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.”
[1]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 [3]
Spiced Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze [4]
Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake with Coffee Glaze {Passover Friendly} [5]
Banana Butterfinger Bundt Cake [6]
Quadruple Chocolate Bundt Cake [7]
Soaked and Glazed Lemon Cake [8]
Eggnog Rum Pound Cake [9]
Nutmeg Bundt Cake [10]
Zucchini Cookie Butter Bundt Cake
Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake [11]
[12]
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Disclosure: Heilala sent the vanilla for recipe development.
This was originally published Jan.6, 2014 and has been refreshed and improved for today.