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Southern Pecan Pound Cake (+Video)

Homemade Southern Pecan Pound Cake is the most moist and tastiest pound cake ever! It has so much flavor and comes out perfect every time!

A MOIST HOMEMADE POUND CAKE

If there is one classic dessert recipe that I go back to time and time again, it’s pound cake. It has stood the test of time for a reason. Every southern cook has a favorite pound cake recipe. You can put so many little twists on the basic recipe!

slice of pound cake being removed from the whole cake that is on a white platter with a striped kitchen towel on the side

CAN I USE WALNUTS INSTEAD OF PECANS?

Of course. Pecans are the traditional southern nut of choice. Pecan trees are in abundance here and they just so happen to be my favorite! But you could certainly use walnuts or even macadamia nuts. I added just a bit of sour cream to this recipe to make it a bit more moist. For an even more decadent dessert, try serving with a little drizzle of caramel sauce!

Southern Pecan Pound Cake recipe from The Country Cook, slice shown on a small round white plate.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • chopped pecans
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • salted butter
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • sour cream
chopped pecans, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream.

HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN PECAN POUND CAKE:

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Spray a 12-cup Angel Food Cake Pan with nonstick cooking spray. I like to use the nonstick spray that has flour in it. This is made especially for baking and really makes it a breeze to pop the cake out after it is done cooling. It’s super important that you spray the entire inside of the cake pan.

bundt pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

 In a small bowl, combine 1 cup chopped pecans with 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir well then set aside.

chopped pecans and flour mixed together in a bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Set aside.

all purpose flour and baking soda mixed together in a bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. If you are using a stand mixer, be sure to occasionally scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl.

butter and sugar mixed together in an electric stand mixer.

Slowly add in eggs (one at a time) mixing after each addition. Then stir in two teaspoons of vanilla extract.

adding vanilla extract to butter sugar mixture.

Once combined, slowly add in flour mixture. You want to add it in slowly so that it incorporates fully and also so that it doesn’t fly everywhere when you turn on your mixer.

flour mixture combined with a butter and sugar mixture.

Then stir in sour cream. Finally, stir in (by hand) floured pecans. Batter will be thick.

flour coated pecans added to pound cake batter in a large bowl.

Pour batter into prepared angel food cake pan. Using the back of a spoon, spread out batter as evenly as possible. Top batter with 1/4 cup chopped pecans and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

homemade pecan pound cake batter in a bundt pan sprinkled with pecans.

Bake for about 55-65 minutes (until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.) Allow to cool for an hour, then turn out onto a serving dish.

slice of pound cake on a white plate with a milk bottle in the background.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Southern Pecan Pound Cake recipe

Southern Pecan Pound Cake (+Video)

Homemade Southern Pecan Pound Cake is the most moist and tastiest pound cake ever! It has so much flavor and comes out perfect every time!
4.85 from 51 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

For the topping:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Spray a 12-cup Angel Food Cake Pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a small bowl, combine 1 cup chopped pecans with 1 tbsp. flour. Stir well then set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp. baking powder. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
  • Slowly add in eggs (one at a time.)
  • Then stir in two teaspoons of vanilla extract.
  • Once combined, slowly add in flour mixture.
  • Then stir in sour cream.
  • Finally, stir in (by hand) floured pecans. Batter will be thick.
  • Pour batter into prepared angel food cake pan.
  • Using the back of a spoon, spread out batter as evenly as possible.
  • Top batter with 1/4 cup chopped pecans and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. sugar.
  • Bake for about 55-65 minutes (until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.)
  • Allow to cool for an hour, then turn out onto a serving dish.

Video

YouTube video
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Sodium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @thecountrycook and mention us #thecountrycook!

Originally published: March 2016
Updated & republished: July 2019

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Recipe Rating




65 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this for a client for Easter. He had planned to take it to his sister’s for dessert after their Easter dinner. I just saw him for the first time since then, and he went on and on about how good it was. He wanted a cake that wasn’t too sweet and had no icing and specifically asked for a ‘pecan cake.’ This was the winner! I made it in two loaf pans and it was perfect. He told me he ended up trying it the day before Easter and it was so good he kept it all for himself. Both loaves! ???? I’m sure he will be requesting it again, so thanks for this great recipe!

  2. 5 stars
    I do like to make this, but would need to use spelt due to a wheat allergy. Still learning how to bake with Spelt. They say to use it like regular flour, but it tends to get dryer than regular flour. Does anyone know how much milk or water to add for extra moisture without ruining this?

  3. 5 stars
    Can’t wait to make this.Looks so good. I love your Angel cake pan. Could you tell me where did you get your pan from?Thank you for sharing

  4. Can you use Splenda instead of sugar, I love pound cake , so many are trying to watch their sugar intake

  5. 5 stars
    The flavor is not very sweet which could be a bonus if you wanted to serve for breakfast with coffee but if you’re expecting a super sweet pound cake this one is not it.

  6. 5 stars
    Wow! We love this cake. It’s not super sweet, which I really like. The texture is incredible. Will definitely be making again and again!

  7. I made this for my family and they absolutely loved it! Was a total hit. I’ll be making again. Can this be made in a bundt pan instead?

    1. Woo Hoo!! Yes, it can be made in a bundt pan but it needs to be a LARGE (10-cup bundt pan) and you will want to butter and flour the bundt pan very well to make sure it will come out. Pound cakes like to get stuck in the nooks and crannies of the bundt pan sides.

  8. Woo-hoo! This must be really a deviation from the plain pound cake my mother used to bake! Can't wait to try this. Thus must be super duper yumyum!

  9. Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed this pound cake. Try it with the caramel drizzle, my goodness!

  10. I made this last week. So light and pecan filled! Not as heavy as usually I expect pound cakes to be. And makes lots more than the loaf style.

  11. I always look forward to viewing and making your delicious recipes. This pound cake looks amazing. I can't wait to make it. Thank you for all your postings and deliciousness.
    Ronnie