Butter Pecan Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups Fishers Pecan Halves, chopped into small bits
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, diced into 3 pieces
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup butter, nearly at room temperature
• 12 oz cream cheese, nearly at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup Fishers Pecan Halves, chopped, for topping

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, butter the parchment, then give the pans a light coating of flour and tap out the extra. Put the pans aside.
2. In a skillet set over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp butter. Add the pecans once the butter has melted, and cook them for about 4 minutes, stirring and tossing often, until they smell toasted and have a little color. Transfer them to parchment paper or a baking sheet, spread them out, and let them cool.
3. Stir the buttermilk and milk together, then set that mixture aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 20 seconds. Set the bowl aside.
5. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is very light in color and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in the vanilla with the last egg.
6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low just until it comes together. Pour in 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture and mix just to combine, then do that same flour-and-buttermilk sequence one more time. Add the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture at the end, mixing only until it is almost fully incorporated.
7. Take the bowl off the mixer and fold in the cooled pecans, continuing just until the batter has no remaining streaks. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
8. Bake for 23 – 28 minutes in the heated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean. Take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool in their pans for 10 minutes.
9. Slide a knife around the sides of the cakes to loosen them, then turn them out onto wire racks and let them cool completely. When the layers are cool, frost them with the cream cheese frosting and sprinkle pecans over the top.
10. For the cream cheese frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese together in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar, then mix until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.