Cinnamon Pecan Pound Cake
This Cinnamon Pecan Pound Cake features a sour cream pound cake filled with a layer of sugared pecans – it’s one heck of a tasty dessert!
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Robbie : Dad, what did the pecan say when he fell out of his chair?
Me : Uhhh, I have no idea. What?
Robbie : Oh, nuts!
I actually chuckled at that one. Robbie has been a joke kick for the past several months. I literally google ‘bad Dad jokes,’ and he loves them. And then he started trying to come up with jokes himself. That was a learning experience…but he’s finally getting there! That pecan joke officially qualifies as a bad Dad joke in my book.
Cinnamon Pecan Pound Cake
All jokes aside, let’s talk about pecans…in the form of this Cinnamon Pecan Pound Cake. Last holiday season, I made a batch of sugared pecans – we like to nibble on them after dinner. At the time, Laura suggested I use those cinnamon pecans in a cake. I thought it was a fantastic idea…and the result is this pound cake.
I’m pretty sure Laura expected me to sprinkle chopped cinnamon pecans on a frosted cake, but I went the pound cake route. I’ve always loved a good pound cake! This time, I made that pound cake with a generous layer of cinnamon pecans in the middle. It was the best of both worlds!
Am I the only one who holds my breath when I flip a Bundt pan over and lift it off? I normally never have any trouble, but in recent years I’ve had enough Bundt pan failures to give me a moment of mild panic each time I lift that pan up. Don’t get me wrong – we always eat the cake even if it falls apart. It just looks much more attractive to serve a slice of pound cake rather than a scooped out pile of pound cake pieces. It still tastes the same though!
Fortunately, this Cinnamon Pecan Pound Cake came out of the pan perfectly. We enjoyed slices of this cake recently while sitting around chatting with Laura’s parents. The cake was a huge hit, and it didn’t last long!
If you’re looking for one heck of a tasty pound cake recipe, put this one on the list! It does take a bit of extra time since you have to bake the cinnamon pecans first…but that time pays off in the end. Or you could do what I did and just make a double batch of cinnamon pecans. Half go into the pound cake recipe. Half go into a container for munching. Either way, I hope you enjoy this dessert as much as we did! Happy baking!
Did you make this Cinnamon Pecan Pound Cake at home? Leave a comment, or snap a picture and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Cinnamon Pecan Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Pecans
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- ½ Tbsp water
- 2 cups pecan halves finely chopped
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For the Bundt Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1½ cups unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz. sour cream
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3 Tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cinnamon Pecans
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush foil with the melted butter; set pan aside.
- Using a large bowl, add water and chopped pecans; toss until well coated.
- Using a separate bowl, stir together the sugars, salt and cinnamon. Add this mixture to the bowl with pecans and toss until well coated.
- Spread pecans across buttered baking pan. Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.
- Let cool before serving.
For the Bundt Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Using a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda and salt; stir until well combined. Set bowl aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes on medium speed).
- Add eggs two at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add vanilla; mix until well combined.
- Add flour mixture to the bowl in 2 additions, mixing well after each addition.
- Add sour cream; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure batter is well combined.
- Grease and flour a 10-12 cup Bundt pan (or generously spray with baking spray and then lightly dust with flour).
- Pour ½ of the batter into the prepared pan. Use a spoon to level the top of the batter.
- Sprinkle the pecan mixture on top of the batter. Pour remaining batter on top, using a spoon to level batter.
- Bake for 90-95 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire baking rack. Let cool completely before slicing.
For the Glaze
- While cake is cooling, make the glaze by whisking together the confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla.
- Using a piping bag with a small round tip (or a ziptop sandwich bag with one corner snipped off), drizzle the glaze on top of the cake.
Looking for more tasty pound cake recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
cant wait to make this soon for me for the pecans can i use vegan butter / cake can i use vegan butter and coconut cream and glaze can i use almond milk i never had cinnamon pecan pound cake before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Hey Ramya! I can’t speak to the vegan substitutions as I haven’t tried them, but I imagine they will work well. This cake is packed with cinnamon flavor, and it didn’t last long in our house! 🙂
Mmmm cinnamon pecans! Such a fantastic flavour combination, and that crumb looks perfect!
Thanks so much, Michelle! I do love cinnamon pecans, and this cake was fun with all of the cinnamon pecans inside. 🙂
i love pecans and i love bundt cakes. there’s something about that shape tho yes it’s nerve racking getting them out of the tin. I always get hubby to do the buttering of the tin as he is so good at it:) And i really like the way the nuts are throughout the cake. Delish! Robby is such a card isn’t he? Do you guys use that expression over there? :=)
I hear ya, Sherry! I always say a quick prayer before I go to flip over a pound cake. A while back, every pound cake I made was sticking and making a mess. I realized that my pan needed to replaced, and now I’m having a lot more success! (That and really making sure it’s buttered well.)
I’m not familiar with the “such a card” term, but I googled it and it describes Robbie perfectly! Thanks, Sherry!!
I totally hold my breath when flipping over a bundt cake! It’s the big reveal and you just hope it all works and when it does, I feel like I totally belong on a cooking show and I just nailed it!!! 🙂 Love the idea of these sugared pecans in this cake! Delicious!
Haha – I’ve totally been there, too, Kathy! When you pull that pan off and the cake is perfect, it’s like “Woohoo!” Then again, I’ve also been there when you pull that pan off and a quarter of the cake comes with it. Ugh. This version is pretty darned fantastic with the sugared pecans. It’s great for fall baking season!
Tis the season! The pecans are coming! This is a beautiful poundcake especially for Fall. I think a tall glass of milk in the evening with a slice of your pound cake or a good cup of coffee in the afternoon would be delightful.
Velva
Yes! I love fall for so many reasons…and pecans are one of them. 🙂 I was actually thinking the other day that it would be cool to have a pecan tree in our yard. The only problem is it probably takes many years before it would start producing nuts. I love your idea of a tall glass of milk with a slice of this cake! Thanks, Velva!
Mmm I love everything with pecans (In fact everything nuts. Does it qualify as a joke? Lol) This cake sounds and look terrific. Now, you gave me a holiday idea. What about a cake with cinnamon-pecan-cranberry filling and garnished with extra pecans and sugared cranberries? Sounds festive, isn’t? If you make this cake, please don’t forget to ship me a slice as my commission haha.
Haha! I’m with ya, Ben. I do love baking with all sorts of nuts, but pecans are my favorite for sure. I think that cake idea sounds fantastic, too! It’s basically this but with cranberries. I think you are onto something here…
Lol, cute!! Gotta love those dad jokes!! Man, oh, man, does this pound cake look good!! And this pecan filled centre? I can only image the beautiful aroma (and taste). This would go over so well with a big cup of coffee right now. 🙂
Oh, Robbie is the king of bad Dad jokes right now. Some of them are truly groan-worthy. 🙂 This cake, though? Definitely not groan-worthy…it’s fantastic, and it’s filled with all of the fall feelings! 🙂
Ha ha! Love the bad Dad jokes! Lynne and I are all about bad cheese jokes here like “What cheese do you use to coax a bear out of the woods with? Camembert.” Ha Ha! Anyway, I digress. Love this cinnamon pecan pound cake recipe. Anything with pecan nuts in gets my vote!
Hah! I’m totally going to steal your Camembert joke, Neil. 🙂 Robbie won’t get it yet as he doesn’t know what Camembert is, but I’m still going to use that…especially since we have bears around us now. But yes I digress, too. Glad you like this cake – it’s pretty fantastic with the sugared pecans in there!!
Two things I can’t resist are pound cake and any kind of ‘praline’ style treat, so you know that this is totally calling my name! I’d love to have a thick slice with my morning coffee!
I’m with ya, Marissa! I love pecans and pound cake, so this recipe is basically one of my favorite things ever. And I can say with 100% certainty that it goes well with a cup of coffee! 🙂
Bwahahahahaha! I am a sucker for dad jokes and yup, Robbie’s qualifies! What a glorious age he is-right?!
Speaking of glorious, dude, this cinnamon pecan pound cake is simply glorious! Wow – what a fab creation! Have any leftovers? I’ll get in my car and start driving now if you say you do…
Robbie really is turning into quite the little ham. 🙂 He loved this pound cake…and I do, too! I mean it’s sugared pecans…stuffed into pound cake. What’s not to love there?? 🙂 Sadly, leftovers are no more, but I’m always hunting for a reason to make another one of these cakes! I think you just gave me one…
I’ll have to tell my husband the “bad dad” nut joke, or maybe not because when he gets started he doesn’t stop. haha. Now to your delicious Cinnamon Pecan Pound Cake which looks ridiculously good. I wish so much that I had a slice of it with my coffee right now. Not only does it sound fabulous, but it is also an absolutely gorgeous cake to serve. Thanks David for sharing.
Hah – those dad jokes are quite fun…even if they leave you groaning at the end. 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind words about the cake, Kristy! This one turned out quite well, and it’s definitely a favorite in our house now!
More like a yellow cake than a pound cake. The icing ingredients were all wrong. The icing was much to watery. Maybe just a bit to many pecans (which I love) but they weren’t very tasty. All in all, it was an okay cake but nothing to write home to mama about. Not going into my files for future references. Sorry to be so critical but just hoping to give MY honest opinion.
Vince
Sorry this cake wasn’t to your liking, Vince
This recipe is a keeper. Moist. Easy to make. You could make this without the pecan layer but its a really nice touch! And I always always have pecans on hand which I roast and keep in the freezer. I’m making another one today. Thank you for this delicious, dependable recipe.
Hey Nancy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment here – I do love this recipe, and I’m glad you love it, too. Happy baking!
I want to add to a comment I’ve made already (raving about this recipe by the way) — I get my pecans in bulk from Priesters Pecans. I order the 5 pound box of large pieces. They’re good quality pecans.
I’ve heard of Priesters, but I’ve never ordered from them. Thanks for the tip! As you can imagine, I use a lot of pecans around here, so I’ll keep them in mind!
I commented on this delicious recipe previously but I want to add that I prepare the pecan filling slightly differently. I mix my roasted pecan pieces in a bowl with the sugars etc with 3-4 tbl melted butter; no water. Spoon this over the first layer of batter. It was easier/faster for me than the recipe’s instructions and turned out delicious. The recipe’s method may add more depth of flavor though.
Thanks for the tips here, Nancy! Glad you enjoy this recipe. 🙂