Pecan Pie Cake
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This Southern pecan pie cake recipe features all those irresistible pecan pie flavors in cake form. With a caramelized brown sugar and pecan layer on top of the cake, it’s decadent and delicious!
Hands up who loves pecan pie? It’s definitely one of the most popular desserts to enjoy during the holidays and throughout fall. There’s just something about the delicious combination of caramelized brown sugar and chopped pecans that has you coming back for more, right?
Well, with this pecan pie cake recipe (a Southern dessert specialty I might add), we take those flavors and add them on top of a box cake mix. The end result is a cake that’s decadent, rich, and moist. It’s almost like a dump cake!
Fortunately, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make this delicious holiday dessert. All you need are 7 ingredients (cake mix, butter, light corn syrup, eggs, dark brown sugar, vanilla, and pecans) and a stand mixer. Once you mix and bake the cake layer, you then mix and bake the gooey and sweet pecan pie layer. That’s it! Enjoy a slice of pecan pie cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
Speaking of Thanksgiving and Christmas, a few of my other favorite desserts include my easy pumpkin pie recipe from scratch, pecan pie cheesecake, pumpkin praline cake with cream cheese icing, and loaded sweet potatoes with marshmallows.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter cake or yellow cake mix
- Melted butter (or margarine)
- Light corn syrup
- Eggs
- Dark brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Chopped pecans
How to Make Pecan Pie Cake
Mix the cake mix, 1 egg, and melted butter until well blended.
Reserve 2/3 cup of this batter.
Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
Spread the remaining cake batter into this pan and bake at 325 for 15 minutes, or until just lightly brown.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the reserved 2/3 cup of batter, syrup, remaining eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and pecans.
Pour the on top of the cake layer.
Cook at 325 for 50-60 minutes or until set in the center.
Doesn’t that look exactly like a pecan pie?
But hiding underneath is a fluffy cake. What more could you want?
Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
Enjoy!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend reheating leftovers quickly in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- Use any box cake mix you like. You might even want to enhance the pecan flavor and opt for a butter pecan cake mix.
- You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you choose the latter, I’d also add a pinch of salt.
- You can also use either or dark .
Recipe FAQs
How do you serve pecan pie cake?
There’s nothing better than a slice of Southern pecan pie cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But it also tastes great on its own or with some fresh whipped cream.
You may also like these other pecan recipes:
Butter Pecan Shortbread Chippers
Candied Pecans Recipe: Family and Friends Favorite
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake or butter cake mix
- 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine, I don’t judge
- 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Mix cake mix, 1 egg, and melted butter until well blended. Reserve 2/3 cup of this batter.1 box yellow cake or butter cake mix, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter
- Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spread the remaining cake batter into this pan and bake at 325 for 15 minutes, or until just lightly browned.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the reserved 2/3 cup of batter, syrup, 3 eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and pecans.1 1/2 cups light corn syrup, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
- Pour the pecan mixture on top of the cake layer and cook at 325 for 50-60 minutes, until set in the center.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
Enjoy!
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Nutrition
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes.
The cake looks delish! Must try it soon, love anything puh-khan pie!
Your sunny disposition even in the face of adversity is just amazing Christy, thank you for always inspiring me. I can tell who has ahold of your heart 🙂
This is my first time on this message site – so I’m curious about the reference to your accident and breaking a leg or whatever. Hope you are doing okay. I also have to tell you I love your Southern Plate Classics cookbook/magazine! I wish all cookbooks were designed like this with complete menus – it makes life so much easier. And if I don’t like an item in the menu at least I have a reference for what kind of item I need to look for to replace it (hope that makes sense). Sorry to say, I can’t find my copy (probably left it at someone’s house) and I just ordered another one because I haven’t used all the menus, yet. Thanks so much for your recipes and words of wisdom. So glad I found you! PS I think I pronounce it pee-kauhn, but after trying out all the different ways to say it, I’m not sure what I say! 🙂
Hi, SheilaMay! Welcome to the Southern Plate Family! In the upper right corner of the page you’ll find recent posts; check out the “100 Reasons Why I’m Not a Cowgirl” entries. These chronicle Christy’s recent horse-riding accident which left her with “two broke legs”.
Thanks Mary. Oh My – I thought it was a car accident. Will definitely read up on it, but from what I’ve been reading, the wheelchair doesn’t seem to slow her down!
Oh my gosh Christy, if I keep making these wonderful looking desserts I’m going to be to big to get through the door. I WILL be making this one very soon though. Love your column & your strong faith in God. After losing a daughter to cancer four years ago I’ve learned there is nothing worthy enough to wail or yell about. Our amazing Lord has our lives in His hands & does an excellent job of taking care of us.
I grew up pronouncing pecan that way too. Until I was a teenager with a yankee boyfriend, who told me I sounded like a chicken, as in “puhk-puhk-puhKAHN!” Since then, I say puh-CAN. Also, in my house we say “greeblies” instead of woolyboogers, but a rose by any other name, etc.
The pie/cake recipe will be a keeper! Thanks!
Okay, well I can handle just about any woolybooger, but I cannot handle getting an immunization! Shots freak me out! Fortunately, someone told me about EMLA cream, which you can get by prescription. Spread it on the place you’re going to get a shot, cover it up for two hours, wipe it off, and you don’t feel the needle! There’s also ELA-Max cream, which isn’t quite as potent, but is safer for kids, and you can get it behind the pharmacy counter without a prescription.
One woolybooger solved!! 😉
This sounds so good, I am considering making it to take to my family gathering in Sept.,
Praying your legs are healing quickly and perfectly.
Girl, that looks delish! If I can set aside the time to make the yellow cake from scratch, I can enter this yummy cake into our town fair! (No commercial packaged products allowed in the competition).
Praying for freedom from pain and speedy healing for you darlin.
God bless and keep up that positive attitude that radiates to the rest of us. *hugs*