Classic soul food pound cake is studded with Texas pecans and topped with creamy praline frosting in a dense and rich butter pecan bundt cake that will become a family favorite for the holidays. Originally published October 2020. Last updated August 2022.
It seems like the closer we get to the holidays, the more southern desserts I want to make. Interesting how that works. And today, y'all are reaping the benefits of this urge in the form of my Texas-meets-New Orleans praline pound cake from scratch. You can call it pecan praline pound cake for short, if you wan't. Though your mouth will probably be full so don't even worry about it. Let's get into the lip-smacking details!
If you love southern dessert recipes, try these, too.
- Aunt Georgia's Peach Cobbler
- Pineapple Upside Down Rum Cake
- Red Velvet Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
What is Pound Cake?
Pound cake is one of my favorite soul food desserts. And if you're wondering what is pound cake, I got you, boo. Pound cake is called such because the recipe calls for one pound each of eggs, butter, flour, and sugar. From there, you can add in other fun ingredients to make it your own, which is what I love to do. Sweet tea pound cake is one of my favorites and so is peach cobbler pound cake.
This pecan pound cake with praline frosting is a true southern-style pound cake, studded with Texas pecans and topped off with my creamy praline frosting. My late Grandma was the pound cake queen and I think she would have loved this one. And I have an entire collection of uniquely flavored pound cake recipe ideas for you, too. This post is for those who want to know how to make pound cake like Black grandmothers make!
So What Does Praline Taste Like?
If you haven't been introduced to the perfection that is a praline, I'll put you on game and you don't even have to visit New Orleans (though you should). Pralines are kind of candy made of brown sugar, butter, pecans and milk or cream. The flavor is deeply nutty from both the pecans and browned butter and somewhere between caramel and toffee. The texture is a combination of soft creaminess that melts in your mouth and slight crunchiness from the pecans. I think of it as a mellower cousin to butter pecan flavor. Pralines are a Louisiana creation and Texas is known for pecans, hence the recipe title. And the goal was to capture southern praline flavor in a cake.
What You'll Need for this Recipe
To make my moist butter pecan pound cake, add the following items to your grocery list. Don't be surprised if you have several on hand already--it's surprisingly simple!
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Flour
- Milk
- Nutmeg
- Sea Salt
- Texas Pecans
- Vanilla Extract
I also recommend a few tools for making praline bundt cake. First grab a bundt pan, of course. You could also use a tube or "angel food" pan. Either a hand mixer or stand mixer will work for combining your batter and, later, frosting. If you have a cake cooling rack, whip it out, too. Lastly, a silicone spatula or scraper will come in handy.
How to Make Praline Frosting
You can't get the full effect of this praline cake without the frosting. My creamy praline frosting is the crowning glory of this recipe so don't skip it! The vibe is close to brown butter pecan frosting. Here's what you'll need to make it.
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Confectioner's Sugar (aka Powdered Sugar)
- Heavy Cream
- Pecan Halves or Pieces
The praline frosting recipe actually starts with my southern praline sauce. Cook it up while the pound cake bakes, let it cool, then combine the praline sauce with the powdered sugar while the pound cake comes to room temperature. The result is sweet, buttery, and luscious. I bet you'll have a hard time not eating it with a spoon. Or maybe that's just me?
Praline Pound Cake Tips
Making pecan praline pound cake is straightforward and even if you already know how to make a good pound cake, a few pointers never hurt anybody. Here are a few baking tips to help you get the best results.
- Mix the pecans into the flour mixture first, before adding all the wet ingredients. This step provides a barrier that helps the pecans float throughout the batter instead of sinking to the bottom or sticking to the sides of the pan.
- Bake pound cake in a non-stick pan. I prefer to use a bundt or tube (think angel food) pan for mine and grease and flour it just to be safe. Here's a video on how to grease and flour a cake pan.
- Bake pound cake on the middle rack. This helps the pound cake bake evenly so that no side (or the top or bottom) burns.
- Check the pound cake for doneness in multiple places. Stick a toothpick or skewer into different parts of the cake to make sure it baked evenly. Because pound cake is dense, it can take a bit longer to bake.
I hope you'll give this Texas Pecan Praline Pound Cake recipe and Praline Frosting a try. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this southern soul food pound cake recipe and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
Praline Pound Cake Recipe
A classic pound cake studded with Texas pecans and finished with cream praline frosting
- 1 pound butter softened to room temperature
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups brown sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups flour
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup pecan halves or pieces
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup pecan halves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside.
Cream butter in a mixer or food processor until smooth and a slightly lighter shade of yellow. Add eggs, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and continue mixing until uniform.
In another bowl, mix together flour, sea salt, and nutmeg. Dredge pecans in flour mixture until coated then add wet mixture to dry and stir by hand until uniform and no dry pockets remain.
Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake on middle rack for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted into multiple parts of the cake comes out clean.
While pound cake bakes, prepare praline sauce: Melt butter in a small saucepan then add brown sugar and heavy cream and stir until brown sugar is dissolved and mixture is uniform.
Bring praline sauce to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
Remove cake from oven and let it sit in pan for about 10 minutes then carefully invert it onto a plate to finish cooling.
While cake cools, combine powdered sugar with cooled praline sauce and mix using a hand or stand mixer to finish praline frosting. Frosting should be smooth, glossy, and a light tan color.
Frost cake then top with additional pecans.
- Mix the pecans into the flour mixture first, before adding all the wet ingredients. This step provides a barrier that helps the pecans float throughout the batter instead of sinking to the bottom or sticking to the sides of the pan.
- Bake pound cake in a non-stick pan. I prefer to use a bundt or tube (think angel food) pan for mine and grease and flour it just to be safe. Here's a video on how to grease and flour a cake pan.
- Bake pound cake on the middle rack. This helps the pound cake bake evenly so that no side (or the top or bottom) burns.
- Check the pound cake for doneness in multiple places. Stick a toothpick or skewer into different parts of the cake to make sure it baked evenly. Because pound cake is dense, it can take a bit longer to bake.
Desiree says
This pound cake was one of the best ones I've made to date! The fam really enjoyed it and I've currently got my leftovers in the freezer for when the craving strikes again!
Britney says
One of the best cakes I’ve ever made! That pecan frosting is so creamy and goes with the cake so perfectly. This is such a good recipe!
Robin says
You've combined two of my favorite things on earth - pecan pralines and pound cake. Can't wait to serve this treat to friends and family!
Marta says
We're lovers of all things pecan. When we lived in El Paso, we often took a road trip to what we called "The New Mexico Pecan Highway". It was lined with pecan orchards. This was reminiscent of our stops along the road. Thanks!
Mila says
I was thinking about that Praline sauce you made the other day, so it was extra good to use it on this pound cake!
Capri says
The Praline frosting is just so spectacular! And the pound cake turned out great with the perfect texture! Thanks for the recipe
Chenée Lewis says
This had JUST the texture I love in a pound cake! And with that amazing praline frosting it didn't last long in my house at all!
Tamara says
This is one of the best pound cakes I’ve made! My husband had nothing but great things to say about it too. Can’t wait to make it again.