
Bake up this moist and fluffy buttermilk cake topped with a buttery brown sugar pecan crunch. A Southern-inspired dessert that’s rich, tender, and incredibly easy to make—perfect for that leftover buttermilk before it expires!
Southern-Style Buttermilk Cake with Sweet Pecan Glaze
Equipment
- 1 9" round cake pan the deeper the better (the pecan glaze can drizzle over the sides in the shallow ones)
Ingredients
Cake
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg large
- 1 cup buttermilk choose a whole fat buttermilk if you can get it
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ Tsp baking soda
- ½ Tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
Topping
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- ⅛ Tsp salt
- ¼ cup half and half warmed
- 4 Tbsp butter melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Line a 9" round cake pan with parchment paper.
Wet and Dry
- In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients — flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Then mix in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Combine
- Add the dry ingredients in two parts, mixing on low speed until just combined.
Bake
- Spray the bottom of the cake pan. Cut out a 9" circular piece of parchment paper and place it in the bottom.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake the cake for 30 minutes.
Prepare pecan topping
- In a medium bown, make the pecan topping by stirring together the pecans, melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and a splash of half and half (warmed) in a bowl until smooth.
Top the cake
- After 35 minutes, remove the cake from the oven and top the cake with the pecan mixture after the first bake. Return it to the oven for 10 more minutes.
- Cool and enjoy once the topping has set (usually about 30 minutes).
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 3854kcal | Carbohydrates: 520g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 184g | Saturated Fat: 75g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 27g | Monounsaturated Fat: 70g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 458mg | Sodium: 2211mg | Potassium: 1621mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 340g | Vitamin A: 3725IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 774mg | Iron: 16mg
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