Maple Yogurt Pound Cake with Candied Pecans

A rich pound cake made with olive oil and maple yogurt, a maple glaze, and scratch-made candied pecans spiced with a touch of cinnamon

I’ve teamed up with Brown Cow Yogurt to develop this recipe. This post is sponsored, but all opinions are always my own. Thank you for supporting the work and brands that make Lion’s Bread possible.

Let me start by saying, this is really my kind of cake recipe. One that you can sliver away at, a snacking cake, perfect for little cups of afternoon espresso and a juicy conversation. Time and again, when I’m pressed for time (I’m always pressed for time), and I want to whip up a quick dessert for a little dinner party, or maybe a weekend cake, I turn to a single layer pound cake that I can adorn with fresh fruit, a beautiful drippy glaze, or luxuriously crunchy candied nuts. There are a lot of reasons to love pound cake. It has the ability to take on any accompanying flavors while still holding its own. It’s kind of like the Little Black Dress of desserts, I think.

This Maple Yogurt Pound Cake with candied Pecans has so few ingredients, so the quality of each and every ingredient is so important. I always go with farm fresh organic eggs, unbleached all purpose flour, rich whole milk yogurt made from happy cows grazing in green pastures, and pure vanilla extract. The end result is pure magic, trust me.

Why do you call it Pound Cake?

Pound cake actually dates all the back to the 1700s. It is said that the original recipe actually had a pound of flour, a pound of butter, and a pound of eggs. It seems a little crazy that our recipe doesn’t contain butter, but that’s because I’ve added the incredibly delicious Cream Top Maple Yogurt from my friends at Brown Cow Yogurt, along with olive oil. That’s right! I actually really love to use olive oil in cakes because it makes the crumb incredibly moist (I’m sorry haha, but it’s true). The richness of the Cream Top Maple Yogurt is so dreamy here, and the maple flavor is really pronounced, in the best possible way for this Fall cake.

Why is the Maple Yogurt important?

I had so much fun developing this recipe! I love playing with different flavor combinations and figuring out which can enhance each other, yet not overpower one another. Here, the maple is unquestionably the star of the show. But the supporting actors are really important. I add in the zest of a full orange and vanilla extract to the batter, along with a mild olive oil. To the glaze, I add another tablespoon of maple yogurt, which really locks in the maple flavor. Then, to the candied pecans, you’ll add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a healthy pinch of kosher salt to round everything out.

There are three different elements to this cake, the cake, the glaze, and the candied pecans. Make the cake first, and get it in the oven since it needs about an hour to bake. While it’s baking, make the glaze and the candied pecans. It’s very important to let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze! If the cake is still warm, the glaze will slide right off.

I can’t wait for you all to try this one, it’s such a delicious bake for Fall! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below the recipe, and I promise I’ll get to them.

I’m so excited to team up with my friends at Brown Cow for a really special Sweepstakes, so you can enjoy their delicious yogurts as well! Head over to my Instagram @lions.bread for all of the details. Also, I’ve loved seeing your pics, so please keep tagging me and @browncowyogurt when you make this cake! It’s incredible to see the recipes from the blog come to life in your kitchens, and to see you sharing them with your families!

Want to save this recipe for later? Just tap any of the images for the ‘Pin It’ button to save it to your favorite Pinterest board.

xo, L

Love this recipe? Be sure to check out Sunken Strawberry Cake, Olive Oil Chocolate Cake, Coffee Cake Banana Muffins

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Maple Yogurt Pound Cake with Candied Pecans

A rich, dense pound cake made with olive oil and maple yogurt, a maple glaze, and scratch-made candied pecans spiced with a touch of cinnamon

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword maple, pound cake, yogurt

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 10

Author LeAnne

Ingredients

The cake

• zest of 1 orange
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs room temperature
• ¾ cup mild olive oil
• ¾ cup Brown Cow Cream Top Maple Yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

The Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon Brown Cow Cream Top Maple Yogurt
• 2 teaspoons water

Candied Pecans

• 1 cup roughly chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• generous pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Make the Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8"x4" loaf pan with parchment paper. Spray the sides with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium size bowl, combine 1/3 cup of the sugar and the orange zest. Use your fingertips to rub the orange zest into the sugar, until the sugar is all golden in color and fragrant. Add the flour, kosher salt, baking powder, and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar to the bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly.

3. In a separate medium size bowl, combine the maple yogurt, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and whisk to combine until no dry patches of flour remain, and all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake for 55-60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway though. The top should be very golden brown, and a toothpick should come out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan, and continue cooling completely before glazing.

Prepare the glaze

1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, yogurt, water, and pinch of salt. Whisk well until no clumps of powder sugar remain. When the cake is completely cool, pour all over the cake.

Make the Candied Pecans

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, combine the pecans, sugar, and ground cinnamon. Use a wooden spoon to combine. Stir occasionally until the sugar begins to dissolve, about 3-4 minutes. Continue to stir as the sugar dissolved, making sure that all of the pecans are coated with the melted sugar, another 2-3 minutes.

3. Pour the candied pecans out on the prepared baking sheet, then use the spoon to break them up and separate them a bit. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Sprinkle on top of the glazed cake.

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