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Southern Pecan Pound Cake
Southern Pecan Pound Cake
When I first started baking my own cakes, I got frustrated any time I tried adding nuts or chocolate chips into the batter because they’d inevitably sink to the bottom instead of staying evenly sprinkled throughout. When I was in culinary school, I learned to mix the nuts or chocolate chips with flour before adding them to the batter to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. I’ve used this trick ever since!
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: Serves 12-14
- Category: Bakery
Ingredients
- Cake
- 2 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus extra for the pan
- 1 cup pecan halves, broken into 1/4-inch pieces and toasted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- Topping
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 16-cup tube pan.
- For the cake: Toss the pecans with 1 tablespoon of the flour and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, then slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture is fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla and rum extract.
- On low speed, add about half of the flour mixture, then the sour cream, and then the remaining flour, beating until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure the batter is fully mixed. Carefully fold in the pecans. Spoon the batter into the tube pan.
- For the topping: Sprinkle the pecans and then the sugar over the batter.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
