, perfectly balanced with a tender crumb and finished with creamy cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans
Frosting
- Cream cheese frosting (quantity as desired)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper to ensure easy cake removal.
- Browning the Butter: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the unsalted butter and cook it until it turns a golden brown color and produces nutty specks, indicating it is browned butter. This process adds deep flavor to the cake.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Combine Browned Butter and Dry Ingredients: Pour the browned butter into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine all the flavors.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract together until well blended.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Gradually add the wet mixture into the butter-flour mixture, stirring continuously until you achieve a smooth, cohesive batter.
- Add Pecans: Gently fold the finely chopped pecans into the batter ensuring an even distribution.
- Bake the Cake: Divide the batter equally among the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Frost: Allow the cakes to cool completely on wire racks before applying your favorite cream cheese frosting evenly over the layers.
Notes
- Ensure the butter is browned carefully to avoid burning; it should smell nutty and golden brown in color.
- You can toast the pecans lightly before chopping for an extra depth of flavor.
- Be sure the cakes are completely cool before frosting to prevent melting the cream cheese frosting.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute with 1 ½ cups of milk mixed with 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar; let it sit for 5 minutes before use.
- This cake keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be frozen for longer storage.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Butter Pecan Cake, Pound Cake, Brown Butter Cake, Pecan Cake, Cream Cheese Frosting, Southern Cake
