Joy the Baker

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Pecan Praline Glaze

by 39 Comments

Here’s a staple.  Here’s a go-to.  Here’s a show-stopper.  Here’s a pat on the back.  Here’s a thumbs up, a high-five, a surprise kiss on the mouth.  This cake is one of the best I’ve ever made… just one of those solid gold, stand-bys that WERK. 

It’s a shout out to New Orleans, a shout out to dang good cake, and maybe my favorite recipe in this month’s Better Homes & Garden issue featuring all sorts of fantastic Big Easy-inspired recipes.  

Pick up a copy of Better Homs & Gardens if not for these Dirty Rice Stuffed Tomatoes alone. 

Please do this!  It’s just too good.  Here’s how: 

I create habits in the kitchen.  Routine helps me not have to second guess things like… did I already add the salt… wait, did I forget the baking powder.  

As part of this routine, I always whisk the dry ingredients together first.  

Flour in a bowl.  

Add salt.  (I really love a flakey sea salt like Maldon even in cakes and cookies.  A salty bite is just right.) 

Baking soda + baking powder.  Rising power. 

This cake is solid gold.  Solid, dependable, flavorful, classic and really we owe a lot of that to two sticks of butter, almost two cups of sugar, and hellloooooo, 4 eggs.  

Strong.  Listen, we’re comin in hot and we’re doin’ it RIGHT. 

Vanilla – we’ll use a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract or the scraping of one fresh vanilla bean pod OR if you’re me… vanilla extract + this vanilla bean powder that I love.  

Once the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla are creamed together we’ll add the wet and dry ingredients – alternating.

Oh!  I should mention… the butter and egg mixture may look like it’s curdled to you.  There’s just a lot of moisture for the butter to deal with.  You likely haven’t done anything wrong.  It’s nothing flour and buttermilk can’t sort out! It will come together.  

Buttermilk and dry ingredients.  Back and forth forever… or till it’s all mixed in and smooth. 

Scrape the bottom of the bowl to find any un-mixed bits. 

Well buttered and well floured. It’s a must for bundt pans.  We want all the nooks and creases to release our cake.  No fights.  

While the cake bakes we’ll make an easy praline sauce.

Butter + heavy cream + salt + brown sugar are melted together in a small saucepan until smooth and glossy. 

Pecans, in. 

With the cake cooled to room temperature we’ll spoon just slightly warmed praline over the cake. 

This is a good idea from start to finish. 

Once glazed, the cake will rest chilled or at room temperature until the praline sets.  Then it’s time for slicing and serving. 

This is the most satisfying vanilla bundt cake I’ve ever made. It’s forgiving and moist and flavorful.  With or without the praline, make this you go-to!  It would be equally delicious with lemon zest and an aggressive amount of poppy seeds.  Go forth and happy baking! 

Photos with Jon Melendez who also has a really lovely blog! 

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Vanilla Bean Bundt with Pecan Praline Glaze

  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 vanilla bean pods, split open and beans scraped
  • small splash almond extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk

For the Praline Topping

  • ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecan halves, some halves left whole

Instructions

  1. To make the cake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Generously grease a bundt pan, dust it with flour, and knock out the excess flour.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed until the the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Occasionally stop the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the mixture creams evenly.
  5. Reduce speed to low and beat in eggs, one at a time, for 1 minute between each addition.
  6. Beat in the vanilla bean scrapings until evenly combined. Add the splash of almond.
  7. Add half of the flour mixture to the mixer and, mixing on low, slowly stream in the buttermilk. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.
  8. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish incorporating the mixture with a spatula to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly mixed.
  9. Dollop batter into the prepared pan and smooth to even.
  10. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
  11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 45 minutes to an hour.
  12. Invert cake onto a sire rack and allow to cool completely.
  13. To make the praline topping, in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat combine brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt. Stir until the mixture is melted, well combined, and smooth, about 4 minutes.
  14. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans. Allow to cool slightly until the consistency is thick and spoonable. Spoon over cooled cake and allow to rest until the praline sets.
  15. If you find that the praline sets before drizzling the cake, gently reheat it over low heat, adding a dash more heavy cream if necessary.
  16. Store cake, in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Isabella

    I just made this as my “thank you for snow-blowing my driveway” gift to the neighbors. Thankfully there were two sets of neighbors, so in the slicing and dividing, I got to have some :)

    Something awful happened to my pecans while in storage (moths, ugh) so I decided last minute to make it a “salted caramel” praline sauce, by adding some malden salt. It worked wonderfully.

    Reply

  3. Christine

    I made this today in two loaf pans baked for 37 minutes. I had trouble getting the cakes out of the pan, but I only sprayed cooking spray. I should have put parchment in the bottoms of my pans. Regardless, it was delicious. My SO and I almost ate a whole loaf right when I spooned on the praline sauce. The other loaf is coming with me to work tomorrow. Wonderful recipe.

    Reply

  7. Margie

    I keep meaning to tell you that this is one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. I love caramel cake and this bundt cake absolutely captures the essence. I make it in two small bundt pans, eat one and freeze the other unfrosted. An absolute winner!

    Reply

  8. Hila

    Made it today. As you didn’t write the size of your pan, after looking at the ratios for most of my bundt cake recipes, I thought that recipe should call for about 25cm\10 inch cake.
    I only have 22cm\9 inch pan, so I cut down the ingredients by 12% and it turned out amazing! (only the cake ingredients, I left the praline recipe as it is).
    So soft and pillow-y, and the praline glaze compliment the flavor of the cake. it’s a keeper.

    Reply

  9. elephantinthestudy

    This cake is beyond divine. I made it today after having bookmarked it for a while and I haven’t had such a good one in a long long time. Loved it. The recipe is a keeper. (We skipped the topping though… thought I should mention.)

    Reply

  10. Emily

    Made! It was my boy’s sick day request. He is enthusiastically picking at cake trimmings and stray pecans and eagerly looking forward to his very own slice. Plus–it’s so pretty!

    Reply

  11. Kate

    Hey Joy – this looks awesome! Just to clarify, if I’m stuck using vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean would this be two tablespoons of vanilla extract since the recipe calls for two vanilla pods? Thanks!!

    Reply

  14. Emily

    My mom made this yesterday and it was a DELIGHT. Thank you, Joy! It was delicious as is, but I’m excited to try it again with fruit and whipped cream for the topping. *swoon*

    Reply

  15. saltandserenity

    Bundt cakes are the best. They do all the work for you and make you look like a pro. This cake looks so good. I am very excited to try it. I have never heard of that vanilla bean powder. I always use vanilla bean paste.
    http://www.vanillafoodcompany.ca/Vanilla-Bean-Paste-Pure-Madgascar-Bourbon-p/nmv302.htm?1=1&CartID=0
    You get the little seeds without having to scrape the vanilla pod.
    Thanks to you I have started following Jon’s blog. I am a fan!

    Reply

  16. Maggie

    I recently binned my Bundt pan because I never used it.
    Any advice/caveats for adapting this for a springform or other cake pan?

    Reply

  19. Tracy

    “Buttermilk and dry ingredients. Back and forth forever” – this reminder me of one of your podcasts!! :-)
    This looks delicious, totally making!

    Reply

  20. Kim

    I did it! I made it two weeks ago from the BGH recipe. I served it to a few friends, then sneakily ate the whole rest of it without my family noticing. Breakfast AND dessert. *wink*

    Gold standard, for sure.

    Reply

  23. Christina

    Excuse me will you? I’m going to run away with this bundt cake so we can reestablish a life together. Of course, the cake will be devoured within 5 minutes, so we won’t get very far, but those 5 minutes will be glorious. This cake looks amazing!

    Reply

  27. Molly Geipel

    Congratulations on being featured in Better Homes & Gardens! Looks like a gorgeous spread – I’ll definitely have to get my hands on a copy! This cake doesn’t look bad either… ;)

    Reply

  28. Linda Pilcher

    Congratulations on your Better Homes & Gardens spread!
    I get together with a group of women friends every 3 weeks, and this cake will be my contribution for our next meeting–I think they will love it!

    Reply

  34. Mary

    This cake does look rather gorgeous. I can see it with a nice dollop of whipped cream. It really needs a special occasion to show it off. Thankyou!

    Reply

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