Cake • 1 cup unsalted butter (226g) • 3 cups cake flour (333g) • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g) • 1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed (200g) • 1 teaspoon baking powder • ½ teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 ½ cups buttermilk room temp. (354ml) • 2 large eggs room temperature preferred • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract • 1 ½ cups pecan halves very finely chopped ((160g)

Icing • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened (340g) • 6 oz cream cheese softened • ⅓ cup light brown sugar firmly packed (66g) • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract • ¼ teaspoon salt • 4 ½ cups powdered sugar (562g) • 1 Tablespoon heavy cream • ⅓ cup pecan halves very finely chopped, optional (35g)

Place butter in a medium-sized pan and cook over medium heat until butter is melted. Increase heat to just above medium and cook, stirring frequently until you see golden brown specks.

Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Allow butter to cool completely (it should still be liquid, but should no longer be warm to the touch) before proceeding.

Measure pecans before chopping. To get my pecans very fine, I toss them in the food processor and pulse until they are fine. Do not pulse too far, or you’ll turn them into nut butter!

Remove pecans from food processor and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add browned butter to dry ingredients and use an electric mixer to stir on low-speed until thoroughly incorporated.

Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, then slowly drizzle into the flour mixture. Pause halfway through and at the end to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Stir in pecans until well incorporated.

Evenly divide batter into prepared baking sheets and bake in center rack of 350F oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan then carefully invert onto a cooling rack.

Make icing by combing butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until smooth. 

With mixer on low-speed, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined (pause to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula).

Add heavy cream and beat on high speed for 30 seconds, until frosting is smooth and silky. Mix until well combined. 

Level cakes if needed and decorate with frosting. I did a smooth, light covering for the sides of the cake with thicker frosting in between layers and on top. 

Then, decorate the top. I recommend using an Ateco 846 or Ateco 848 tip and add swirls around the edge. Slice and Enjoy!