I spotted this recipe several months back & filed it away for future use & made it this past weekend when my aunt & uncle came to visit. I hadn’t yet made the frosting when they arrived & I kid you not that my aunt requested to lick off the beaters & clean out the bowl mmm’ing & ooh’ing all the while.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup half & half
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped pecans

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk or cream to thin frosting, if needed

Preparation:

For the cake:

Grease & flour a 10 inch bundt pan; set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 1 minute at medium speed. Continuing at medium speed, gradually add the sugar, until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the the flour, baking soda, & salt; set aside.

In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, mix together the sour cream, half & half, & vanilla extract; set aside.

Beginning & ending with flour mixture, alternately add flour mixture & cream mixture to mixing bowl with butter/ sugar mix. Mix at low speed, until combined, scraping bottom & sides as needed.

Fold in the pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan & bake for 1 hour & 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:

With the oven at 325 degrees, add the chopped pecans to a baking sheet & toast for 7 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool completely.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese & butter until well combined. Add the powdered sugar, pinch of salt, & vanilla extract until smooth & creamy. Add 1-2 tbsp milk if mixture is too thick. Stir in cool, toasted pecans & frost.

Serve & enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers or cut into individual servings, wrap in parchment paper, place in gallon bag & freeze.

Adapted slightly from: http://www.southyourmouth.com