Farmhouse Buttermilk Cake

And now to finish a few entries I started prior to my departure to France!  Just before leaving, I made this because I wanted to leave my hubby with a treat he'd enjoy munching on while I was away.  He loves pecans, I had buttermilk to use up--it worked out well lol.  In all seriousness, I will make this one again for sure--it is really, really delicious and not overwhelming like some cakes can be.

Link to original recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/farmhouse-buttermilk-cake-recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 c. unsalted butter
2 c. light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 c. all-purpose flour

6 T. melted butter
1 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. milk (I used skim)
1/8 tsp. salt
2/3 to 1 c. diced pecans (I believe I used 1 c.)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease a 9" x 13" cake pan.

2. Beat butter and brown sugar until smooth/creamy.

3. Add eggs, beat until smooth.

4. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla extract.

5. Add the baking soda, salt, and flour to the wet ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and transfer to oven.

7. Bake for 35 min.  Towards the end of baking time, prepare the topping.

8. In a medium sized bowl, stir together butter and sugar.

9. Add milk, salt, and pecans, stirring until combined.  The mixture will be thick but pourable.

10. Pour topping over the cake and return to oven for additional 10 min.

11. Remove cake from oven.  Note: the topping will still be runny in the middle--this is ok!  You'll need to wait for it to set for a few minutes before trying to cut/eat.  (I waited until the next day just to be sure that it was fully set.  Next time, I will bake the cake just a couple minutes longer, as the very center was a little too moist for my preference.)

12. Cut into pieces and enjoy!