butter pecan cake

Sam Merritt’s selected butter pecan cake has three soft, moist layers dotted with finely chopped pecans. Browned butter, light brown sugar and vanilla flavour the cake, while brown-sugar cream-cheese frosting covers and joins the layers.

The cake’s unsalted butter is cooked until golden-brown specks appear, then cooled while it remains liquid. Cake flour, granulated and light brown sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt are combined before the browned butter is mixed in.

Buttermilk, two eggs and vanilla are whisked separately and gradually added to the flour mixture. Finely chopped pecans follow, and the batter is divided among three round pans prepared with baking spray and parchment circles.

The baked layers cool completely before decorating. A separate portion of softened unsalted butter is beaten with cream cheese, light brown sugar, vanilla and salt; icing sugar is added gradually, followed by heavy cream to make a smooth frosting.

The layers are stacked with thicker frosting between them and a light covering around the sides. Optional finely chopped pecans can cover part of the top, with piped frosting swirls completing the cake’s nut-and-brown-sugar finish.