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Bourbon Praline Pound Cake

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In good Southern food-comfort, this cream-cheese based pound cake has a tender crumb texture flavored with butter, vanilla and bourbon. The pecan topping is a nod to the quintessential Southern candy, the praline.

  • Author: Erin Thomas
  • Prep Time: About 30 Minutes
  • Cook Time: About 1 Hour + 20 Minutes
  • Total Time: About 1 Hour + 50 Minutes
  • Yield: 12-16 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Cake:

1–8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

1–1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla + 1 tsp. bourbon*

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cups milk (whole or 2%), at room temperature

1/4 cup bourbon, to pour over cake after baking*

Praline Topping:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup bourbon*

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted**

Instructions

To Make Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Spray a large bundt pan (9 or 12 cup volume) with nonstick baking spray or butter and flour.  Set aside.

Using a standing or hand-held mixer and a large bowl, blend cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Add sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mixture should be light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, again beating well after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla and 1 tsp. bourbon.  Add 1-1/2 cup flour, alternating with the milk and finishing with the remaining 1-1/2 cup flour.  Stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.  When cake is done, a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.  Set pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, poke the top of the cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick all over.  Pour about half of the remaining 1/4 cup bourbon over the cake’s top.  Let cool for another 15-20 minutes.

To Make Praline Topping:

As the cake is cooling, and after pouring part of the bourbon over it’s top, prepare Praline Topping. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup bourbon.  Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil.  Boil for a minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in toasted pecans.  The mixture will be somewhat grainy and thick.

Assembling the Cake and Praline Topping: 

Flip the cake onto a serving plate and remove the pan.  Poke the rounded top of the finished cake with the wooden skewer or toothpick all over.  Pour the remaining bourbon evenly over the top.  Pour warmed Praline Topping over the baked cake.  Serve immediately.   The cake will keep at room temperature in a tightly-sealed container for up to one week,

Notes

*If bourbon is not your thing, substitute the 1 tsp. bourbon in the Cake for an additional 1 tsp. of vanilla.  Omit the bourbon to pour over the baked cake, and substitute 2 tsp. vanilla for the 1/4 cup bourbon in the Praline Topping.

**To toast chopped pecans, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chopped pecans on a baking sheet.  Toast for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let pecans cool before putting into Praline Topping.

A clean, food-safe spray bottle can be used to evenly spray the 1/4 cup bourbon over the baked cake.

Nutrition

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