Bourbon Pecan Praline Pound Cake
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Bourbon Pecan Praline Pound Cake is a rich cake with a nutty caramel topping that brings comfort and smiles to the table. The bourbon adds a nice depth of flavor, and the praline glaze, with its unique combination of a sweet, buttery caramel coating and the crunchy texture of roasted nuts, gives it an exceptional finish. It’s an excellent choice for holidays or any time you want to bake something special.
Bourbon Pecan Praline Pound Cake
We like this recipe because it feels familiar but has a little something extra with the praline topping. It also holds up well for a few days, so it’s a good make-ahead option. It actually gets better after it sits for a couple of days. The praline makes it moist and buttery.
I make Easy Pecan Praline Sauce to use on plain cakes and ice cream. Also, everyone tends to love all things pecan and praline. I’ve shared CHOCOLATE PRALINE BUNDT CAKE, Praline Glazed Pumpkin Pound Cake, Praline Brownies Recipe, and Pecan Praline Brownies Recipe, and they’ve all been popular.
Pans and such
I bake my pound cakes on a cookie sheet. Setting the pan on a cookie sheet may affect the baking time. Also, using a light versus a dark tube pan will affect baking times. For the record, I bake my pound cakes in a dark-colored
Your
I’m not a fan of using a non-stick spray for pound cakes. Some of the sides always stick pulling off that crust that I worked so hard to create. Instead, I like to use solid vegetable shortening and follow that with a dusting of granulated sugar. (Yes, sugar. Sugar doesn’t leave any white areas on the cake.) Alternately, I like the Wilton cake release. (When I started this pound cake series, I did use non-stick spray. However, after making so many and trying other methods, I do not use non-stick spray for cakes now. I have tried to go back and update those posts, but may have missed some.)
POUND CAKE BAKING TIPS
- Read the Bourbon Pecan Praline Pound Cake recipe through completely at least twice so you know what comes next.
- A stand mixer will make your life immensely easier. I can’t imagine all this mixing by hand or even with a hand mixer!
- You can use a bundt pan or a tube pan. I use a
tube pan . A good rule of thumb when baking pound cakes is to always leave 2 inches from the batter to the top of the pan to allow for rise. Also, always place your baking pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflows. - Allow your eggs, butter, and dairy to come to room temperature before mixing.
- I also used pure vanilla extract. (Pure vanilla, not an imitation.)
- Finally, I recommend calibrating your oven at least once a year. Read all about how to Calibrate your oven in this post.
Bourbon Pecan Praline Pound Cake Substitutions
To help the cake bake evenly, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
Don’t skip the step of toasting the pecans. It adds a deeper flavor.
Use a good quality bourbon, since you really can taste it in the final result.
Use real
You can swap buttermilk for sour cream if needed.
Toast the pecans first to bring out their flavor.
If you prefer no alcohol, replace bourbon with more buttermilk, apple juice, or leave it out entirely. As well, you can add one teaspoon of bourbon extract. (You’ll still need to replace the half cup of bourbon with buttermilk or apple juice if you use extract.)
Why you’ll ❤️ this recipe.
🍫Rich and sweet
🦃🎄Great for holidays and special occasions
💦STays moist for days
🍬Praline topping is a favorite
🏠🤗Homemade comfort
Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake FAQ
Yes, you can replace it with more buttermilk or apple juice and add one teaspoon of bourbon extract.
Toasting is optional but adds more flavor.
Wrap tightly and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it for up to a week.
Yes, freeze it whole or in individual slices. For the best texture, thaw frozen cake overnight in the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Conclusion
This Bourbon Pecan Praline Pound Cake is perfect when you want something rich and a bit old-fashioned. The glaze makes it feel special, and it’s great for sharing. It’s not a quick recipe, but it’s one that always gets compliments.
Bourbon Pecan Praline Pound Cake
Items in blue & underlined below can be clicked for more detail or to purchase.
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 cup butter unsalted
- ¼ cup solid vegetable shortening can sub butter
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cups brown sugar firmly packed
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted and measured correctly
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- ½ cup bourbon any kind
- 1 and ½ cups pecans finely chopped
GLAZE
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- See the narrative above for substitutions.
Instructions
- Have all refrigerated ingredients at room temperature before beginning. Grease a tube or bundt pan with shortening and add about ¼ cup sugar. Move the pan around and gently shake until the sugar coats the pan. Pour out any excess sugar. Preheat the oven to 325℉
CAKE
- Toast pecans in a skillet on the stove until fragrant. Cool
- Cream the butter and 2 cups of sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Mix butter until smooth. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until smooth and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing until the yolk is incorporated before adding the next egg.
- Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
- Combine vanilla and buttermilk.
- Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
- Fold in toasted pecans by hand.
- Spoon batter into prepared tube pan.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 65 to 70 minutes. Test with a wooden pick. The cake is done with no crumbs or dry crumbs remain on the pick.
- Cool 20 minutes on a wire rack.
- While the cake is cool, make the glaze.
GLAZE
- On medium-low heat, add butter, sugar, and water to a small pan. Heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved, but do not boil the mixture. When the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour hot mixture over the cake (that’s still in the bundt pan). You can poke holes in the cake if desired so the cake soaks up more of the glaze.
- Allow the cake to sit 10 more minutes to absorb the glaze before inverting on a serving tray.
- Serve warm or room temperature. It’s great with vanilla ice cream.
- Store up to 5 days in an airtight container. Can be stored up to 9 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
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