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: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)

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.