Coconut Pecan Pound Cake

Take a rich batter made with butter and sour cream, then fold in the crunch of golden, toasted pecans and flakes of sweet coconut. Add a splash of rye whiskey with its notes of vanilla and citrus swirling throughout. Finish with a touch of vanilla and almond extracts, bake until golden and you’ve created an utterly delectable cake.

Pound cakes are quite wonderful in the purest form, but they also provide a luscious backdrop for any number of ingredients.

We start with our favorite Sour Cream Pound Cake, it’s one we’ve made for years. The cake is light, tender, and just sweet enough – perfect for supporting the addition of other textures and flavors. The base for the cake begins with butter, sugar and eggs with flour and baking soda gently stirred into the batter. Sour cream makes for a tender crumb and pure vanilla and almond extracts pair beautifully with the rye whiskey. Then we tossed in a generous helping of toasted pecans along with a handful or two of flaked coconut.

You’re left with two scrumptious cakes – and they freeze beautifully. Or share one right away with a dear friend!

Coconut Pecan Pound Cake

1-½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 extra-large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon pure almond extract

2 tablespoons rye whiskey

½ cup flaked coconut

1 cup toasted chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Spray two large loaf pans with a cooking spray, then line them with parchment paper, then give the paper a light spray*. (The parchment aids in lifting the cakes out of the pans and aids in a clean release.)

Using a large stand mixer beat the butter on low speed until it becomes creamy. Raise the speed to medium and continue beating the butter until it is very light and fluffy, looking much like whipped cream. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to make certain all the butter is whipped thoroughly.

On medium speed, add the sugar, about ¼ cup at a time allowing the sugar to blend into the butter before adding more.

Once all the sugar has been combined with the butter add the eggs one at a time, then add the sour cream.

Using separate bowls, sift together the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. Sift the dry ingredients three times. Don’t’ skip this step; it does make a difference in the texture of your cake.

On low speed slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter, blending in about ⅓ cup at a time, beating just until the flour disappears.

Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the rye whiskey, stirring into the batter on low speed.

Add the coconut and the pecans, blending into the batter on low speed.

Divide the batter evenly between the two large loaf pans.

Bake on the center rack of your oven at 325-degrees for about 60-65 minutes or until the cakes are golden and they test done when a toothpick is inserted into the center of the cakes.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, and then place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 large loaves.

*You can also grease and flour the pans instead of lining with parchment paper.