Go Back
Print

Kentucky Butter Pecan Cake

Kentucky Butter Pecan Cake is a moist, buttery, and nutty cake that is addictive and delicious.
Course Baking, Cake, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword butter cake, pecan cake, pecans
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
cooling 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings 1 Bundt Cake

Ingredients

For the cake batter

  • 1 ¾ cups pecans
  • 1 cup buttermilk see note to make your own if needed.
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon for high altitude
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon for high altitude
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

For the glaze and finishing

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon
  • Powdered sugar optional

Instructions

For the cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° and set an oven rack in the middle position.
  2. On a baking tray, toast the pecans for 10 minutes to make them fragrant and toasted. Let cool while you prepare the batter.
  3. Turn the oven down to 325°
  4. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour, or grease and flour the pan.
  5. In a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside. The mixture will start to look curdled as it sits. That's OK.
  6. Coarsely chop the pecans.
  7. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine.
  8. Add the soft butter and half of the buttermilk mixture and mix on low speed until moistened but crumbly, about 1 minute. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the remaining buttermilk mixture.
  9. Increase the speed to medium and mix for three minutes, stopping once to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter should look pale and creamy. Scrape down the bowl's sides and bottom again, ensuring the batter is evenly mixed.
  10. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and drop the pan onto the counter a couple of times from about 3 inches to knock out any large air bubbles.
  11. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean, and the cake is golden brown.
  12. Place the pan on a cooling rack.

Make the glaze

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, granulated sugar, and water.
  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved about 1 minute.
  3. Pull off the heat and add the vanilla and bourbon.
  4. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke about 40 holes in the bottom of the still-warm cake, going about ¾ of the way down.
  5. Spoon half of the glaze evenly over the bottom of the cake. If the glaze starts to pool on the surface, poke more holes to help it sink in. Leave the cake on the rack to cool for 30 minutes.
  6. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.
  7. Brush or spoon the remaining glaze evenly over the top and sides of the cake, letting it soak in as you go. (Go slowly so that the glaze gets absorbed.) Let the cake sit for at least one hour before serving.

  8. Before serving, dust with some powdered sugar, if desired, using a fine sieve.

Recipe Notes

To make your own buttermil, take 1 cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, and you have buttermilk!