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.
If you here for a Texas-meets-New Orleans praline pound cake from scratch, you're in the right spot. 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!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll also love my Soul Food Peach Cobbler and Sweet Potato Praline Bread Pudding.
What is Pound Cake?
Pound cake is one of my favorite soul food desserts, inspired by my late Grandma Carolyn. 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.
What does it taste like?
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 this recipe is southern praline flavor in a cake.
More Favorite Pound Cake Recipes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Pound Cake
Strawberry, Vanilla & Chocolate Layered Pound 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 adds deeper caramel notes than using granulated sugar in a pound cake.
Butter, Eggs, and Flour in the traditional pound cake measurements. Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature.
Vanilla Extract enhances all the other flavors in play so don't skip it. I recommend pure vanilla extract not imitation vanilla or vanilla flavoring.
Nutmeg adds a warming touch of sweetness that will make your pound cake taste professional made.
Texas Pecans are a must here. Use whole (shelled) pecans, pecan halves or pecan pieces. Either way, they should be cut into at least halves.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Tools for Baking a Pound Cake
Tools for making praline bundt cake: 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 cooking southern praline sauce while the cake bakes. Cool then combine with the powdered sugar as the 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?
More Praline Recipes
How to Make the Best Pound Cake
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.
How to mix pound cake batter? 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.
What kind of pan should I bake a pound cake in? 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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
📖 Recipe
Texas Pecan Pound Cake with Praline Frosting
Ingredients
Texas Pecan Pound Cake
- 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
Praline Frosting
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup pecan halves
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
- 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.
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.
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!
Capri says
The Praline frosting is just so spectacular! And the pound cake turned out great with the perfect texture! Thanks for the recipe
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!