This beautiful sweet pecan kugel was passed along to my mother many years ago and she’s been making it at holiday parties ever since I was a child.
Sweet Pecan Kugel
This beautiful sweet pecan kugel was passed along to my mother many years ago and she’s been making it at holiday parties ever since I was a child. We have a variety of kugels in the family but this is a particular favorite of mine. It’s sweet, but it’s versatile. It can accompany breakfast or a light lunch, and it works well as a side dish with meat, chicken or fish for dinner. And it works great as a dessert! You make it very much like an upside down cake, flipping it over after it’s done baking and has cooled for a few minutes. You can make the first part (the topping) one or two days beforehand and leave it covered in the refrigerator. You can make the entire kugel ahead of time and freeze it; defrosting it the day before you use it. Enjoy!
Sweet Pecan Kugel
Ingredients
Topping:
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large package whole pecans
Filling:
- 16 ounce bag broad egg noodles
- 4 large eggs
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
To make the topping:
- Melt the butter and pour evenly into the bottom of a 10 1/2 inch Bundt pan.
- Add the brown sugar to the pan and it spread evenly all around, combining with the butter.
- Next you will be placing whole pecans into the butter/brown sugar mixture in a decorative, circular designs- one inner circle, one outer circle. Sort through the bag of pecans and select nuts that look pretty and are similar in size. You'll need approximately 40 pecans. Keep in mind that you will be turning this upside down at the end, so the top side of the pecan will be pressed down into the sugar mixture.
- Start with the inner circle and carefully line up whole pecans one by one, the end of each pecan touching the center pole of Bundt pan until you've created the circle.
- Next, move the the outer edge of the Bundt pan. End to end, carefully make a circle of pecans around the outer edge of the pan, pressing them slightly into the sugar/butter mixture.
- Place the Bundt pan in the refrigerator to set and harden for at least an hour.
To prepare the filling:
- Boil noodles for 3-5 minutes. Don't overcook them; they'll be cooking further in the oven. Drain well and set aside.
- Beat the eggs lightly.
- Add the sugar, melted butter, cinnamon and salt to eggs and combine evenly.
- Add egg mixture to the egg noodles.
To assemble the kugel:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Take chilled, set Bundt pan out of the refrigerator.
- If the egg/noodle mixture has settled, give it a quick stir. Carefully pour it into the Bundt pan. Spread the noodles evenly.
- Place the Bundt pan into the oven on the center rack. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then carefully run a knife along the edges or gently shake kugle to loosen.
- Using a pot holder, put a plate under the hot Bundt pan. Holding the Bundt pan firmly against the plate, invert the kugle. Carefully remove Bundt pan.
- Some of pecans may have dislodged; simply replace them into the circular design.
- Serve warm or room temperature.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
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This is really beautiful. I can’t wait to get all of these ingredients and try to make it at home!
Kugel! Oh my gosh, I have to share this recipe with my mom…she loves kugel and is always looking for a great recipe for it. Yours is so beautiful and sounds so good, too. Thank you!
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This is amazing and amazingly simple. :_) I have to try it.
Haha I’ve never heard of anything like this! Noodles in a cake?? I must research this Kugel business. I like that you make the most unexpected things. I learn so much from googling your recipes or ingredients!
:) It’s actually a casserole. The Bundt pan just gives it a shape.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kugel
What an amazing and unusual recipe…and you can freeze it, marvellous!
Looks like art! :-D
I’ve never had kugel but I imagined a noodle blob. You’ve made it gorgeous!
I’ve never seen anything like that before but it looks sooo yummy! :)
That looks amazing… Too pretty to cut in to!
Had to read this post just to find out WTH a keugel was. Very interesting. I might try this with shirataki noodles sometime.
Exotic! Should give it a try:)
WOW – it is simply beautiful! A real eye catcher and I can’t wait to try it!
Looks delicious!
My mom’s kugel has raisins and apples. Up until a few years ago, I didn’t even know there was another way to make it. My husband and kids don’t like it…they think sweet pasta is weird. Boo on them! I love your version.
When I was young my mother often made me egg noodles with butter, cinnamon and sugar so this was a natural progression for me. But I guess I can see how people who didn’t grow up with it might find it weird!