Browned Butter Pecan Bourbon Pound Cake

Browned Butter Pecan Bourbon Pound Cake, dark, moist, and dense in all the right ways. I’ve been yearning for a good pound cake, and this definitely hits that desire. This cake is warm and comforting full of toasted pecans and browned butter plus a hint of bourbon. I love the nutty flavor browned butter brought to this cake. Browning the butter takes an additional step, but it is worth it for the deep rich taste it adds to this delicious cake. It took me a bit to figure out how to use it in my favorite pound cake recipe. Chilling the butter down, and creaming it with the sugar did the trick. Toasting the pecans also really brought out the pecan flavor. If you don’t like nuts, this cake is not for you!

Finally, here in Colorado, for the first time in many months there is a slight Fall taste in the air. That is if you don’t count all the smoke from the devastating fires here in Colorado and my beloved home state of California as a sense of campfires and Fall. (I will always be a Californian at heart.) We are expecting to have a week in the 80s and even some 70s! My first summer along the front range has been a record-setting season from the hottest August ever to the largest wildfire in Colorado history and getting close to the most 90-degree days in a summer. Currently, we are at 2nd place and getting close to the record for that unfortunate milestone, too. Thanks to climate change, we, unfortunately, will probably see more summers like this one. More than anytime I can remember, I am excited about fall weather. This got me thinking about flavors that bring my favorite season to the forefront. Pecans, bourbon, and brown butter all have that warm, nutty flavor I am desiring.

Browned butter is melted butter with a nutty and bold flavor brought on by gently cooking over medium-low heat. Gently browning the milk solids will bring out this wonderful nutty brown flavor. You can use this one incredibly flavorful ingredient as a sauce or an ingredient in endless sweet or savory recipes. It is incredibly amazing in chocolate chip cookies. More on that in a future post! Browned butter can be used instead of other fats in other baking recipes, such as puddings and cakes. Though browned butter is in a liquid form, I finally figured out to chill this nutty ingredient down just until it has firmed up to use instead of using regular butter.

This Butter Pecan Bourbon Pound Cake is a total experiment combining several recipes I have been making over the years. I have posted a great almond crusted pound cake here a while back, and I used that as the basis for the start of my recipe. And I built the flavors from there. I think this cake turned out fantastic. This recipe really isn’t hard to make. If you dress it up with the glaze, this Browned Butter Pecan Bourbon Pound Cake can be a real showstopper for a dinner or gathering. (when it is safe to finally go back to normal life) I hope you try this cake and discover how delicious browned butter can be in a recipe. If you need a Bundt pan this one from Amazon is one of my favorites. Please stay safe out there, think of others, and we will gather again soon.

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Browned Butter Pecan Bourbon Pound Cake

Prep Time

7 hrs 45 mins

Cook Time

55 mins

 

Browned Butter Pecan Bourbon Pound Cake, dark, moist, and dense in all the right ways. This cake is warm and comforting full of toasted pecans and browned butter plus a hint of bourbon. 

Course: Baking, Cake

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bourbon, browned butter, pecans, pound cake

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups 2 ½ sticks of butter, 2 tablespoons reserved
• 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ tsp baking soda 1/4 teaspoon for high altitude 5000 or higher
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup bourbon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 6 eggs at room temp.
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• For the glaze
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon bourbon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup tube or Bundt pan.
2. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the butter for toasting the pecans. Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet or even a saucepan over medium-low heat until the milk solids on the bottom are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. Be careful not to get it to the burned stage. It can go from browned to burned quickly. So, keep an eye on the butter. It is better if it takes it’s time and not brown too quickly.
3. Let cool briefly and then transfer all of the butter to a shallow bowl and place in the freezer to cool until just congealed. (You want the butter to be somewhat solid for creaming with the sugar.) do not clean the skillet.
4. With the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the pecans. Toast them over medium heat until the pecans are fragrant and toasted. Nuts burn easily, so don’t walk away.
5. When the nuts are toasted set-aside, spread out the rest on a plate or tray to cool. Reserve 1/2 a cup for the topping.
6. Combine flour, salt, and soda in a small bowl and set aside.
7. Cream the chilled butter, sugar, brown sugar and the bourbon for several minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. The point here is to melt the sugar crystals into the butter.
8. Add the sour cream and beat well.
9. Add with the eggs one at a time alternately with ½ cups scoops of flour, beating after each addition. Ending with the final egg.
10. Scrape down the bowl and add the vanilla, beat well to combine.
11. With a spatula, fold in the toasted pecans.
12. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan against the counter to get rid of any big bubbles and place it into the preheated oven. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 to 15 minutes and invert onto a rack to cool completely.