A Southern Grace: fantastic fusion

January 31, 2017

fantastic fusion

Yum

Pecan pie pound cake. I often see things online that I'd like to make and, more importantly, eat. My Pinterest account makes that obvious.


It's a rare and special occasion, though, that I'll be inspired to drop all future plans and make something I see immediately.

That happened, though, with this bundt cake. What a great idea, am I right? I love pound cake and I love pecan pie, and this is an easily achievable combination of the two.

My number one tip for pound cakes, especially ones made in bundt pans, is to thoroughly grease your pan. Grease it more than you think is necessary, because you're wrong. After you slather that thing with butter or shortening, flour it. Yes, it's an extra step, and yes, it can get messy, but it's absolutely worth it if you want your cake to come out in one undamaged piece. I've tried to get away with just spraying the pan with nonstick spray, and my cake suffered. Sometimes you can salvage it, but sometimes you can't, and that's a nightmare come true! Ruined cake!


So yeah, generously grease your pan. After your cake passes the toothpick test, let it cool in said pan for a bit, 10-20 minutes. If you don't wait long enough to turn it out, it might be too hot and tender to hold together. If you wait too long, it may re-adhere. I've done both of those things.

Now, it's time to be honest: This pound cake had problems beyond those mentioned above. The pecan filling was way too wet and caused the entire middle portion of the cake to remain unbaked well after the rest of the cake was done. In retrospect, it would probably be best to bake the pounds cake(s) normally and the either split them in half and add the filling or just dump the pecan goo over the top, and that's how I've written the recipe. The parts of this that were edible were delicious, and I'm determined to get it right.

Pecan Pie Pound Cake
(printable recipe)
Makes 1 12-cup bundt cake or 2 8x4-inch loaf cakes
Ingredients:
Cake:
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or coconut oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 5 large eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
Pecan Filling:
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup milk or cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Liberally grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan or 2 8x4-inch loaf pans. Set aside.
To make the pecan filling, combine all ingredients except pecans and vanilla in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
Once boiling, continue to stir and boil for one full minute.
Remove from heat and add in the vanilla extract and chopped pecans.
Chill in the refrigerator while you work on the batter.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric or stand mixer until creamy, about 5 minutes.
Gradually add sugars, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears.
Beat in the vanilla.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Beat batter at low speed just until blended after each addition.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan(s).
Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar, if desired.
Bake for 90-105 minutes for a bundt pan or 60-75 minutes for loaf pans, or until a long skewer inserted into the center comes back clean.
Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes then turn onto the rack to cool completely.
You can slice the cooled cake in half and add the pecan filling, spreading it to the edges so that an even layer is formed. (If you're using loaf pans, try to divide it evenly.)
Alternatively, you can just slather the filling right on top of the cooled cake(s).
Slice and enjoy!

The goo is glorious.

20 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

This is something I would love too! And I definitely wouldn't stop just eating one slice or two..that's where the problem starts...:-(( Your pie pound cake looks splendid and ever so tempting with that pecan filling!

Kate @ framed Cooks said...

You keep at it girl, because that recipe is ESSENTIAL. And the early version looks pretty dang fabulous.

maris (in good taste) said...

YUP! I am going to need a big old piece of this cake!

Rosa said...

Heavenly! Wish I could have a slice right now...

Cheers,

Rosa

Pam said...

Delicious, I'm sure! That's my kind of cake. And you're so right, slather the grease on the pan! I've never had a spray do its job in a cake pan. Thanks for the recipe!

Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies said...

I didn't think my love of pound cakes could grow. You proved me wrong. This sounds heavenly!

Marjie said...

I adore pound cake! And I love pecan pie! This could seriously ruin my diet!

Adina said...

I found a way to battle that greasing of the bundt cake tin: a silicon form - it works wonders! I might use it to make this cake, it sounds delicious!

Pam said...

YUM! I think adding the pecan filling later is a great plan. It looks and sounds amazing. What a great combination!!!

Cheri Savory Spoon said...

Hi Grace, love the combo pecan pie and cake, the picture is gorgoeus. Love it!!

Gingi said...

Oh man! This looks fan-freaking-tastic!!! Thank you for sharing! <3 - http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com

Sue/the view from great island said...

Yay ~ another gorgeous pound cake to feed my pound cake obsession, this is pure genius Grace!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

You're right about greasing bundt cake tins! I think you can get away with a spray on maybe the first go but definitely don't risk it as I did once. After that it was massive on the oil and flour.

Barbara said...

I don't know why, but sometimes our mistakes taste better than our successes! This looks yummy, Grace, and has everything I love in one cake. I grease all my pans with Maida Heatter's suggestion: grease, then sprinkle with fine dry bread crumbs. Works a charm.

Food Gal said...

Cakes can be troublesome. I love the thought behind this one. And even if it didn't come out exactly like you planned the first time, I definitely see great promise in this. I hope you nail it on the second attempt because this looks absolutely worth perfecting.

Beth said...

This sounds fantastic - pecan pie and pound cake are a match made in heaven! I don't blame you for trying this one immediately.

Inger @ Art of Natural Living said...

Pecan pie and poundcake DOES sound like the perfect fusion. I will be patiently waiting for version 2.0!

Tania | My Kitchen Stories said...

What a great combo. it looks moist and delish! Don't stop at two...

Unknown said...

OMG please keep at this cake/pie mashup Grace, version 1.0 looks so good (especially with whipped cream) I can’t wait to see the next one! Got distracted and had to struggled with a re-adhere issue just yesterday, guess they have timers for a reason, lol

aki! said...

Not a huge fan of pecan, so I don't think I'd make this. But I left this blog post with an important life lesson learned. I will grease my pans.

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