Pecans and butter give this cake the same irresistible flavor as the popular butter pecan ice cream flavor. This Browned Butter Pecan Layer Cake has three layers of buttery vanilla cake filled with toasted pecans that are covered with a delicious browned butter frosting! It’s the perfect cake for the holidays!
This butter pecan cake is made with lots of toasted, buttery pecans. It’s a two layer cake frosted with a buttery pecan frosting. A small amount of brown sugar goes into the cake, along with butter, pecans, and eggs. It’s an easy classic layer cake.
You will want to savor each and every bite of this cake! Not only is the cake itself perfectly delicious but it’s coated with a luscious cream cheese frosting, because cream cheese frosting is simply the best.
I love how the cream cheese balances out the sweetness of the cake as well as the buttermilk that’s blended into the batter. They also just add more depth of flavor so you’re cake will be anything but boring.
This probably stems back to a time long ago when I took a cake decorating class at a local Michael’s and failed miserably. Like, I was so bad and everyone was surpassing me with their gorgeous wedding-style cakes that I dropped out just before we learned how to make frosting roses.
Ingredients
2-2/3 cups chopped pecans
1-1/4 cups butter, softened, divided
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
FROSTING:
1 cup butter, softened
8 to 8-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
1- Place pecans and 1/4 cup butter in a baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently; set aside.
2- In a large bowl, cream sugar and remaining butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1-1/3 cups of toasted pecans.
3- Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
4- For frosting, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Add milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining toasted pecans. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.