Pumpkin Praline Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

This pumpkin praline cake is going to be your new favorite fall dessert, thanks to the lightly spiced and moist pumpkin cake, mouthwatering pecan praline, and a homemade cream cheese frosting.

Where do I begin with this delicious dessert? Once you have a bite, you’re going to instantly want to go back for seconds – it’s that good. It starts with a super moist and lightly pumpkin-spiced cake. Then we have the irresistible pecan praline layer between the cakes, which is so flavorful as it’s made with pecans, brown sugar, whipping cream, and butter. The final element is this homemade cream cheese frosting. Together, all these layers combine to make the most indulgent cake.

This pumpkin praline cake also makes a great fall or holiday dessert for your Thanksgiving table. Do you know what it would pair with perfectly? My sugar-free pumpkin spice latte. There’s no such thing as too much pumpkin in my book!

Speaking of pumpkin recipes, here are some more of my favorite pumpkin desserts: no-bake pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese icing, pumpkin crumb cake, and pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls.

Recipe Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 box Super Moist yellow cake mix
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix/filling)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• Cream cheese frosting from Southern Plate (see below and in recipe card)
• Caramel topping, if desired
• Additional coarsely chopped pecans, if desired

Heat oven to 325°F. In a 1-quart heavy saucepan, stir together one stick butter, whipping cream, and brown sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted.

Pour pecan praline into two ungreased 9 or 8-inch round cake pans.

Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup pecans.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs, and 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice (save the rest for the icing) with an electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture in each pan.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.

Cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans to the cooling rack. Cooling them in the pans for an extended time will make the praline mixture stick to the pan, which we definitely don’t want. Cool completely, or for about 1 hour.

In the meantime, make your cream cheese icing with the following ingredients:

Cream Cheese Icing ingredients are:

• Powdered sugar
• Butter, softened
• Brick of Cream Cheese softened (visit this post for our easy homemade cream cheese recipe).
• Vanilla

Mix these ingredients together until smooth

and stir the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice into icing.

To assemble the cake, place 1 cake layer, praline side up, on a serving plate.

Spread with half of the frosting.

Top with the second layer, praline side up.

Spread the remaining frosting to the edge of the layer.

Drizzle with caramel topping and additional pecans.  For additional flavor, add toasted pecans (just toast them quickly on a cookie sheet in the oven).

Storage

Store your pumpkin praline cake loosely covered in the fridge for up to five days.

Recipe Notes

• If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice available, you could do 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger instead.
• You can serve the cake chilled, at room temperature, or heated for 20 seconds in the microwave.
• For a spiced bourbon cream cheese frosting, follow the frosting instructions but add in one quarter cup of bourbon and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp ground cloves.
• If you’d prefer, you can bake the cake in a 9×13-inch pan. Cooking time will need to be adjusted to approximately 30 minutes.
• Make sure your cake layers are cooled before you add the icing, otherwise it will slide right off!
• Now, this cake is pretty indulgent as is, but you can also serve it with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe FAQs

Do I have to use pecans for this praline pumpkin cake?

Well, pecans make the praline a praline, so technically yes. However, if you’d prefer not to use pecans, you can use walnuts instead.

Can I make this pumpkin cake recipe ahead of time?

Absolutely. Bake and assemble the cake and then keep it in a cake container or loosely covered in the fridge overnight. Keeping it in the fridge ensures your cream cheese icing won’t melt. Take the cake out of the fridge about an hour before serving.

Here are some more sensational cakes to bake this fall:

Vegan Sweet Potato Cake With Maple Cashew Icing

Easy Birthday Cake Recipe From Scratch

Texas Turtle Sheet Cake

Sock It To Me Cake Recipe From Scratch

Chocoholic Cake

Super Easy King Cake Recipe (WOW GOOD!)