If you're the kind of baker who believes dessert should be rich, comforting, and capable of stealing the spotlight, this Maple Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Toasted Pecans is going to be your new favorite holiday centerpiece. With its dense, velvety crumb, gentle notes of maple, and a golden crunchy top, this cake isn’t just another addition to your collection of pound cake recipes—it’s the one you’ll be coming back to long after Thanksgiving. The cream cheese gives the cake an indulgent creaminess while the toasted pecans offer a subtle crunch in every bite. Whether you’re a loyal fan of butter pound cake or always on the hunt for the next best pound cake recipe ever, this one deserves your full attention.
Maple Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Toasted Pecans
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Stand mixer or hand mixer A stand mixer with a paddle attachment makes creaming butter and cream cheese a breeze, but a hand mixer will also do the job well.
10- or 12-cup Bundt pan This cake is styled much like a cream cheese bundt cake, so a Bundt pan is essential for those deep grooves and uniform baking. If you don’t have one, a tube pan can be used, but it might not yield the same visual impact.
Mixing bowls At least two large mixing bowls are needed—one for wet ingredients, one for dry.
Spatula For scraping down the sides and folding in the pecans.
Cooling rack Essential to let the cake cool completely before glazing.
Sifter or mesh strainer (optional) For dusting with powdered sugar, if desired.
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup real maple syrup
- 1 cup chopped pecans toasted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the Glaze (Optional but Recommended)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 –4 tablespoons maple syrup
- Pinch of salt
Optional Garnish
- Extra toasted pecans
- A light sprinkle of powdered sugar
Toast the Pecans
Start by toasting your chopped pecans. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spread the nuts on a baking sheet. Toast for about 7–10 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until they smell fragrant and are lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
Cream the Butter and Cream Cheese
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until smooth and creamy—this should take about 3–4 minutes. This creaming step is the foundation of many classic pound cake recipes and ensures a soft, tight crumb.
Add Sugar Gradually
With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the sugar and continue beating for another 4–5 minutes. The mixture should be light, fluffy, and pale. This stage is key for incorporating air, which is especially important in dense cakes like a whipping cream pound cake or sour cream pound cake recipe.
Add the Eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to keep everything evenly incorporated.
Incorporate Vanilla and Maple Syrup
Stir in the vanilla extract and maple syrup. The syrup will slightly loosen the batter and add a warm, earthy sweetness.
Combine Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined. Don’t overmix.
Fold in Toasted Pecans
Using a spatula, gently fold in the cooled toasted pecans. This ensures you don’t knock out the air from the batter.
Prepare Your Bundt Pan
Generously grease and flour your Bundt pan, or use baking spray that contains flour. This helps achieve that crunchy top pound cake recipe texture where the exterior browns beautifully.
Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the thickest part comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, tent it with foil during the last 15–20 minutes.
Cool and Glaze
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, drizzle with the maple glaze. Top with more toasted pecans if you like.
Pairings
This maple cream cheese pound cake is the kind of dessert that feels perfectly at home on a Thanksgiving dessert table. It pairs wonderfully with:
- Hot drinks: Think cinnamon-spiced chai, dark roast coffee, or a bourbon-spiked eggnog. The richness of the cake stands up well to bold drinks.
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream: Add a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream to transform this into one of your go-to pound cake dessert ideas.
- Berries: For a little acidity and freshness, serve with macerated berries on the side. Their tartness contrasts beautifully with the sweet, dense cake.
- Leftover remix: Slice and toast for breakfast with a smear of apple butter or layer with whipped cream and poached pears for an easy trifle.
FAQs
1. Can I use cake mix instead of making the batter from scratch?
If you’re looking for pound cake from cake mix boxes, you can definitely use a yellow or butter cake mix as your base. Replace some of the oil with softened cream cheese, add a splash of maple syrup, and stir in toasted pecans for a shortcut version. However, the texture will be less dense than a true butter pound cake or cream cheese bundt cake.
2. What type of cream cheese should I use?
Always go with full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for the best results. The whipped kind in tubs has more air and moisture, which can throw off the structure of your cake.
3. Can I substitute maple syrup with maple extract?
Yes, but use sparingly—start with 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of maple extract. Maple syrup contributes moisture as well as flavor, so you may need to add a tablespoon or two of milk or cream to make up the liquid difference.
4. Is this similar to a sour cream pound cake recipe?
The texture is comparable—moist, rich, and tight-crumbed—but this recipe uses cream cheese instead of sour cream. That said, if you want to experiment, you can substitute half of the cream cheese with sour cream for a tangier flavor.
5. How do I ensure the crunchy top?
The crunchy, caramelized top (or bottom, once flipped) is a beloved feature in many homemade pound cake recipes. To get it, make sure your oven is properly preheated, and don't skip greasing and flouring your pan. The higher sugar content also helps create that crusty layer as it bakes.
