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Pecan pie or pound cake? Well, around here, we don’t have to choose! This Pecan Pie Pound Cake takes my buttery cream cheese pound cake and gives it the full pecan pie treatment: a gooey, caramel-like pecan pie filling tucked inside AND spooned over the top, with a luscious brown butter glaze to finish. This is the kind of cake you bring to Thanksgiving and leave with zero leftovers!
For more Southern-inspired cakes, try my Sour Cream Pound Cake and Sweet Potato Pound Cake next!
Now, I’ve made my fair share of pound cakes, and I must say – this pecan pie version may be my new fave. It captures everything I love about traditional pecan pie without sacrificing that soft, buttery crumb that makes a good pound cake so special. Unlike my Butter Pecan Pound Cake, where the pecans are folded into the batter, this recipe uses a homemade pecan pie filling that gets a layer in the middle all on its own. Kind of like a Sock it to Me Pound Cake. When you cut into the cake, you get a lil surprise that makes every bite taste like a piece of heaven.
Pecan Pie Pound Cake Recipe Overview
- ⭐ Difficulty: Intermediate
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 45 minutes
- 🍰 Bake Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 2 hours, plus cooling
- 🍽️ Servings: 12 slices
- 🧈 Made With: Salted butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, eggs, pecans, brown sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup (or honey)
- ❤️ Why You’ll Love It: It’s a showstopping dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make ahead! Perfect for holiday gatherings, special occasions, or whenever you want to bring something to the table that’ll have everybody coming back for seconds.
- 🎄 Perfect For: Thanksgiving, Christmas, holiday gatherings, Sunday dinners, and special occasions.
Table of contents
Key Ingredients
The full ingredient list and measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Cream cheese: My secret to a rich, tender pound cake! It adds moisture, richness, and a slight tang that balances all that sweetness. Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese for the best texture.
- Powdered sugar: Instead of granulated sugar, I’m using powdered sugar for a fine, delicate crumb. Since powdered sugar contains a little cornstarch, it also contributes to the cake’s tender texture.
- Salted butter: We’re using plenty of butter in both the pound cake and pecan pie mixture. Make sure the butter for the cake is softened to room temperature so it creams properly with the sugar and cream cheese.
- Pecans: You’ll need 1½ cups of chopped pecans. Use any leftovers to make my Louisiana Crunch Cake next.
- Maple syrup, corn syrup, and brown sugar: This combination creates the signature caramel-like sweetness of pecan pie. Corn syrup also helps limit sugar crystallization, keeping the mixture smooth and glossy.
- Cornstarch: This is especially important! It thickens the pecan mixture so it has a soft, gooey consistency rather than a thin, runny sauce.
How To Make Pecan Pie Pound Cake
Prep: Grease every nook and cranny of a 10-cup bundt pan! Bundt pans are notorious for holding onto cakes. Use baking spray with flour and a pastry brush to coat the details of the pan thoroughly.
Step 1: Prepare the pecan pie filling. Toast the chopped pecans in butter until fragrant, then add the brown sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, and water. Simmer until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until thick and glossy. Finish with heavy cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Make the pound cake batter. Cream the softened butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt, then add the heavy cream. Mix just until combined.
Step 3: Assemble and bake. Spoon a portion of the cake batter into a greased 10-cup Bundt pan, followed by half of the cooled pecan pie filling, keeping it away from the edges of the pan.
Step 4: Cover with the remaining batter and bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the cake portion comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Avoid testing directly through the pecan filling.
Step 5: Make the brown butter glaze. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, stirring or swirling occasionally until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and add remaining cream cheese, powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
Step 6: Glaze and finish. Allow the pound cake to cool completely, then drizzle with the brown butter glaze and spoon the remaining pecan pie topping over the cake just before serving.
Britney’s Pro Tips
- Start with room-temperature ingredients. Butter, cream cheese, and eggs should be at room temperature. This helps them blend into a smooth batter that bakes evenly.
- Cool the pecan filling before layering. Hot filling can soften the butter in your cake batter and make the layers harder to control. A cooled, thickened filling is easier to spoon into the batter.
- Watch the brown butter closely! Once the butter begins turning golden, it can go from beautifully browned to burnt in seconds. Use a light-colored saucepan so you can see the milk solids change color, and remove it from the heat when you smell that rich, nutty aroma.
- Avoid over-mixing after adding the flour. Mix just until the flour disappears. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make your pound cake tougher and denser than intended.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make ahead: Bake the pound cake a day before serving and prepare the pecan topping separately. Store both properly and assemble when ready to serve.
- To store: Refrigerate the assembled cake in an airtight container for up to 4 days because the pecan topping contains heavy cream.
- To freeze: For best results, freeze the pound cake without the topping. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- To serve: Bring refrigerated slices closer to room temperature for a softer crumb, or warm individual slices briefly in the microwave.
Pecan Pie Pound Cake FAQs
Absolutely! This is a great dessert to prepare ahead of Thanksgiving or Christmas. Bake the pound cake a day in advance and prepare the pecan topping separately. Once you’re ready to serve, finish with the brown butter glaze and spoon that gooey pecan topping over the cake. It makes holiday dessert prep so much easier!
The key is making sure your pecan pie filling is thick and completely cooled before adding it to the batter. I use a cornstarch slurry to give the filling that gooey, caramel-like consistency without making it runny. Spoon the filling over a generous layer of cake batter, keeping it away from the edges of the pan, then cover with the remaining batter. This helps the filling stay nestled inside the cake instead of settling at the bottom.
More Pound Cake Recipes
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If you make this Pecan Pie Pound Cake, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations! Happy baking, y’all!
Pecan Pie Pound Cake with Brown Butter Glaze
Ingredients
Pecan Pie Filling and Topping
- 4 tbsp (56 g) Salted Butter
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) Pecans, (chopped)
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Corn Syrup
- 1/2 cup (110 g) Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Water
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch + 2 tbsp Water, (cornstarch slurry)
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch Kosher Salt
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- 1 1/4 cups (283 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 6 oz (170 g) Cream Cheese, (room temperature), save remaining cream cheese for frosting
- 3 cups (375 g) Powdered Sugar
- 5 large (250 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 cups (313 g) All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
Brown Butter Glaze
- 1/2 cup (113 g) Salted Butter
- 2 oz (56 g) Cream Cheese, (from above)
- 2 cups (250 g) Powdered Sugar
- 5 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Start by making the pecan pie filling. Add 4 tablespoons of salted butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the chopped pecans and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly toasted. 4 tbsp Salted Butter 1 1/2 cups Pecans
- Add the maple syrup, corn syrup, brown sugar, and ¼ cup water. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the brown sugar has dissolved. 1/4 cup Maple Syrup 1/4 cup Corn Syrup 1/2 cup Brown Sugar 1/4 cup Water
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Slowly pour the slurry into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Continue cooking for 1–2 minutes, until the mixture is thick, glossy, and gently bubbling. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of kosher salt. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. The filling will continue to thicken as it cools. 2 tbsp Cornstarch + 2 tbsp Water 1/4 cup Heavy Cream 1 tsp Vanilla Extract Pinch Kosher Salt
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease a 10 or 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray containing flour, using a pastry brush to coat every nook and cranny.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1¼ cups softened salted butter and 6 ounces cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, about 1–2 minutes. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and beat for another 4–5 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy. 1 1/4 cups Salted Butter 6 oz Cream Cheese 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is evenly incorporated. 5 large Eggs 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, nutmeg, baking powder, and kosher salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until the flour disappears. Pour in 2 tablespoons heavy cream and mix briefly until combined. Be careful not to overmix! 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour 1/4 tsp Nutmeg 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
- Spoon half of the pound cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spread into an even layer. Create a small well in the middle of the pound cake batter with the back of the spoon. Spoon half of the cooled pecan pie filling into the well, keeping it slightly away from the inner and outer edges of the pan. Gently spread the remaining cake batter over the filling, making sure it's completely covered. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown, the top is set, and a wooden skewer inserted into the cake portion comes out with a few moist crumbs. Avoid inserting the skewer directly into the pecan pie filling. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15–20 minutes. Carefully invert onto the rack and allow it to cool completely.
- Make the brown butter glaze. Add ½ cup salted butter to a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Cook for approximately 5–8 minutes, stirring or swirling frequently, until the butter foams and the milk solids at the bottom turn golden brown. Once it smells rich and nutty, immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl, scraping in those flavorful browned bits. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then add remaining cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. 1/2 cup Salted Butter 2 oz Cream Cheese 2 cups Powdered Sugar 5 tbsp Heavy Cream 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Whisk together until smooth and pour on top of the cooled cake. Top with the remaining pecan pie filling and serve.
Notes
- Start with room-temperature ingredients. Butter, cream cheese, and eggs should be at room temperature. This helps them blend into a smooth batter that bakes evenly.
- Cool the pecan filling before layering. Hot filling can soften the butter in your cake batter and make the layers harder to control. A cooled, thickened filling is easier to spoon into the batter.
- Watch the brown butter closely! Once the butter begins turning golden, it can go from beautifully browned to burnt in seconds. Use a light-colored saucepan so you can see the milk solids change color, and remove it from the heat when you smell that rich, nutty aroma.
- Avoid over-mixing after adding the flour. Mix just until the flour disappears. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make your pound cake tougher and denser than intended.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
