Pineapple Pecan Cream Cheese Pound Cake

👩‍🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep Your Kitchen & Toast the Nuts 🥜🔥

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C).
2. Generously grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or tube pan. (Pro-tip: Use a baking spray that contains flour to get into all the decorative crevices of your pan!)
3. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast your 1 cup of chopped pecans for 3 to 4 minutes until they are fragrant. Remove from heat and let them cool completely.

Step 2: Sift the Dry & Cream the Wet 🥣✨

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 cups of flour, ½ tsp of baking powder, and ½ tsp of salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer), beat the 1 cup of softened butter and 8 oz of cream cheese together on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).
3. Gradually add the 3 cups of granulated sugar, beating on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color.

Step 3: Add Eggs & Mix In the Tropical Goodness 🥚🍍

1. Turn your mixer down to low speed. Add the 6 eggs, one at a time, mixing just until the yellow yolk disappears before adding the next one.
2. Stir in the vanilla extract and pineapple extract.
3. Alternately add the dry flour mixture in three batches, mixing on low just until combined. Do not overmix, or the pound cake will become tough!
4. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the well-drained crushed pineapple and the 1 cup of cooled toasted pecans until evenly distributed throughout the thick batter.

Step 4: Bake to Golden Perfection ⏰🥧

1. Spoon the thick batter evenly into your prepared Bundt pan, smoothing out the top with your spatula.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Check it at the 1-hour mark—if the top is browning too fast, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top.
3. The cake is done when a long wooden skewer inserted deep into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
4. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then gently invert it onto a serving platter to cool completely.