Keto Butter Pecan Pound Cake

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Take your low carb desserts up a notch (or 5!) with this heavenly Keto Butter Pecan Pound Cake. This tender cake strikes all the right notes for a fall party or get together.

Pecans feature heavily in my keto desserts, and with good reason. They are very low in carbs, high in healthy fats, and taste like everything good in the world. So rich and buttery, I think they might be one of my favorite foods ever.

So you will see me wax poetic about recipes like Keto Pecan Pie or Sugar-Free Keto Turtles. They also add crunch and flavor to recipes like Pecan Crusted Salmon.

And this Butter Pecan Pound Cake is just the latest installment in my obsession with pecans. It’s a wonderful keto bundt cake with chopped pecans in the cake and the creamy frosting. You will want to make this as soon as possible!

Why you will love it

If you love pecans as much as I do, this cake is right up your alley! Tender and fluffy, just like a pound cake should be. And bursting with butter roasted chopped pecans.

It’s also quite relatively easy to make compared to other cakes. Bundt pans offer an easy elegance, with their round, fluted shape. They can be tricky at times, when it comes to releasing the cake, which is why I always recommend this wonderful USA Bundt pan.

The frosting is extra creamy and gets most of its structure from cream cheese, which means you don’t have to add copious amounts of sweetener.

It looks and tastes amazing, and this gorgeous keto pound cake has only 3.5g net carbs per slice!

Ingredients you need

• Pecans: You can’t have a butter pecan recipe without pecans!
• Butter: You need butter for the pecans, the cake, and the frosting. I use salted for all these but feel free to use unsalted if you prefer.
• Almond flour: You really do need to use a good finely ground almond flour for this recipe. You could sub some of it with pecan flour, but I would only recommend about ½ cup. Otherwise the cake becomes more coarse and drier.
• Coconut flour: A little coconut flour gives the cake a lighter, fluffier consistency. It also helps cut down in fat and calories!
• Protein powder: I’ve said it before and I will say it again: protein powder is a must for light and fluffy keto cakes. You can use whey or egg white. If you choose to skip it, I cannot guarantee the results.
• Sweetener: I like brown sugar substitute for the cake itself, to deepen the flavor. The frosting requires a powdered sweetener. Please see the Tips for Success for more information.
• Cream cheese: You will mix this with the butter for the yummy frosting!
• Heavy cream: A little heavy cream is used for the frosting.
• Pantry staples: Eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.

Step by Step Directions

1. Make the buttered pecans: In a large skillet over medium heat, add the pecans. Cook, stirring almost constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly toasted.Add the butter and let it melt, then toss to coat the pecans. Sprinkle with salt, toss to combine, and remove from heat. Set aside to cool. If the pecan pieces are on the larger side, chop them up a bit more after they cool. You want them to be finely chopped for this recipe.

2. Combine the dry ingredients:In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein, and baking powder.

3. Beat the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sweetener together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, then beat in the almond flour mixture. Add the water and stir on low until smooth. Beat in 1 ¼ cups of the buttered pecans until well distributed.

4. Bake the cake: Transfer the batter to a well greased large bundt pan (9-inch diameter or 8 to 10 cup capacity) and smooth the top. Bake at 325ºF for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool 30 to 40 minutes in the pan before flipping out onto a wire rack to cool cool completely.

5. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Then beat in the sweetener until well combined. Beat in the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract until just combined, then add the remaining ½ cup of butter pecans and mix until well distributed.

9. Frost the cake: Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cooled cake. You can serve immediately or refrigerate to firm up.

Tips for Success 

Pro Tip: Bundt pans are notoriously tricky for getting cakes out in one piece. Having a good non-stick pan without a lot of deep crevasses helps. If you don’t have a bundt pan, try baking it in a 9-inch round cake pan. A loaf pan will likely be too small for all the batter.

Double-grease your pan to help prevent sticking even further. Use a solid fat first, like butter or coconut oil, and then a spray like coconut or avocado oil. 

For a super smooth frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together first, without any other ingredients. Once that’s really smooth, you can add the other ingredients.

Make sure to chop the butter pecans quite finely, especially for the frosting. It’s much easier to spread over the cake if you do.

Sweetener Options

As promised, I am trying to offer as many sweetener options for my recipe as possible. In this case, I do recommend an erythritol based sweetener for the cake, as allulose causes baked goods to darken a lot faster. The parts of the cake that are against the hot pan will get much too dark and may even taste over-baked. You can cut down on the erythritol in the cake to ½ cup, and add more sweetness with stevia or monk fruit extract.

The frosting requires a powdered or confectioner’s style sweetener for consistency. Do note that allulose based powdered sweeteners may make the frosting quite a bit softer and more goopy. I recommend holding back the added whipping cream until you see the consistency.

You can read my article on the health and safety of erythritol for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

More delicious keto pound cakes

Keto Butter Pecan Pound Cake Recipe

Take your low carb desserts up a notch (or 5!) with this heavenly Keto Butter Pecan Pound Cake. This tender cake strikes all the right notes for a fall party or get together.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butter pecan cake

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 343kcal

Ingredients

Buttered Pecans

• 1 ¾ cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon salt

Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• ¼ cup butter softened
• ½ cup powdered sweetener (more to taste)
• ¼ cup heavy cream room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttered pecans, finely chopped

Instructions

Buttered Pecans

• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the pecans. Cook, stirring almost constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly toasted.

• Add the butter and let melt, then toss to coat the pecans. Sprinkle with salt, toss to combine, and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

• If the pecan pieces are on the larger side, chop them up a bit more after they cool. You want them to be finely chopped for this recipe.

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease a large bundt pan (9-inch diameter or 8 to 10 cup capacity) very well.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein, and baking powder.

• In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sweetener together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, then beat in the almond flour mixture. Add the water and stir on low until smooth.

• Beat in 1 ¼ cups of the buttered pecans until well distributed. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and just firm to the touch.

• Remove and let cool 30 to 40 minutes in the pan before flipping out onto a wire rack to cool cool completely.

Frosting

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth, about 1 minutes. Then beat in the sweetener until well combined.

• Beat in the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract until just combined, then add the remaining ½ cup of butter pecans and mix until well distributed.

• Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cooled cake.

Notes

Pro Tip: Double-grease your pan to help prevent sticking. Use a solid fat first, like butter or coconut oil, and then a spray like coconut or avocado oil. 
Storage Information: Store the cake, covered up, in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cake for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition Facts

Keto Butter Pecan Pound Cake Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 343
Calories from Fat 275

% Daily Value*

Fat 30.5g47%

Carbohydrates 6.9g2%

Fiber 3.4g14%

Protein 8.9g18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.