This easy butter pecan cake with cream cheese frosting is incredible! It's got brown butter in the butter pecan cake frosting and in the cake layers for a decadent 6-inch celebration cake! And if you like pecan goodies, you've got to try the flaky Pecan Pastry Braid, Pecan Pie Tart, or Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake, or Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies!
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Brown Butter Pecan Cake Recipe
This brown butter pecan cake was inspired by my brother Tony's birthday today! A few of us are having a small, low-key outdoor celebration, but I still wanted him to have a birthday cake! And since his favorite ice cream is butter pecan, I thought he'd enjoy a butter pecan cake! And of course I love baking with brown butter, so there's brown butter in both the cake AND the icing, adding so much amazing flavor!
Brown butter and toasted pecans go so well together. Add in the rich vanilla flavor in the cake layers and the cream cheese frosting and you've got a truly mouthwatering butter pecan cake! Plus, this is a small-batch cake made with 6-inch cake layers, so you won't have too many leftovers! It's ideal for a small autumn celebration.
This butter pecan cake was also an opportunity for me to try out a semi-naked cake! It was pretty easy to do -- I followed some tips from this youtube tutorial and I'd say it's pretty good for my first time!
How do you make butter pecan cake from scratch?
This brown butter pecan cake is a version of my strawberry and whipped cream layer cake, which is another three-layer cake made in a 6-inch cake pan. For this cake, you'll need a few special ingredients to create that brown butter pecan flavor:
- cake flour - you can purchase cake flour, or in a pinch, make your own cake flour substitute. I explain how to make it down below!
- baking powder and baking soda - to give a little lift to this brown butter pecan cake - the baking soda interacts with the sour cream and brown sugar to offset the weight of the butter and sugar in this cake.
- pecans - it's important that they're roasted or toasted to bring out flavor! You can buy roasted pecans and chop them, or toast them yourself, as I explain in the tips section down below!
- salted butter - this is the butter you're going to brown and divide for both the cake layers and the frosting.
- white sugar and brown sugar - normally a vanilla cake like this would use white sugar, but the brown sugar adds a bit of moisture and a deeper sweetness. And it works so well with brown butter and pecans!
- eggs - they should be room temperature, so take them out about an hour before you'll need them. Or you can place them in a bowl of slightly warm water for about 15 minutes!
- vanilla - adds yummy flavor to both the cake layers and the brown butter frosting!
- sour cream - In this recipe I'm going for a richer flavor and a moist texture, so I'm using sour cream instead of milk or buttermilk. It helps keep the butter pecan cake moist while staying light and fluffy.
- powdered sugar - we'll use this for the frosting! It's important that it's sifted before measuring, or if you're like me you measure by weight using a food scale! It's so much easier and more accurate!
- cream cheese - you'll use one block of full-fat cream cheese, which should also be at room temperature.
Equipment
For this brown butter pecan cake recipe, you'll need two or three 6-inch cake pans (or it could fit into one 8-inch cake pan). You'll also need a light-colored sauté pan to brown your butter, an electric mixer to whip up your frosting, and an offset spatula to frost your butter pecan cake. Here are a few of my favorite options:
Tips and F.A.Q.
I made this cake in three 6-inch cake pans. I love the look of a 6-inch layer cake! It's a small batch cake, but still has that elegant layered look! But if you prefer, you can make this brown butter pecan cake in one 8-inch cake pan as well! It should take a bit longer to cook -- closer to 30-35 minutes -- just begin to check it after 25 minutes.
In this cake we're using brown butter for a deeper butter flavor, as well as toasted pecans to bring out the rich nuttiness of the pecans. That way, there's no need for any extracts or additional flavorings. Add to that the rich cream cheese butter pecan cake frosting and the butter pecan flavor is undeniable!
In this butter pecan cake, the secret to a moist crumb is in the sour cream! We're using sour cream instead of milk to give us a moist texture that is so decadent, but still light and fluffy. We're also using brown sugar, which adds a bit of moisture as well.
Absolutely! You'll notice that in this cake we're using brown butter in both the cake layers AND the cream cheese frosting. That's no accident -- brown butter adds an amazing nutty flavor that is undeniable! It truly makes this butter pecan cake irresistible!
Once your butter is melted and the milk solids have sunk to the bottom of the pan, they'll start to turn a deep golden brown. You may also smell a nutty or toasty aroma. That's when your brown butter is ready and when you should remove it from the heat right away! For more details on browning butter, check out my Brown Butter Appreciation Post.
You can do this step in advance, but I like to toast my pecans in the pan where I just browned my butter. That way my pecans can soak up some of that remaining buttery goodness! Simply toss your pecan halves in a pan (buttered or dry) and heat them over medium head for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often. They should begin to smell amazing and get nicely browned. Just be careful to watch them so that they don't burn. Once they're toasted, let them cool and then chop them for your batter!
For the dry ingredients, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure them by weight to ensure accurate measurements. Many bakers use the spoon-and-level method, the scoop-and-level, or the sift-scoop-and-level methods, but to me they're all confusing, messy, and ultimately less accurate than measuring by weight. Plus, measuring with a food scale is easier and uses fewer measuring cups and spoons, so it's a win-win! For more tips on measuring ingredients, check out my measurement guide!
You can make a cake flour substitute using all-purpose flour and cornstarch! Just sift together 14 tablespoons (109g) of all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons (16g) of cornstarch. Then add it in with your dry ingredients as usual!
More Pecan Recipes You'll Love
- Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake
- Pineapple Bars with Cream Cheese and Coconut Drizzle
- Fluffy Banana Pancakes with Pecans and Maple Brown Butter Glaze
- Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies
Equipment you may need
- sifter
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 1 cup (114 g) cake flour
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
- 1 cup (99 g) pecan halves - toasted and chopped (plus more for topping, if desired)
- 14 tablespoon (196 g) salted butter - divided
- ⅓ cup (73 g) brown sugar - packed
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (115 g) sour cream - room temperature
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz (227 g) cream cheese - (full fat), room temperature
- ½ cup (114 g) brown butter - reserved from above
- 1 ½ teaspoon (7 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Brown Butter
- Heat both portions of butter (14 tbsp) in a large light-colored sauté pan over medium high heat, stirring often.14 tablespoon salted butter
- Watch carefully as it begins to foam and the milk solids separate, and once the milk solids begin to turn a deep golden brown and the butter has a nutty aroma, remove from heat to a heat-safe container, scraping all the brown bits with it.
- Stir brown butter well and remove ½ cup of it for frosting. You should have one container with 6 tablespoons and one with ½ cup.
- Place both containers in the refrigerator to chill for one hour, then allow to come to room temperature.
Brown Butter Pecan Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F and position oven rack in middle of oven. Spray three 6-inch cake pans with baking spray and line with parchment paper.baking spray
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda until well combined.1 cup cake flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Fold in toasted chopped pecans and mix well. Set aside.1 cup pecan halves
- Cream 6-tbsp. portion of brown butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.14 tablespoon salted butter, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Beat in eggs and vanilla and continue to mix for 2-3 minutes. Mix in sour cream.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ cup sour cream
- Fold in flour/pecan mixture gradually until just combined.
- Divide cake batter evenly into prepared cake pans (I use a food scale for this step) and bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick entered into the center of each layer comes out clean.
- Let layers cool in pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whip remaining ½ cup of brown butter with an electric mixer until lightened in color. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Mix in vanilla.8 oz cream cheese, 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ cup brown butter
- Gradually sift in powdered sugar, mixing well.4 cups powdered sugar
- Beat another 2 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy. Spread onto cooled cake layers.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PIN this pecan cake recipe for later!
Last Updated on September 7, 2022 by Chenée Lewis
Sandra
Would I be able to make it without the chopped pecans in the cake batter itself and just put the chopped pecans between the cake layers instead when assembling it?
Chenée Lewis
I haven't tried it that way, but I don't see why it wouldn't work well. Let me know how you like it!
C.P.
The recipe doesn't say how many 6" cake pans are needed...but the photo shows 3 layers. Since I don't have 6" pans, is it possible to use 8" pans?
Chenée Lewis
Yes you could, but I would say just use two 8-inch pans instead of three, and your cake layers would cook a bit more quickly so maybe start checking them after 15 minutes. Hope this helps!
Jan Richards
I plan to include this cake as a dessert option for Thanksgiving this year. I am curious if you have ever made the cake in a double batch and used larger pans? Just wondering if I double the recipe and use two 9" round or even 9" square pans, if it would cook with the same results of the smaller cake? Please let me know your experience with this and/or suggestions you recommend. Thank you for your time and for sharing such wonderful recipes. I see several I intend to incorporate into all of the upcoming holidays!
Chenée Lewis
Hi Jan! I think that a double batch in two 9-inch round pans would work! It may take a little bit longer in the oven but I would start checking it at 20 minutes to see if it's baked through. Hope it works out well for you and thank you so much!
Maria
This cake is perfect for holidays <3 I'm definitely going to try it, thank you for giving such great instructions.
Chenée Lewis
It's definitely a hit around here in the holiday season!
Seema Sriram
I am going to save this and keep trying it out. I have never been able to bake with pecans without burning them. I simply love this image and will bake to the best of my abilities with it.
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! I hope it works out for you!
Anjalia
This cake was so decadent and satisfying!! We brought it to a family picnic this weekend and everyone absolutely loved it - there were no leftovers!
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! Glad it was a hit!
Elizabeth
What a lucky brother you have that you would create this cake just for him, and such a gorgeous cake it is too! You did a super job with the naked frosting too - it's beautiful!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much! I made it for myself as much as for him lol!