This sweet and moist cake recipe comes from King Arthur Baking Company. The topping seeps down into the cake which makes it extra moist, and the rich, buttery pecans are truly delightful. I wanted a smaller cake so I cut the recipe in half and used an 8×8-inch baking pan.
A guest who visited my workplace last Christmas brought me a container of pecans from his hometown. I’ve kept them in my refrigerator so they stay nice and fresh. I was able to put these excellent pecans to good use with this recipe.
The cake itself is pretty straight forward. Butter, brown sugar, eggs and buttermilk all play a part in making this moist cake. It may look like any other cake, that is, until you add the topping to it. The cake then goes back in the oven for another 10 minutes and the topping warms up becoming a gorgeous glaze.
The thick topping has now become a beautiful glaze. You can serve it right away at this point, but I like to let the cake cool for an hour or two until the glaze has set.
- Cake:
- ¼ cup (57g) Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or unsalted butter) at room temperature
- 1 cup (213g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup (227g) lactose free buttermilk at room temperature (add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to a 1-cup measuring cup, add lactose free milk to measure 1 cup total, let sit 10 minutes to thicken)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups (180g) unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur recommended)
- Topping:
- 3 tablespoons (43g) melted Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
- ½ cup (107g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ⅛ c (29g) milk
- ½ cup (57g) diced pecans
- *add ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt if using unsalted butter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8x8-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the pan.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add baking soda, salt, and flour to the wet ingredients, beating until thoroughly combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 30 minutes.
- Towards the end of the baking time, prepare the topping by stirring the butter and sugar together. Add the milk and pecans. The glaze will be thick but pourable.
- Pour the topping over the baked cake making sure to spread it evenly (corners too). Return the cake to the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven. The topping will look very runny. Letting the cake sit at room temperature for a few hours will allow the glaze to set. The cake can be frozen for a couple of months.
