A high altitude butter pecan bundt cake with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. To make this butter pecan pound cake extra delicious, drizzle it with vanilla icing and a sprinkling of chopped pecans and flaky salt.
Looking for more butter pecan recipes? Don’t miss my butter pecan biscotti, brown butter pecan layer cake, and nutty white chocolate chip butterscotch cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Cake
Rich Buttery Flavor. Between the butter in the cake and in the icing, there’s plenty of buttery flavor in this cake giving it the most rich, decadent flavor and scent.
Delicious Warm or Cold. After cooling the cake for just an hour, I drizzled the icing on top, and then cut a slice while it was still warm. It’s also fantastic for days after, too.
Salty and Sweet. I love a good salty sweet combination in desserts, which is probably why I’ve always LOVED anything butter pecan flavored. The salt sprinkled on top of the icing is a necessity – it adds the perfect salty touch against the sweet icing.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Cake
- Butter. I use unsalted butter in my baking, so I can control the salt by adding more later. If you use salted butter, you should omit or reduce the extra salt. Use real butter in this cake for the best flavor.
- Sugar. A combination of white granulated sugar and dark brown sugar adds sweetness, moisture, and a subtle hint of molasses.
- Eggs. Gives the cake structure and richness.
- Vanilla Extract. This recipe uses a whole tablespoon of vanilla, so use the best quality extract you can afford for a delicious vanilla flavor.
- Flour. All-purpose flour gives the cake structure.
- Pecans. Finely chopped pecans in the cake batter and sprinkled on top of the cake adds crunch and nutty pecan flavor.
- Cinnamon + Nutmeg. Flavor.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the cake so it rises as it bakes.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the butter and pecans.
- Milk + Sour Cream. These add richness, moisture, and acidity for a soft, tender cake crumb. Be sure to use whole milk and full-fat sour cream.
TIP: For best results, make sure your dairy ingredients (butter, eggs, milk and sour cream) are at room temperature before mixing up the cake batter.
Icing
- Butter. Melted butter in the icing adds a richer flavor than if you just make a simple vanilla powdered sugar glaze.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the icing.
- Milk or Cream. Helps to thin the icing out just a touch.
- Salt. A sprinkling of flaky salt is the perfect finishing touch.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Thoroughly grease a standard-sized bundt pan (with a 12 cup capacity) with non-stick baking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar for 5 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating each for 15 seconds before adding the next, then add the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt. Separately, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the liquid ingredients, starting and ending with the dry. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is mostly incorporated, then use a spatula to finish folding the batter together. The batter will be fairly thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for about 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown, the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it over onto a cooling rack. Remove the pan and let the cake cool for about an hour.
TIP: Be sure not to over-bake your butter pecan pound cake, or you could end up with a dry cake. Take the cake out of the oven as soon as a cake tester comes out clean, or with moist crumbs clinging to it.
Icing
- In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, melted butter, milk or cream, and vanilla, until thick and smooth.
- If you want the icing to drip down the sides of the cake, pour it on top of the cake while the cake is still warm. Or, let the cake cool completely before spreading the icing on top.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let the cake cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
While I haven’t tested it in, there’s no reason this recipe wouldn’t bake just fine in a 9×13 pan, or in two standard-sized loaf cakes, but I can’t say for sure how long it will take to bake. For a layer cake, check out this recipe.
If you can’t get your hands on pecans, walnuts have a similar flavor and texture, so they make a good substitute. You could also try macadamia nuts, pistachios, or even hazelnuts.
To make the cake in advance, bake and cool the cake completely, then wrap it (unfrosted) in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3-6 months.
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High Altitude Butter Pecan Bundt Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 â…” cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- â…“ cup whole milk
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 3-4 tbsp milk or cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pecans, for decorating
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Thoroughly grease a standard-sized bundt pan (with a 12 cup capacity) with non-stick baking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar for 5 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating each for 15 seconds before adding the next, then add the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt. Separately, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the liquid ingredients, starting and ending with the dry. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is mostly incorporated, then use a spatula to finish folding the batter together. The batter will be fairly thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for about 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown, the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it over onto a cooling rack. Remove the pan and let the cake cool for about an hour.
Icing
- In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, melted butter, milk or cream, and vanilla, until thick and smooth.
- If you want the icing to drip down the sides of the cake, pour it on top of the cake while the cake is still warm. Or, let the cake cool completely before spreading the icing on top.
Looks moist and delish.
Wow! this looks so good! Love how moist it looks, looking forward to trying it soon.
Thanks for sharing!
Diane M.
I loved this cake! It has the perfect combination of flavours and richness, WAY better than box cakes! Have you had success making this cake into cupcakes? I would love to try.
I’m so glad! No, I’ve never made this as cupcakes.
This was simply one of the best desserts I’ve made! And I’m not really a cake fan, but this was so amazing! I live at 6200 ft in Aurora and I baked these for 28 minutes in my mini bundt cake pan. Because I made these mini style I had too many to keep for ourselves so I shared them with my neighbors. They said it was baked with love <3