In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the brown sugar pecan ribbon (brown sugar, pecans, melted brown butter) and set aside.
Whisk the cake flour, pecan meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until combined.
Then add in the eggs and vanilla extract together until smooth.
Stir in about half of the flour mixture.
Then stir in the buttermilk, bourbon, and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
Prepare your bundt pan by spraying thoroughly with a vegetable oil based pan spray.
Pour about half cake batter into your prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
Then sprinkle the brown sugar pecan mixture over the top and cover with the rest of the batter.
Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the middle of the cake comes out clean. Note: Pans with a darker interior will cook faster, as will a smaller 5-6 cup bundt pan. Start checking at 30-35 minutes in those cases.
Remove from the oven and let the cake rest in the pan for 1-2 minutes.
Use a butter knife and gently slide it between the cake and pan around the edges and the center hole. Place a cooling rack on top of the bundt pan and turn over. It should fall right out but if it doesn’t let it sit for a couple minutes and then tap the top of the pan to gently coax it out of the pan.
Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature before glazing.
To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, brown butter, and bourbon until smooth. Add in heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze is a thick, but pourable consistency.
Drizzle the bourbon glaze over the top of the cake.
If desired, garnish with some finely chopped pecans! You could also use pecan halves for a different look.
Notes
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. This recipe is designed for a 10-12 cup bundt pan. Simply halve the recipe for a 5-6 cup bundt!To make brown butter: melt unsalted butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch closely for the butter to develop brown specs and a nutty aroma. Once you start seeing brown specs, let cook for just a few seconds longer (watch very carefully or it will burn). Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl so that it doesn't continue to cook. Set aside and let cool for 10-20 minutes before using. Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.