Can I say just how much I love this recipe for homemade pound cake, loaded with cream cheese, butter and crisp pecans?
I rediscovered this old favorite when I was recently browsing my binder of clipped recipes, seeking inspiration for upcoming posts here on writes4food.com. I hadn’t made this for several years — with just 2 people in the house, a cake that serves 24 is, well, rather excessive. (Or not.) I cut this out of a newspaper years ago — when, and from which city paper, I’m not sure. If you can judge a cake by its batter, then this one’s a winner — the batter is light, pale golden and smooth. Because I have a less-than-sweet tooth, I reduced the amount of sugar in this recipe to 2 1/2 cups, but you can certainly use the 3 cups called for in the original.
You’ll want a large (10-inch) bundt or tube pan to bake this pecan pound cake — or you can bake it in 3 regular loaf pans (reduce the baking time to 1 hour and 5–15 minutes, checking for doneness at about 55 minutes).
Yes, it makes a ton. But it keeps well for several days at room temperature, and freezes beautifully.
This beautiful cake would make a wonderful finale for your Easter brunch or dinner, topped with fresh strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. If it gets a little stale, toast slices for breakfast, or use cubed leftover pound cake for trifle or chocolate fondue. Sweet!
pecan cream cheese pound cake
makes about 24 servings
1 1/2 cups whole raw pecans
1 1/2 (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 1/2–3 cups sugar (use the larger quantity if you want a very sweet cake)
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups cake flour
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 325°. Arrange the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 5–7 minutes (watch to be sure they do not burn). Remove to a cutting board and chop fine. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease a 10-inch bundt or tube pan; dust the greased pan liberally with about 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Cut the butter and cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer). Beat the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and blend to combine. Whisk together the cake flour and salt in a medium bowl; use a 1/4-cup measure to add flour to the batter one scoop at a time, blending well on low speed. Keep adding flour until you have about 1/2 cup left; toss the chopped pecans with this remaining flour and add it to the batter. Mix just to combine. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan; smooth the top and tap the pan briskly on the countertop to settle the batter. Bake for 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, or until the top of the cake is deeply caramel-brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool about 45 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake; invert it onto a baking sheet and then onto a serving plate (domed side up). Cool completely before slicing. Cake freezes well, wrapped in a double layer of plastic and foil, up to 6 months.
I just made the pecan cream cheese pound cake and in your directions you do not say when to add the sugar. I added it when creaming the butter and cream cheese and the cake turned out fine (have not tasted it as it is still too warm). Can’t wait to taste it.
Thanks