Butter cream pecan pound cake is a rich Southern‑style dessert that feels special enough for holidays but easy enough for a weekend bake. This SEO‑friendly version highlights brown sugar, toasted pecans, and a velvety cream‑cheese–butter combination to deliver a tight, buttery crumb and a lush frosting that keeps the cake moist for days. Use it as a show‑stopping Bundt cake with a glaze or as a frosted tube cake, depending on what your audience prefers.
Why This Butter Cream Pecan Pound Cake Works
This butter cream pecan pound cake leans on classic pound‑cake technique—creaming butter and sugar until very light, adding eggs one at a time, and baking low and slow—to produce a dense yet tender crumb. Brown sugar, cream cheese, and plenty of real butter give the cake a caramel‑like depth that pairs perfectly with toasted pecans. A smooth butter‑cream‑cheese frosting (or simple butter pecan glaze) finishes the cake with extra flavor and an elegant look that photographs beautifully for blogs and social media.
Ingredients
For the pecan pound cake
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1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided
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1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
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8 oz cream cheese, softened
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3 cups packed light brown sugar
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6 large eggs, at room temperature
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3 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
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1/2 teaspoon fine salt
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1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the butter cream pecan frosting
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8 oz cream cheese, softened
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1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
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3–4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
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1–2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Pinch of salt
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1–1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted and cooled, for the outside and top
This ingredient list mirrors what readers expect from popular butter pecan pound cakes—cream cheese in both cake and frosting for moisture and tang, brown sugar for caramel flavor, and a generous amount of pecans.
Step‑by‑Step Instructions
1. Toast the Pecans
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Spread all of the pecans for the cake and frosting on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast for 6–8 minutes, stirring once, until fragrant and slightly darkened. Let cool completely, then roughly chop if not already chopped.
Toasting the pecans first boosts their flavor and keeps them crunchy, which adds contrast to the soft crumb.
2. Prepare the Pan
Grease and flour a 10‑inch tube pan or Bundt pan very well, making sure to get into all crevices. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of the pan; they will form a decorative nutty layer when the cake is inverted.
