Coconut Pecan Pound Cake

I will confess that I’m not usually a fan of pound cake. It always seems kind of “blah” to me, like something is lacking. Although, as soon as I saw a recipe for coconut pecan pound cake in this book I knew I had to try it. The coconut and pecan flavors really make this cake stand out and it is is so much better than any other pound cake I’ve had before. I really enjoyed the sticky coconut glaze that gets poured on top. The glaze gets slightly absorbed into the cake, making it extra moist and adding a little extra sweetness. I enjoyed this cake best slightly warm from the oven, but it will keep tightly covered at room temperature for several days.

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Coconut Pecan Pound Cake

A moist coconut pound cake studded with toasted pecans and finished with a sticky coconut glaze

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cake:

• 10 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (you can use unsweetened, but if so, add an additional 1/4 cup granulated sugar)
• 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

Coconut Glaze:

• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a standard sized loaf pan and set it aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, several minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, being sure that each egg is thoroughly mixed in before adding the next. Once the eggs are mixed in, beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the coconut milk. You should begin and end with the dry ingredients. Once thoroughly incorporated, fold in the shredded coconut and pecans.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You can cover the loaf with foil partway through cooking if the top is getting too brown. Be sure not to overcook this. I would suggest checking it with a toothpick every 5 minutes once it's been in for 45 minutes. Once the cake has been removed from the oven, immediately begin the glaze.

For the glaze:

1. Combine coconut milk, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, whisking often. The glaze will reduce and become thick and syrupy. Carefully remove the warm cake from the loaf pan and place it on a rack set over foil or parchment paper. Pour the glaze evenly over the pound cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Let the cake sit for 10 minutes and then serve.

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from Daphne Oz