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Home » Recipes » Cake

Caramel Pecan Cake

April 7, 2021 by Lynn 1 Comment

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This Caramel Pecan Cake has a topping of whipped Mascarpone and Double Cream, Chopped Pecans, and a dusting of homemade Caramel Brittle. It's an ideal recipe for an afternoon tea or grace any cafe menu.

Cake with a clise cut out

A Few Notes about the Ingredients.

You will find a full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.

  • Butter - Unsalted butter. Margarine will be fine, but the taste will differ.
  • Sugar - Using a mix of soft light and dark brown sugars helps to give your cake a rich toffee flavour that you will not get if you use white refined sugar.
  • Eggs - Medium eggs, organic and free range if you can.
  • Vanilla - Use extract and not essence or make your own Homemade Vanilla extract for next time.
  • Flour - Self Raising flour. You can use plain flour, but you will need to add baking powder.
  • Nuts - Pecan Nuts, or any nuts will be fine. Remember to keep a few of them whole for decorating.
  • Caramel Brittle - Optional. This is the recipe to use for Caramel Brittle. Demerara Sugar is a good alternative.
  • Mascarpone and cream - When mixed together they make a good stable cream to top any cake. You could make buttercream as an alternative if you wish.

I love making sheet cakes and traybakes. As a single layer cake they take less time to bake than deep sided cakes and are easier to slice in nice equal portions.

Slices of cake on a plate

How to Make a Caramel Pecan Cake

Before you begin, a word about the Caramel Brittle. If you are decorating this cake with a dusting of Caramel Pecan/Plain Brittle, you must make the brittle first. This is the recipe for Pecan Brittle, you can omit the nuts and make it a plain caramel in the same way.

There's no pressure to make this, it's optional, but it does add a lovely caramel crunch to the topping. Bookmark the recipe in your browser using Grow.me. A scattering of Brittle works great with a lot of other recipes.

Let's Get Baking

Start by preheating the oven at 180 deg conventional or (160 deg fan assisted) and have all your ingredients weighed out and ready to bake. Make sure that the tin you are using is a shallow 29cm x 19 cm 2cm/1inch deep oblong tin or similar, is greased and lined with baking parchment.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour in between each one. This will help prevent any curdling. Mix until well combined.

Add the remaining flour, chopped pecans and vanilla extract. Mix together until well combined.

Add the remaining flour, chopped pecans and vanilla extract. Mix together until well combined. Pour the cake mixture evenly into the prepared tin. Bake for 25 - 30 mins or until baked, testing the centre of the cake, in different areas, with a skewer until it comes out clean.

Leave in the tin to cool for about 10 mins, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Cream Topping

whipped cream and mascarpone in a white micing bowl

Beat the Mascarpone and the icing sugar together until well combined. Add the double cream and vanilla extract. Mix until you have a thick spreadable consistency. Leave in the fridge until you are ready to use.

Pecan Cake with a slice cut out.

When your cake has cooled completely, spread the cream mixture evenly over the top of your cake. If you are feeling creative, use a piping bag with your favourite nozzle and pipe swirls of rosettes.

Decorate with crushed and whole Pecans followed by a scattering of Caramel Brittle if using. If you have forgotten to make the caramel brittle, demerara sugar is a good alternative.

Because of the fresh cream topping, this Cake must be kept in the fridge and will keep for up to a couple of days.

Other Caramel Cake Recipes that you may like to try.

Caramel Pecan Brittle Swiss Roll This recipe can also be found in my Cook Book 'A Year of Cake'.

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Overhead shot of cake with a slice cut out
Pecan Cake with a slice cut out.

Caramel Pecan Cake

Lynn Hill
This Caramel flavoured Pecan Cake has a topping of whipped Mascarpone and Double Cream, Chopped Pecans, and a dusting of homemade Caramel Brittle. It's an ideal recipe for an afternoon tea or grace any cafe menu.
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe!
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Course Afternoon Tea
Cuisine British
Servings 12 Slices
Calories 431 kcal

Equipment

  • Tray bake or sheet cake tin 29cm x 19cm x 2cm
  • Baking Parchment
  • Cake Skewer

INGREDIENTS

Make Caramel Brittle (optional) see my note below

    For the cake

    • 200 g butter softened
    • 100 g soft light brown sugar
    • 100 g soft dark brown sugar
    • 4 medium eggs
    • 200 g self raising flour
    • ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 50 g pecans roughly chopped

    For the Topping

    • 130 g mascarpone
    • 1 tablespoon icing sugar sieved
    • 200 g double cream
    • ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
    • 50 grams pecans roughly chopped leave a few whole
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    Caramel Brittle

    • If you are decorating with Caramel Pecan Brittle or Plain Caramel Brittle, now is the time to make it first. See my note below for the link to the recipe. Demerara Sugar would make a good alternative.

    Make the cake

    • Preheat the oven to 180deg conventional or 160deg fan assisted. Grease and line the base of a shallow 29cm x 19 cm oblong tin or similar. At least 2cm/1inch deep.
    • Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
    • Gradually add the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour in between each one. This will help prevent too much curdling. Mix until well combined.
    • Add the remaining flour, chopped pecans and vanilla extract. Mix together until well combined.
    • Pour the cake mixture evenly into the prepared tin. Bake for 25 - 30 mins or until baked. Testing the centre of the cake, in different areas, with a skewer until it comes out clean.
    • Leave in the tin to cool for about 10 mins, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
    • Beat the Mascarpone and the icing sugar together until well combined.
    • Add the double cream and vanilla extract. Mix until you have a thick spreadable consistancy. Leave in the fridge until you are ready to decorate your cake.
    • When your cake has cooled completely, spread the cream mixture evenly over your cake. Or use a piping bag with your favourite nozzle and pipe swirlz of rossettes on the top of the cake.
    • Decorate with crushed and whole Pecans followed by a scattering of Caramel Brittle if using. See my note below for the link to the recipe for Caramel Brittle.

    Notes

    Caramel Pecan/Plain Brittle (Optional) Make a portion of this Easy Caramel Pecan Brittle with our without the nuts, to decorate the top of your cake. It's optional and does make your cake taste and look even more delicious. 
    Demerara Sugar will make a good alternative to Caramel Brittle if you prefer.
    This cake will keep for up to a couple of days,s but must be kept in the fridge. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 431kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 6gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 157mgPotassium: 110mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 897IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword brown sugar, Caramel Brittle, Pecan
    Did you Make this Recipe? Tag it Today!Let me know how you got on. Tag me on Facebook at @TraditionalHomeBakingTHB and include hashtag #TraditionalHomeBaking
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    Comments

    1. Choclette

      September 26, 2021 at 2:41 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so good Lynn. Love the flavours and the pecan caramel brittle is literally the icing on the cake. The crumb structure looks perfect too.

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