Pecan Pie Cake
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!
Video
Nutrition
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes.
Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! I made this for my book group and they all demanded the recipe. My husband said, “Wow. That actually tastes like pecan pie! So this was a big hit in Boise, Idaho. Thanks.
We say Pecan the same way in my house. Except for some reason i am the only one in the family to say it that way. everyone else makes it sound like Pee Can and i cant stand it that way LOL Hope you are healing well. i enjoy keeping up with your adventures.
This pecan pie cake is absolutely amazing! I had a group of ladies for dinner the other night and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. My husband and I sampled it before the ladies arrived, and we ate a large chunk! He said it was one of the best desserts ever! So, make this recipe! If you love pecan pie, you will not be disappointed. It is delicious!
Christy, your blog is inspiring – your positive attitude is contagious! Hope you are feeling better and stronger every day.
A Question:
Everyone knows that toasting, or roasting pecans (and many other nuts) in the oven for 10 or so minutes brings out their best aroma and flavor.
Would recipes that call for pecans taste better if you pre-toasted the pecans, or does the baking called for in the recipe accomplish the same result?
Christy – as usualy your writing makes my day so much brighter! I wish I would have read this yesterday! Of course, I wailed and carried on about something so insignificant! You inspire me!
Christy,
I don’t think you know much your pep talks and inspirational posts do for me. The last one that really affected me was the one about being really hard to offend. Now this one today really hits close to home. I’m in a bad situation right now. I could wail and carry on (and by that, I mean take it out on my husband). But I shouldn’t. I’m not sure I can drown it with anything but patience. So, I’m just going to keep myself so busy that I don’t notice the time passing by.
Thanks for being so great. Thanks for sharing so much with us.
xo,
Christina
Thank you and I am so sorry to hear that you have some bad stuff going on right now Christina. I will add you to my prayer list. I hope things get better soon.
This is the first time I have been to your website and I am so pleased that I found it!!! The Pecan Pie (southern spelling) sounds great but I love your messages. While I live in the PNW, I am really a down home girl at heart. Born in Arkansas, miss all of the southern and midwestern everything. I’m going to try this cake and also try to freeze the apples. Thank you and looking forward to more interesting messages and recipes.
Welcome to Southern Plate Gaye!!! I am so glad to have you here and I hope you enjoy the recipes!!