🌟 Why You’ll Fall in Love With This Cake
✅ Moist, tender crumb – Thanks to buttermilk and brown sugar
✅ Loaded with real pecans – Toasted for maximum nutty depth
✅ Warm praline glaze – Made from scratch, poured hot over the top
✅ No fancy tools needed – Mix by hand or stand mixer
✅ Crowd-pleasing favorite – Disappears fast at gatherings!
This isn’t just cake. It’s comfort food with a crown.
🍰 Pecan Praline Cake
Serves 12 | Prep: 20 min | Bake: 30–35 min | Glaze: 10 min | Total: ~1 hr 15 min + cooling
🛒 Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar (for caramel notes)
½ cup (1 stick / 113g) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup (120ml) buttermilk (or milk + ½ tbsp vinegar)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (plus extra for garnish)
For the Hot Praline Glaze:
½ cup (1 stick / 113g) unsalted butter
1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream or half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
1 cup whole pecans or pecan halves
🍯 Optional: Add 1 tbsp bourbon to the glaze for a Southern twist!
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
1️⃣ Prep & Preheat
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or 8x8 square pan (or line with parchment).
2️⃣ Toast the Pecans
Spread chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven 5–7 minutes until fragrant. Cool slightly.
3️⃣ Make the Cake Batter
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy (~2 mins).
Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
Fold in toasted pecans.
4️⃣ Bake
Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top.
Bake 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
🔥 Make & Pour the Praline Glaze
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.
Stir in brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt.
Bring to a gentle boil. Cook 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Stir in whole pecans.
⏳ Work quickly! While the cake is still warm, pour the hot glaze evenly over the top, letting it drip down the sides.
Let cool completely (about 1 hour) so the glaze sets into a glossy, slightly firm shell.
🍮 How to Serve
Slice and serve at room temperature.
Optional: Top with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Garnish with extra pecan halves for that bakery-style look.
💡 Pro Tip: For an elegant touch, drizzle with melted dark chocolate over the set glaze.
🌰 Variations & Pro Hacks
🍫 Chocolate Lover’s Version: Add ½ cup chocolate chips to the batter
🥃 Bourbon Praline Glaze: Stir 1–2 tbsp bourbon into the glaze — deepens flavor beautifully
🌱 Gluten-Free? Swap flour for a 1:1 GF blend (like Bob’s Red Mill)
🧊 Make Ahead? Bake cake up to 1 day ahead. Glaze just before serving for best texture
🍯 Sticky Glaze Fix: If glaze hardens too much, warm slices briefly (10 sec microwave) to soften
🧠 Why This Glaze Is So Good (It’s Science!)
The hot praline glaze undergoes a mini-candy transformation:
Sugar dissolves and thickens into a soft caramel when boiled with cream
Poured warm over warm cake, it soaks in slightly while setting on top
Result? A crackly-sweet crust with gooey pockets — like pralines baked right into the cake!
❤️ Final Thought: More Than Dessert — It’s a Celebration
This Pecan Praline Cake doesn’t whisper. It sings — in buttery, nutty, caramel tones that fill the kitchen and gather people around the table.
It’s the kind of cake that earns compliments not because it’s fussy, but because it’s full of heart. The kind Nana would nod at and say, “Now that’s how you treat folks.”
So whether you’re making it for Thanksgiving, a birthday, or “just because,” know this: you’re not just baking a cake.
You’re making a moment worth remembering.