fantastic fusion

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.