Butter Pecan Pound Cake

This Butter Pecan Pound Cake combines a rich, buttery cake with the nutty flavor of toasted pecans for a satisfying dessert. It’s perfect for sharing at gatherings or enjoying buttery goodness in a sweet treat with coffee or tea.

With minimal prep time and a few pantry staples, you can whip a moist, delicious pound cake for the whole family or potluck. But the stars of the show are roasted pecans, of course. Classic Southern nuts that I absolutely adore.

A simple recipe where everything made from scratch can also be versatile – from minimalist cake snack for breakfast and lunch box to decadent dessert with a luscious frosting.

Did I mention it tastes like the crowd’s favorite butter pecan ice cream?

Ingredients Notes & Substitutes

Roasted Pecans

We will simply toss the pecans with some salt and butter and roast them in the oven. They will be buttery, nutty, crunchy, and salty – a great match for sweet vanilla cake.

• Pecan halves. Not a fan of pecans? Use any other chopped nuts. Almonds and walnuts are two top choices. A fancier option is Macadamia nuts.
• Unsalted butter
• Salt

Cake

I make this cake from start to finish at home. Feel free to use vanilla cake mix in a box to cut the prep time.

I love how moist and dense this pound cake is and I could definitely see how you can adapt this recipe for a traditional layered cake for a birthday, if you wish!

• Unsalted butter softened, well, the cake is called Butter pecan pound cake after all!
• Granulated sugar or a mix of granulated and brown sugar. Brown sugar and its toffee caramel flavor nicely complement pecans.
• Large eggs (or extra large eggs) – eggs are structural elements of homemade cakes! They make sure we have nice soft and tall cakes.
• All-purpose flour (you can replace it with cake flour or gluten-free flour).
• Baking powder makes sure our cake will rise nicely and tall and have an amazing texture.
• Salt is always used to balance out the flavors. It also actually highlights the sweetness.
• Whole milk, full fat. Milk keeps the cake moist, but can be easily replaced by homemade or store-bought buttermilk, heavy cream, half & half, sour cream, or plain yogurt. Thicker dairy gives more texture.
• Vanilla extract to flavor our cake base! vanilla bean paste works too. If using vanilla extract, aim for pure vanilla extract for baking for the best flavors. Cake flavor doesn’t always have to be vanilla. You can use any other extract: coconut, almond, pecan, maple, etc. You can even use rum if it is an adult-only gathering.

Kitchen Equipment

• Saucepan to pre-cook the pecans before roasting them.
• Baking sheet to roast the pecans.
• 9×5-inch loaf pan. Another great pan for baking this cake is a bundt pan! The pan should be big enough to still have some space at the top once you pour the batter in.
• Optional, stand mixer or hand mixer. I mix all ingredients by hand, but if you want, you can use a mixer.
• plastic wrap for storage

How To Make Butter Pecan Pound Cake

Making butter pecan pound cake recipes is super simple, the two things you need to do is roast pecans and make the cake batter. Then you mix them and send the mixture in the oven for it to do all the hard work.

You don’t have to make any glazing, although you can make any of your favorite (fall season is full-on, so I’m thinking brown buttercream, pumpkin frosting… you get me? The pecan cake is a perfect blank canvas for any of them).

How To Roast Pecans

Some recipes do not roast pecans but I have to say that the freshly roasted butter pecans are the secret of this cake. Just trust me on this!

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. 
3. Add the pecan halves and salt. Stir to coat.
4. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are fragrant and slightly darkened.
5. Remove the pecans from the oven, allow them to cool slightly, then chop them coarsely.

Making The Cake Batter

1. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (165°C). Make sure to do that to allow the cake to cook through without burning. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. Cream the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture (wet ingredients), alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
6. Stir in the vanilla extract and the chopped pecans.

Bake The Pecan Cake

1. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
2. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few crumbs.
3. Let the pecan pound cake cool in the oven for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely.
4. Once the cake has cooled, slice and serve as desired. If you have any leftover nuts, sprinkle them on top.
5. As a garnish, you can also use chocolate or coconut shavings, white icing, proper frosting or brown butter.
6. Serve this easy cake with buttery flavor along with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, caramel sauce, or caramel glaze.

How To Store Butter Pecan Cake

Storing. Store leftover butter pecan pound cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. In the fridge, the cake will last for up to 7 days.

Freezing. You can let the pound cake cool completely, without frosting, and wrap it in two layers of aluminum foil. Freeze for 3 months.

Making ahead. As my recipe doesn’t have any frosting this pound cake is amazing to make a few days ahead for meal prep or even make a big batch and freeze it so you always have a quick snack.

Reheating. To reheat frozen butter pecan pound cake, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the oven until warm and soft.

Butter Pecan Cake Variations & Substitutions

• More flavors can be introduced into the cake if you use a whole container of coconut pecan frosting or pound cake extract (gluten-free extract with butter, vanilla, and sugar flavors).
• Add more stuff: you can also add different nuts, shredded coconut, or dried berries. Raisins go really well with pecans.
• Toppings: Add buttercream or cream cheese frosting to make a decadent cake, or simply sugar icing or milk and sugar glaze. I love this cake without any frosting at all for my morning cup of coffee!
• Vegan cake. To turn this recipe into a vegan pecan cake, you can use plant-based butter and a vegan cake mix without egg or dairy. You can also make an eggless butter pecan pound cake by substituting eggs with tofu or tapioca slurry and using plant-based milk (almond, soy, oat, etc).
• Gluten-free cake. Use gluten-free flour mixture instead of the all-purpose flour.
• To make a simple glaze use butter, vanilla extract, milk (so all these ingredients you are going to use anyway in the recipe), and powdered sugar.
• To make thick frosting use powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, and half and half.

Tips To Make The Best Butter Pecan Pound Cake

• To make sure the cake will not stick to the pan, you can use both parchment paper and non-stick spray.
• Always use only fresh flour and fresh baking powder.
• When creaming the ingredients, make sure the sugar is well dissolved and the mixture has only subtle grain to it.
• Ovens are different, and you can start checking the doneness of the cake after 45 minutes.
• To frost the cake let it first cool completely.
• Make sure butter, milk, eggs, and any other dairy you will add are at room temperature to make sure they will combine properly.
• Do not overmix the batter, when it is just combined and all eggs are mixed in well – it is good to go. Otherwise, the cake will be unpleasantly dense.
• For smaller batches, you can use 2 smaller baking pans or even cupcake liners. Do not forget to adjust the baking time. Smaller pans will need less bake time so do the toothpick test earlier on.

Popular Questions

What Is The Difference Between A Butter Cake And A Pound Cake?

Pound cakes take longer to bake than butter cakes as pound cake has a denser texture. Both cakes are moist and have a nice soft crumb, but the butter cake is lighter.

What Makes A Pound Cake Different From A Regular Cake?

Pound cake’s original recipe only used 4 ingredients: a pound of eggs, a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and a pound of flour. Modern regular cakes often use baking soda and powder for structure. Both cake batters are made by creaming the ingredients.

Why Is It Called Pound Cake?

The original pound cake recipe was easy to remember as all ingredients were measured by pounds. Thus, the name has stuck till today.

What Is The History Of Butter Pound Cake?

Although not confirmed, we think butter pound cake originated in Northern Europe around the 18th century, it is when it first appeared in a cookbook published in 1747. In the US, the first easy recipes appeared a few decades later.

Today there are variations and pound cake recipes in every country and region!

How Do You Keep Pound Cake Moist?

High-quality butter and full-fat dairy (milk, buttermilk, or heavy cream) are two main ingredients that make sure pound cakes are moist and pillowy. You should never substitute or skip butter in the butter pound cakes. 

If you love this pound cake recipe, you’re going to love these other pound cakes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Pecan Recipes

Rum Cake

Best Ever Cowboy Cookies

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

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