Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch tube pan. Cut out a piece of waxed paper to fit in the bottom of the pan, and grease and flour the paper. Beat the sugar and butter together until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour, and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a rack. Cool and remove the cake from the pan. Peel off the paper. To make the icing: Brown the pecans in butter in a skillet. Add the sugar and vanilla. Bring to a spreading consistency with the evaporated milk. Spread over the cake while warm.
Source: "New Southern Cooking", Nathalie Dupree,(Jewell Hoefer), Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1986
