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This Pecan Pie Layer Cake is made with moist layers of brown sugar cinnamon cake, homemade pecan pie filling and cinnamon frosting! It’s tastes like eating pecan pie, except you’re eating a delicious cake!
This post is sponsored by Challenge Dairy, but all opinions are my own.
Pecan Pie Meets Layer Cake
Pecan Pie Meets Layer CakeNow that Halloween has come and gone, it’s time to move on to the next holiday – Thanksgiving! The one problem is that I still have plenty of candy sitting in our kitchen. Our house sits at the top of a bit of a hill, so not as many kids come up to our house. Yet I still always get plenty of candy just in case. I just can’t help it.
This year I made the mistake of getting candy that I actually really like. With so many leftovers, I need to get rid of them quickly, otherwise I might eat it all myself! And that’s not good because I need to keep plenty of room for all the other holiday treats that will be coming in the next couple months. After all Thanksgiving is one of the best food holidays of the year!
So I’m kicking off the mad dash to Thanksgiving with this cake. It’s a fun twist on one of the classic pies. If you’re looking for a way to switch up your favorite pie, this cake is for you!
How to Make Pecan Pie Layer Cake
To start, there’s the pecan pie filling. It’s basically a straight pecan pie filling but it’s cooked over the stove, so it really is like eating pecan pie. The eggs serve as the thickener while the flavor is all about that dark brown sugar and pecans. You could use light brown sugar, but I definitely prefer the deeper flavor of the dark brown sugar.
The cake layers are a brown sugar and cinnamon spin on one of my favorite cakes. It’s wonderfully moist and fluffy! Just be sure to not skimp on the creaming of the butter and sugar. It adds air to the batter that helps give it the fluffiness that it needs. Speaking of the butter, I use Challenge butter. Challenge butter is 100% real cream and farm to fridge in two days. It really is so creamy! I always love that when I soften it to room temperature to bake with, I can really tell just how creamy it is and it stays that way, unlike other brands. Makes a wonderful cake! Find where to buy it using Challenge Dairy’s store locator.
And finally the cake is frosted with a cinnamon buttercream frosting. It finishes off the cake perfectly! The final combination is a wonderful twist on the pecan pie! The moist fluffy cake with the pecan pie filling and cinnamon frosting is a wonderful combination! I do recommend cutting the cake at room temperature. It will be a little easier to cut through the sticky filling.
This cake was a big hit for us, so I hope it’s a big hit for you as well!
Watch How To Make It
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Pecan Pie Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 23 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Pecan Pie Layer Cake is made with moist layers of brown sugar cinnamon cake, homemade pecan pie filling and cinnamon frosting! It’s tastes like eating pecan pie, except you’re eating a delicious cake!
Ingredients
PECAN PIE FILLING
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 3/4 cup (108g) dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Challenge unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups (200g) chopped pecans
CAKE LAYERS
- 3/4 cup (168g) Challenge unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (225g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (173g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water, room temperature
FROSTING
- 1 1/4 cup (280g) Challenge salted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (237g) shortening
- 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 5–6 tbsp (75-90ml) water or milk
- Additional pecan halves, for decorating
Instructions
1. To make the pecan pie filling, combine all ingredients except the pecans in a saucepan. Heat over medium until it begins to boil, stirring constantly.
2. Add the pecans and allow to boil for 30 seconds.
3. Remove mixture from the heat and refrigerate until cool and thickened.
TO MAKE THE CAKE LAYERS:
4. To make the cake layers, prepare three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
5. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
6. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
7. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
8. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine the milk and water in a small measuring cup.
9. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the milk mixture and mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
10. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for about 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
11. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
TO MAKE THE FROSTING AND ASSEMBLE CAKE:
12. To make the frosting, combine the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
13. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
14. Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon and 3-4 tablespoons of water or milk mix until well combined and smooth.
15. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until combined.
16. Add additional water or milk as needed to get the right consistency and mix until well combined and smooth.
17. To assemble the cake, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes.
18. Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Pipe a dam of frosting around the outside of the cake. I use Ateco tip 808 for the dam so that it’s tall.
19. Spread about 1/3 of the pecan pie filling evenly on top of the cake layer, inside the dam, then smooth out the dam of frosting so that it’s all even.
20. Add the second layer of cake and repeat the dam and pecan pie filling.
21. Add the final layer of cake on top, then smooth out the frosting around the sides of the cake.
22. Frost the outside of the cake. Feel free to use my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake.
23. Finish off the cake by piping a border around the top edge of the cake and filling it in with the remaining pecan pie filling. Press pecan halves into the sides of the cake.
24. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Cake is best for 2-3 days and best served at room tempe
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 1156
- Sugar: 122.9 g
- Sodium: 390.8 mg
- Fat: 62.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 145.8 g
- Protein: 9.6 g
- Cholesterol: 116.4 mg
Categories
Enjoy!
Hi Lindsay! Your pretend apprentice again with a question lol. So I’ve got 16 people to feed for Christmas so a layer cake is just begging people to be greedy with the slices. So I’m thinking about 13×9 but I was wondering your suggestion. I’ve seen other comments of it worked fine but no one is mentioning the filling. So my question is, is this thick enough in a 13×9 that I could cut in half lengthwise and sandwich it with the filling and a thin layer of frosting? Or would you recommend just putting the filling on top and maybe doing kind of a “poke” cake situation, then pipe frosting on the top? I thought about cupcakes but again….. where would the filling go?
I’ve been following you since before the twins and I can attribute all of my leveling up in baking to you. Your recipes are complex enough that I’m learning but not so complex that I struggle and I LOVE it! Thanks for all you do for us amateur bakers trying to impress family and friends 😅
First, thank you so much for following (and for so long!) and your lovely comments! It’s really great to hear that the recipes are fun and easy enough to make. 🙂
As for adjusting this one, I actually do have a great pecan pie cupcakes recipe and for that many people, you could double it. The filling goes in the middle of the cupcake. That might be the easiest route. But for a 9×13, the filling would work just fine. I do think when you take a layer cake and turn it into a 9×13, it can be a little more dense, so keep that in mind. I’d probably try to sandwich the filling between two layers, but you could put it on top of the cake. It’s just going to be too thick to soak into it, like a poke cake.
I hope that helps!
Thank you so much! I think I like the idea of sandwiching it better. I don’t want to waste the middle of the cupcakes lol. Thanks again and happy holidays!
Great! I hope you enjoy it!
Hi Lindsay, can I make the pecan pie filling ahead of time and freeze it? Thank you. The cake looks delicious, making it for my beautiful mothers’ 85th birthday 🎂
Hi Brenda, I’m very sorry for the delay. Life has been a little crazy on my end. You can make the pecan pie filling ahead and freeze it. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Looks delicious!
I have made a whole lot of your cupcake and cake recipes. I will say I have never had a “Fail” with any of them.
Each year my friend birthday is a day before mine in October (28 & 29) she has no family here. So I always make her a chocolate cake do some kind. Last year I took you
“Best Chocolate Cake” recipe and combined it with your Pecan Pie cake.
It was the most Decadent cake I have ever had. I would love to share a picture of it but I do not know where I can upload the picture to.
It was a big hit and so good.
Sounds delicious! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes!
Wonderful cake. First time I made it, I followed exactly the recipe but the frosting was too sweet, so I made it again with my own creamcheese frosting. It was a big hit, I had lots of compliments. I definitely try your other recipes. Thank you so much!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Chris! The combination of cakes sounds awesome! Did you make each cake and layer them separately or how did you combine them?
Hello! Just wondering if you’ve ever tried this as a 9×13 recipe? And if so, could you give me in any hints on how, or if, I need to adjust the quantities? Thanks!
I have not tried it. You don’t need to adjust the quantities for the cake, but I would reduce the baking temperature to 325. You would not need as much frosting. Maybe only about half of it. I’m not really sure how you’re picture adding the filling and frosting, but you could pipe a border around the outside of the cake, and then fill it with the filling. If you do something like that, you may need the full amount for the filling. I hope that helps.
I forgot to mention the shortening, I never use, so can I use all butter or something else? Thanks
Yes, you can use all butter.
Do I have to use corn syrup, I don’t use it? Can I use maple syrup?
Pecan pie is typically made with corn syrup. I’ve seen recipes that don’t use it, but I imagine they are fairly different. You could try maple syrup, it just would likely give it a pretty different flavor.