The Pecan Buttermilk Cake is making a comeback! Using all brown sugar and drizzling the hot cake with an amazing butter-pecan sauce is going to make your eyes roll up in your head. Amazing! Be sure to check out my Almond Pecan Sheet Cake and Buttermilk Biscuits!
Pecan Buttermilk Cake
This cake has a deep, rich flavor that comes from using all brown sugar in the cake recipe. It is topped with the dreamiest pecan sugar glaze that really makes your toes curl! When I found this recipe in my Great-Grandma’s recipe box, I was thrilled, to say the least.
It’s one of those cakes that you think about days after you ate it and then you long for the next time it will grace your table!
How to Make Buttermilk Cake
Start by beating the butter with brown sugar. (No granulated sugar in this recipe!!) Then add in your room-temperature eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Finally, add the dry ingredients. Pour into a prepared (either pan release or GOOP) pan and put it in the oven for 30 minutes. That cake will actually bake for 40 minutes, but we add something pretty special to it 10 minutes before it’s done baking!
If you have ever wondered How to Make Buttermilk, check out my easy recipe. It works beautifully in this buttermilk cake recipe!
Pecan Glaze
Wow was this fun to make! Watching the butter and sugar come together and smelling the sweet caramel aroma and then chopping the pecans… it was just magical!
After the cake had baked for about 20 minutes, I started to make this delectable pecan glaze. Simply melt butter, brown sugar, buttermilk, salt, and chopped pecans. When the oven buzzer went off at 30 minutes, I opened the oven door, pulled the cake out as far as I could, and poured over the pecan glaze. I went slow because I wanted it to soak into every nook & cranny of this cake!
I poured every last bit over the cake and then I put the cake back in the oven to bake for another ten minutes.
While the cake finishes baking it will soak up most of the pecan glaze. I had thought I would prefer it to see in an ooey gooey puddle of deliciousness on top, but I ended up really loving how every single bite of the cake was infused with the brown sugar-butter glaze.
How to Serve Pecan Buttermilk Cake
After testing the cake warm and cold we all decided that fresh-from-the-oven warm was the best way to indulge in this cake.
A couple of the kids requested homemade whipped topping on theirs, and one asked for vanilla ice cream, but most of us agreed that it was sweet enough on its own! This cake has a distinct flavor because of the brown sugar added and really reminded me of farmhouse visits to Grandma when I was a child.
Can You Freeze Pecan Buttermilk Cake?
You can certainly freeze the buttermilk cake, but I do recommend waiting until it thaws to add the pecan glaze.
This buttermilk cake will freeze well if it is placed in the freezer the same day you make it. Make sure that it is completely cool before preparing it for the freezer.
- Fully cool the cake in the pan.
- Place plastic wrap on top, add a cutting board or cooling rack, and then flip the cake.
- Wrap plastic tightly over the edges. Add more plastic wrap to fully cover the cake.
- Wrap in foil, label, and date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw: Remove from freezer, wait 30 minutes, and then remove foil and plastic wrap.
- Place on platter.
- Add pecan glaze and serve.
Pecan Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
BUTTERMILK CAKE
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113g) butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups (480g) buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
PECAN GLAZE
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (61g) buttermilk
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
BUTTERMILK CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish. (I used GOOP, click the recipe in the Notes)
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together with a hand-held mixer until smooth.
- Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating them into the butter mixture fully. Scrape the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. (Make sure there are no lumps)
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Stir by hand with a spatula until ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 30 minutes. Ten minutes before the cake is done, prepare the topping.
PECAN GLAZE
- Stir the butter and brown sugar together in a small bowl. (I used a 2 cup measuring cup) Add the buttermilk, chopped pecans, and salt. You should easily be able to pour the glaze.
- When you take the cake out of the oven, immediately pour the pecan glaze all over the cake. Then return it to the oven for 10 more minutes.
- When the cake is done, the glaze should be bubbling and appear runny and seeping into every nook and cranny of the cake.
- Serve warm.
- (If you prefer to serve at room temperature, the glaze will have hardened a bit.)
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
can these be made into cupcakes? and what would the differentials be?
I haven’t made them into cupcakes so can’t speak to the differentials.
Hello
If I am freezing the cake….
Do I leave it in the oven for the extra 10 mins to finish baking?
When I defrost it, do I warm it to soften the cake ready for the glaze to soak in?
After I tip over the pecan glaze then bake for another 10mins?
Thanks in advance 🙂
If you are freezing I would bake it until it’s done (35-40 min) and then remove and follow the directions I share in the post. If you are making the glaze fresh for your defrosted cake, it will be hot and will warm up the cake a bit. I haven’t tried heated the cake first, and suspect that it would dry it out.
Do you know what I would do to bake this at 4400 feet above sea level?
Hello, Can you substitute Gluten Free Multipurpose flour in this recipe? And if so- do you still add the baking soda? I am allergic to gluten- that is why I am asking. Thank You.🙂
Sounds so good! Unfortunately, I wear dentures and there’s no way I can eat nuts!
Got a different glaze I might try? Sans nuts?
Sounds wonderful
I’m always reading recipes when I saw the writeup under
the Google news, I was curious to see the recipe for the pecan buttermilk cake.I used.to have a recipe I Ike your recipe . I had been given a recipe book from my husband’s grandma
it had a recipe that was almost like yours ,but, it had a different name and ingredients
I would like to try your recipe .
I baked this cake this morning and it is delicious! It took a little longer to bake, which is s just fine. I also made an extra recipe of the topping just add on top of the ice cream. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe. It’s a keeper and a crowd pleaser.
is it 30 minutes and then 10 minutes more??
How do you freeze the cake if it’s not fully cooked?