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Powdered Sugar Pound Cake with Pecans: With its fine crumb and almost candy-like pecan-studded shell, this is pound cake gone fancy.
You can never have too many recipes for great Bundt cakes, and this one proves that rule.
Listed as one of Sunset Magazine’s all-time favorite test kitchen recipes (Jan. 2014 issue), this Powdered Sugar Pound Cake with Pecans really delivers. It is deceptively simple, like most pound cakes – with butter, sugar and eggs as the backbone, and cake flour used to make a more tender crumb.
Since the predominant flavor is vanilla, I used the best I could find – Heilala Vanilla Extract from New Zealand, and I doubled it. I chose chopped pecans instead of almonds for the nuts because I think they cut better in a slice of cake.
What emerged from the oven was a wonder – sweet, fragrant, meltingly tender – and the perfect cap to Christmas dinner. They called it a “seemingly humble but extraordinary dessert.”
I’m going to pull this recipe out all year long. Sunset’s editors say they make it for every staff party. I can see why!
Powdered Sugar Pound Cake with Pecans: With its fine crumb and almost candy-like pecan-studded shell, this is pound cake gone fancy.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound (1 1/2 cups) butter (I used unsalted butter and added ½ teaspoon salt to the recipe)
- 1 pound (3 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted or fluffed up
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used 2 teaspoons Heilala Vanilla Extract)
- 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds (I used 1/3 cup chopped pecans)
Directions
- Heat oven to 300°F degrees. Beat butter in a large bowl with a mixer until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture.
- Heavily butter and flour a 10-in. (12-cup) plain or decorative tube pan (I sprayed it with Baker’s Joy); add pecans (or almonds), then tilt pan to coat inside with nuts. Scrape batter into pan and smooth top.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 90 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes (I recommend 10-15 minutes), then run a knife around inside edges of tube to loosen cake. Turn out onto rack and let cool at least 1 hour. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, cut into thin slices.
- Make ahead: Up to 2 days, airtight at room temperature.
- Yield: Serves 16 (serving size: 1 slice)
Notes
Recipe source: Adapted lightly from Sunset Magazine. Original recipe by a reader known only as G.L. from Bremerton, Washington, who gave it to them in 1963. They serve it frequently at staff parties.
Bundt cakes I have baked on Shockingly Delicious
Powdered Sugar Pound Cake with Pecans
Spiced Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze
Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake with Coffee Glaze {Passover Friendly}
Banana Butterfinger Bundt Cake
Quadruple Chocolate Bundt Cake
Soaked and Glazed Lemon Cake
Eggnog Rum Pound Cake
Nutmeg Bundt Cake
Zucchini Cookie Butter Bundt Cake
Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake
Pin the image below to your Pinterest board to save this recipe!
Disclosure: Heilala sent the vanilla for recipe development.
This was originally published Jan.6, 2014 and has been refreshed and improved for today.
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At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
E-mail me: Dorothy.Reinhold@gmail.com
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This Powdered Sugar Pound Cake with Pecans would be a huge hit in my house!
This will be so perfect with a mug of hot chocolate, I look forward to trying it!
This is the cake my mom would love. She likes the simple but delicious cakes without a lot of icing.
Terri,
Then you’re right. This is FOR HER!
Oh I love anything with pecans in it and this cake sounds amazing!
I will definitely be making this for Christmas this year!
I think a really good vanilla bundt is pretty much the pinnacle. This looks wonderful!
Laura,
I agree with you! If I had only one cake to take to a desert island, it would be this one.
I love making Bundt cakes. This one looks really good. I’ll have to make it this weekend.
Linda,
Let me know how you like it!
Weird. I made that cake this week too! I guess out Sunset magazine must arrive about the same time. GREG
Greg/SippitySup,
Did you make it as is, or did you tinker?
Anything pound cake I love. Your bundt looks fabulous!
Gorgeous, Dorothy! I can see why it’s one of Sunset’s all-time faves =)
Looks scrumptious!
Oh Dorothy, this is such a pretty cake! I have found some amazing recipes from Sunset magazine. Somehow, this one got past me! I’m a vanilla freak, too, so I will have to try the vanilla you used here….I’ve not heard of it before! This cake really did turn out picture perfect! : )
Anne,
If you are a vanilla fan, you will have to try this one. I’ve written about it a bunch of times, and it is super premium and worth it!
I love everything about this cake, especially that you doubled the vanilla. It is easy to see why this is a popular cake and I’m looking forward to making it soon.
Felice,
When in doubt, ALWAYS double the vanilla!
I love pound cakes and when they are in a bundt form, I understand why you want to keep making them. Also, the recipe is so simple! and your cake looks absolutely beautiful!
Dorothy – how could this be turned into a rum cake?
Julie,
You can put rum flavoring in it, and then do a soak-in rum glaze after it is baked. Look at the rum cake in the Bundt Bakers list above here and you’ll see a classic rum cake and you can use that glaze.
Thanks Dorothy. Will try both ways. Have been trying to find a good cake (that is not a box) for the rum cake glaze. This might be the one.
Ah, I see where you’re going with that. Tell me how it works!
Such a pretty, pretty bundt cake. So amazed with the powdered sugar, it would make such a light cake!! It would be amazing with fresh fruit!!
Tara,
A slice of this piled high with fresh berries or fresh peaches. Oh my.
Oh wow. This sounds amazing. I will definitely make this soon.
I love this recipe. Thank you Dorothy and Happy Thursday.
I seriously need to bake this cake just to see how it is with a pound of powdered sugar in it. I can only think of how it must boost the light texture along with cake flour. Wow. Love it. And great choice using pecans instead of almonds. I’m with you on that too.
Renee,
Imagine how wonderful this would be in summer with some fresh peaches on top!
Candy-like pecan studded shell?! On a buttery pound cake, that must be divine, Dorothy! So glad we decided to keep baking Bundts together. I would have hated to miss this one!
Stacy,
You HAVE to make this. Seriously, of the thousands of cakes I have baked in my life, this ranks right up at the top.