This recipe is one of our favorites from The Silver Palate Cookbook, our February 2019 pick for BA’s Cookbook Club. It’s an elegant, moist cake ideal for serving at a large brunch party (it’s worth timing to have it ready 30 minutes out of the oven) or with your morning coffee. If you don’t have pecans handy, walnuts make a great substitute.
Excerpted from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Sheila Lukins & Julee Rosso (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 1979.
Recipe information
Yield
10 servings
Ingredients
1
2
1
¼
1½
1
2½
2
2
1
Special Equipment
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Butter and flour Bundt pan. Sift baking powder, salt, and 2 cups flour into a medium bowl.
Step 2
Mix pecans, cinnamon, and ½ cup sugar in another medium bowl.
Step 3
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat remaining 2 cups sugar and 1 cup butter in a large bowl until incorporated and smooth. Add eggs, beating well to combine and scraping down bowl, then beat in sour cream and vanilla.
Step 4
Reduce mixer speed to low and beat flour mixture into butter mixture, increasing speed to medium-low if needed, until just blended. Do not overbeat.
Step 5
Scrape half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with half of pecan mixture. Spread remaining batter over; smooth top, then sprinkle with remaining pecan mixture.
Step 6
Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–55 minutes. Let cool 20–30 minutes. Invert onto a platter and serve warm.
Step 7
Note: This cake was not tested by the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen.