You know that feeling when you get something right on the first try? You know the one where you really weren’t certain what the outcome was going to be, but you try anyways and things turn out even better than you dared hope for?
That’s me right now writing this post.
This recipe was made up by me from start to finish and it turned out freaking awesome!
Allow me to engage in a brief dramatization of this creation:
First: The idea stage.
Second: The frustrated stage
Third: I’ve got it!
Fourth: Discovering no one has made quite what I’m looking for so I will have no road map whatsoever.
Fifth: The actual creation phase.
Sixth and Final: Realizing that I am a baking badass and I should never have doubted myself because this shit is delicious!
Do you want to be a golden god? Of course you do! Read on and I shall impart my wisdom upon thee!
Start by grinding up your pecans. Oh, did I not mention that part of this cake is straight up ground pecans? Should you so desire, you could actually make this cake gluten free, but I have no need of that. I just wanted a good strong pecan flavor to match the sweetness of the maple. So ground pecans!
Turn this… 
Into this!
Now bring some maple syrup to a quick boil, pour it into your bundt, and sprinkle pecans all around the ring. This is what makes your delicious topping. It’s like upside down cake…without the fruit.
Here’s where things started to go off the rails.
I thought that the ground pecans would be dry and I could sift them with the flour…not so much.
But that’s what butter is for! Once you cream your butter and sugar together you add your pecan puree (for lack of a better term), and mix that in as well. At this point your butter mixture will smell like heaven and you will have to summon all of your strength to stop from sampling it.
Patience, my friends. The best is yet to come.
Now you add your eggs one at a time, mixing well between each egg.
Once you have your eggs in, you start alternating between dry and wet ingredients, but here’s where your next secret ingredient comes into play:
Maple Extract
That’s right. Maple extract.
That’s how you get big maple flavor without sending yourself into diabetic shock. I added it to my milk mixture to really give it a chance to absorb. It looks a lot like iced coffee, but I wouldn’t recommend drinking it. You’ll like it better in the cake.
Do Not Drink
Once you get your wet and dry mixed in, you will have a batter that looks like this:
Look at those lovely pecan specks!
Spread that evenly over your pecans in the pan. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes.
Before 
After
Now here’s the part where it you have to have some patience: let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a plate. If you do it any sooner your syrup is going to run away like a cat running from the owner who wants to show it love.
And then comes the big reveal. Please cue the triumphant music.
Serve warm. Serve warm and it’s like sticky pudding. Serve cold and it’s still delicious. Just serve it. Or else you will eat it all yourself…which, now that I think about it is not a bad idea. You are a golden god. Eat what you want.
Maple Pecan Bundt Cake
Course: DessertIngredients
1 cup maple syrup, Grade A
4 cups pecans, divided
1¼ cups cake flour* (see note for substitution)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk (1% or above),at room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons maple extract
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1¾ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Directions
- Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350F.
- Prepare bundt pan by spraying generously with cooking spray. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring 1 cup maple syrup to a boil. Pour maple syrup into prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of pecans evenly over maple syrup. Set aside to cool while preparing your batter.
- In the bowl of a food processor, or in batches in a blender, grind up remaining pecans until a paste forms; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt through a fine-mesh strainer, the whisk together to evenly combine; set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, and maple extract; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand-mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), whip the butter on medium speed until pale in color and fluffy.
- Add the granulated sugar and beat until lightened in both texture and color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add pecan paste and beat until well combined.
- Add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla.
- On lowest speed, add in ⅓ of the flour mixture and blend until almost combined. Add in half of the milk/sour cream mixture and mix in until mostly combined. Gently mix in another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the last half of the milk/sour cream mixture; beat until almost combined. End with the final ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Give the batter one good, final stir to make sure that everything is well incorporated.
- Gently spread batter over pecans in prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly golden around the edges, the center springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few cooked moist crumbs attached.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto cake plate. Serve warm.
Notes
- *If you don’t have cake flour, take 1 cup all-purpose flour and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and sift them together. Then add the other dry ingredients and sift once more.
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