Southern Pecan Praline Cake with Butter Sauce
This Southern Pecan Praline Cake with Butter Sauce is so scrumptious that no one will know it’s made with a cake mix! All topped with an easy, sweet butter sauce!
AN EASY SOUTHERN STYLE CAKE
I promise you have never had a cake like this before. This cake is so incredibly moist and flavorful. It might seem weird to add frosting to the cake batter before baking but it totally works and makes this such a unique and absolutely delicious cake. The butter sauce is optional because this cake is so delicious on its own but I think it adds a little something special when serving. I promise this will become a new favorite cake and everyone will be begging for the recipe!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I get this question a lot. All I’m gonna say is I have made this cake SO many times for coconut haters and they love it. You can’t even really taste the coconut that is in the frosting and you don’t even see the pieces of coconut in it. Unfortunately, I have not found an acceptable substitute yet for this flavor and consistency. It’s the same frosting used for German chocolate cake. I suppose you could try to make the frosting homemade and just maybe leave out the coconut.
If you or someone are serving this to just cannot stand any type of coconut at all or if you are allergic, then this cake is definitely not for you.
This recipe really relies on these specific ingredients. It just won’t taste the same with substitutes because I’ve tried. Again, this cake is reliant on using these exact ingredients.
Yes it can. It would need to be frozen without the sauce on top through. Wrap it very well to prevent freezer burn and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes. Bake for about 50 minutes. I highly recommend spraying the bundt pan very well with a nonstick spray that has flour in it (like Baker’s Joy or Pam Baking Spray.)
When I first shared this recipe in 2012, cake mixes were 18.25 ounces. Some brands, like Betty Crocker, are now 13.25 ounces. As of writing this, Duncan Hines is 15.25 ounces. I believe only Betty Crocker makes the butter pecan flavor. This recipe still works without any changes. The cake may not be as thick but it will works the same way. Just keep an eye on baking time as all ovens can bake just a bit differently since many have hot spots. So you may need to adjust the baking time slightly.
It does not unless you’ve poured the sauce on top. I prefer to pour the sauce on to individual toppings. But if you’ve opted to pour it over the entire cake, then you’ll need to keep the cake refrigerated. Otherwise, just cover and it can be kept on the counter for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- butter pecan cake mix – it has to be the butter pecan cake mix. Unfortunately I have not found a good substitute. This is just one of those recipes where you must use the ingredients as listed. If you can’t find them then I would not try making this recipe.
- coconut pecan frosting – this recipe only works with this type of frosting. If you don’t like coconut then this recipe is not for you.
- eggs – if you have time, let the eggs come to room temperature. This helps them mix into the batter easier.
- oil and water – you are NOT using the amounts on the back of the box. Please use the amounts that I have listed exactly.
- chopped pecans – if you are not a huge fan of pecans you can leave them out but remember that there is pecan flavor in the cake mix and there are pecans also in the frosting so you will to be getting rid of the pecans completely.
- sweetened condensed milk – you don’t have to make the sauce if you don’t want since this cake is super flavorful on its own but it is nice to have on the side for anyone who would like some.
- butter – it needs to be real butter and not margarine.
HOW TO MAKE PECAN PRALINE CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it). In a medium bowl (or your stand mixer bowl), combine all the cake ingredients except for the chopped pecans. Don’t forget to add the tub of coconut pecan frosting. That goes into the cake batter too! I just dump it all in there then let the mixer do the work.
Once it’s all combined, stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
Pour batter into greased baking dish. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. As with most baked goods, oven times vary but cake should spring back to the touch and be golden brown. And if you insert a toothpick into the middle it should come out clean.
This cake is perfectly good just like this. It is moist and yummy. But we’re gonna take it up a notch with some butter sauce. In a small pot over medium heat, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter. Pour in can of sweetened condensed milk with the melted butter and stir. Continue to stir until heated thoroughly, then add 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Stir again then take off heat.
Then spoon this deliciously yummy sauce over individual slices of cake. I pour the sauce over the individual slices instead of just pouring it over the whole cake because I love to be able to scoop up some of the sauce off my plate as I eat it and I don’t want the sauce to just become part of the cake. But you can definitely do that if you need to take this to a gathering.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Southern Pecan Pralines
- Butter Pecan Poke Cake
- Southern Pecan Cake Bars
- Italian Cream Cake
- Southern Pecan Pie
- Watergate Cake
- Southern Pecan Pound Cake
- Pistachio Cake
- Italian Love Cake
- White Texas Sheet Cake
- Southern Pound Cake
- Homemade Gooey Butter Cake
Originally published: November 2012
Updated photos & republished: February 2024
Southern Pecan Praline Cake with Butter Sauce
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 box butter pecan cake mix
- 1 tub coconut pecan frosting
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup chopped pecans
For the sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9"x 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl (or your stand mixer bowl), combine 1 box butter pecan cake mix, 1 tub coconut pecan frosting, 4 large eggs, 3/4 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup water. Mix very well.
- Then stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes. Oven times vary but cake should spring back to the touch and be golden brown. Or insert a toothpick into the middle it should come out clean.
- For the sauce: In a small pot over medium heat (or in a microwave), melt 2 Tablespoons salted butter.
- Pour in 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk with the melted butter and stir.
- Continue to stir until heated thoroughly, then add 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Stir again then take off heat.
- Then spoon this deliciously yummy sauce over individual slices of cake when serving. Or pour it all over the whole cake.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can also make this in a bundt pan. Bake for about 50 minutes.
- I prefer to pour the sauce over the individual slices. I think it makes a prettier presentation but you don’t have to do that. You can just pour all of the sauce over the entire cake.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I just bought the stuff at walmart to make this later today. I can't wait. It looks so good.
Karen
I am going to try this cake with yellow cake mix and homemade cream cheese icing.
Would love to know how it turns out for you!
I make a cake similar to this but use jarred caramel sauce over it…super easy and sooooo good. I will have to try this with the pecans. As for the coconut you can't even tell it is in there, no one in family even noticed.
Thanks for posting, I am new to your site and just love it.
Ooooh caramel, sounds heavenly! And thank you for mentioning about not being able to taste the coconut. I tell people that all the time. The frosting really just adds great flavor but no one ever can usually detect the coconut. 🙂
Does this need to be made in a glass dish? I wanted to make it to take and I have a great "carrier" cake pan where you bake & take, but it is metal. By the way, I LOVE your site and have made so many of your recipes! Thank you!!
Renee, that shouldn't be a problem at all. I have a carrier cake pan that is metal and it turns out fine. As long as you spray it really well with nonstick spray 🙂
can you use individual servings of the sauce and maybe put it in the fridge for a while. Will this keep for a couple of days to heat just what you need at the given time?
I just found your blog and have enjoyed looking at all of your recipes. My question is this : does the coconut pecan frosting play an integral part in the flavor of the cake or can I substitute another flavor since I am allergic to coconut and would like to be able to enjoy this with my family.
Hi Amber! Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that you are allergic to coconut. It really is a big part of this cake. I wonder if you could make your own pecan frosting but without the coconut? and add that to it. I don't know if you want to go through all that trouble though and I'm not sure how much it would change the consistency. Or you could try making this cake without the frosting and then while warm, poke small holes in the cake and add the sweetened condensed milk on top followed by chopped pecans. It won't taste exactly the same but I'm sure it would still be pretty yummy!
Amber Reilly, I do not like coconut flavor at all. The first time I baked this delicious cake, I did use the coconut pecan frosting . . . and YES, I could taste it. ????
So this time I used Salted Caramel Frosting- I think it will taste amazingly awesome. Try it!
I just made this this evening for my husbands birthday because he is a butter pecan LOVER! We have had the butter pecan cake mix and store bought icing before and it was really good. So I could wait to make this with these variations. It was WONDERFUL!!!! It is amazing how something so SIMPLE could taste this good. I think I will try it as a poke cake next too. I was worried that since it is so watery that it may make the cake mushy. Anyone tried it as a poke cake yet?
Thank you so much!! This would be great if you poked holes and poured the sweetened condensed milk on top. 🙂
I am making this tonight to take to work tomorrow as a treat. Not going to be really feasible to keep the sauce heated for pouring over individual slices. Any thoughts or ideas on maybe doing the "poke" type cake or just pouring over the top as a glaze? Should I wait til in morning or go ahead and do it tonight? Help!
I think that should work just fine. It will be great as a poke cake or even just drizzling it on top 🙂
I made this with a German chocolate cake mix and it was great… I think I will try doing it as a poke cake next 🙂
Thank you for letting me know how it turned out with the German Chocolate Cake. Sounds really good!
I am wondering how this would be as a poke cake letting the butter sauce ooze down into the cake? I want to take this to work and think it would be easier to have the sauce already on the cake. What do you think?
Donna, sorry I am so late in seeing this. I hope it worked out good for ya. But yes, a poke cake or even just drizzling it on top would be great!
I found your Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole recipe a few months ago and finally got around to making it today. But while I was digging up the recipe before my run to the grocery store, I started poking around at your other recipes, and I just couldn't pass this one up. So I bought the ingredients for this as well, and made it after dinner tonight. OMG, YUM!!!! Just amazing. I did make a bit of a tweak to the sauce, though – I realized as I was putting it together that it appealed to me b/c it reminded me of one of my favorite restaurant desserts, Applebee's Maple Butter Blondie. So on a whim, I added some more butter (another 2-3 Tbsp, I think) and then around 1/2 cup of maple syrup. It turned out so similar to their sauce – we all just loved it! Applebee's serves theirs with vanilla ice cream and pours the sauce over that, too. I think I may have to try that next time!
Sounds amazing!
This was a birthday cake for the pecan-loving boyfriend's 30th birthday, and it came out so beautiful and delicious. I was scared of the sweetened condensed milk because I hate the flavor but a few minutes stirring over the heat with the butter and then the pecans and it became a delicious sweet sauce with no trace of its origins. I used your example and baked in glass rather than metal and it prevented my temperamental bottom-burning oven from ruining the cake. Another hit, thank you!
That is so great to hear Beverly! Thank you for letting me know!
I have this cake in the oven right now! I will let you know how it turns out.
This looks so yummy! I think I might try adding a little cinnamon to the icing mixture! 🙂
This a great recipe. Something quick to bake and has a great taste. And the glaze with thepecans makes it extra special, if you like nuts.
This cake is wreaking havoc on my weight loss goals! I've already eaten two pieces. It's incredible. Is the sauce supposed to be thin (like milk) or thicker (like a glaze)? I couldn't seem to get it to thicken, no matter how long I let it cook. It was still phenomenal, though! The sauce soaked into the cake and… mmm! I better quit, before I talk myself into another piece! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Oh Brandi…You had me at "dump a tub of coconut pecan frosting" into the cake batter!
Haha Kari!
I can't find the cake mix anywhere. Can u use just a butter flavored cake mix?
I would think that you could use a yellow cake mix and put a little pecan extract and a tiny bit of coconut extract and get the same result. Maybe not "quite" as good as the original cake mix but if you haven't had them that way, you would probably love it!
How about putting Butterscotch Instant Pudding and pecans in a white cake mix. That might mimic the butter pecan flavor.
Sounds good to me! Let me know if you try it!
It is remarkable!! I found a can of milk with caramel in it. That added to the flavor. Thanks
They sell it at Walmart
I will say that I have only ever made this with the Pecan Cake Mix. So truthfully your guess is as good as mine whether it will be yummy with another kind of cake mix. The pecan cake mix has such a unique flavor that I just don't know how this will turn out with another flavor. If you try it, I'd love to know how it turns out for you!
My family LOVES every single recipe Ive tried from you and I know this cake will not disappoint either. I am going to make this one right now… Thank for sharing 🙂
You, ma'am, for no reason in particular…are awesome! I am going to try this recipe. I am a decent country cook, but as a guy, I cannot bake to save my life, but I think you and this recipe may be my shot at a second chance at baking!
AC
This recipe was delicious, but I found it impossible to find any store that carried the Butter Pecan cake mix. I had to order from a private company and then had to order a minimum of 6. I tried Walmart and every other market.
I found the cake mix at Walmart but I had to get the icing at Kroger.
I found it and the icing at Walmart just a week ago.
I order mine through shop foods ex.and you can offer box
What makes a butter pecan cake mix different from a butter cake mix? I have a butter mix. Don't ever remember seeing butter pecan mix at the store. Is there something I could just add to the butter? THANKS
Omg this looks soooo yummmy…one question do you wait till the cake cools down before adding the sauce or do you eat the cake warm with the sauce…..love your blog…jasmine
Adding ing. to my gro list …plan on making this for our church family Christmas get-together next Sun..can not wait. Normally pecans are a luxury item..but I just happen to have about 3full bags in the freezers..I just live it when I don't have to skimp on the pecans.
Pinned!
I want to thank you for this recipe. I cook all the dinners and special events for our church and today was a women's event and I made this as one of the desserts and it was a big hit! There is a grouchy lady who is not very kind and when she ate this cake she smiled and asked for another piece. Got me to thinking how much of an effect food really does have on people.
I am baking this cake as we speak! I can not wait to taste it, and i hope the family enjoys it!! I'll post later.Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
Made this for Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit, everyone loved it and requested it to be on the menu again next year. I spread the butter sauce on the entire cake rather than on individual pieces. Thanks for a great recipe. I was thinking this recipe might also be good in a German chocolate cake mix.
This dessert was a HIT during my holiday festivities.
The butter sauce takes this cake to another level!!!
This will definitely be a staple recipe for my family to enjoy year after year!!!!
This cake is baking in the oven as I type! I can't wait to surprise my family today with this scrumptious recipe!!! Thanks for sharing! PS: The smell while it's baking is oh so yummy!!!! My mouth is watering RIGHT NOW! 🙂
So happy y'all like this one!! Anonymous – since you are going somewhere where you can heat the sauce up before serving, I would put the sauce in a microwave safe container, then warm it up before serving. This cake is fine at room temperature but I think it is even yummier when you pour the warm sauce over top before serving. 🙂
Sounds awesome! Question – if I take this to my in-laws' for Thanksgiving, should I make the sauce but keep separate, then reheat and pour over before serving after we get there? Will it get too mushy if I pour it over ahead of time?
I'd make it after arriving!!
I saw this on your blog yesterday and made it when I got home from work. We ate a piece after dinner, hubby had another piece for TV, and then breadfast with coffee. Tonight, we finished off the cake except for one piece and my husband has claims on it for breakfast with coffee. We have a house guest that HATES coconut and never even realized there was coconut in it!! I actually like it just as much without the sauce on top. It's moist, wonderful flavor and is great for anytime of the day. This will go in my list of favorites! I have already bought the stuff to make it again! Thanks for sharing the recipe! NOW, who is going to pay for my new stretch pants???
I am always looking for new recipes. This looks really good! I would LOVE for you to come share at my Farm Girl Blog Fest: LisaFresh Eggs Daily
Oh Sweet Sister (I do mean that literally!=) thanks for another yummy yummy cake recipe. You are Da Cake Queen for sure! I have never heard or read a recipe like this before. YUM-OOOOOO!
Wow!!! Im Happy that I stumbled across your blog… You have just made my day.. I have just recently started back to work and thought how am I go to still cook for my girls without slaving in the kitchen… Well The Country Cook is the answer… Thank You, Thank You… 🙂
I am definitely going to make this when someone is coming to visit or maybe when I have to take a cake to someone for dessert. I wouldn't be safe having it alone in my house with me because I could feel my hips expanding as I was reading the recipe….imagine what they would do if I was eating it!!! Anyway, I'll be trying as soon as the proper occassion presents itself….like Hunting Season has begun and "let us eat cake"
Just one question. How do you manage not to eat half the tub of frosting before you get it into the cake batter??? OMG, this looks soooooo good!
I been making this cake for a while minus the sauce. Warm the icing up in the microwave for about 45 seconds (my microwave is strong) & pour it right in. This is one delicious cake. Definitely have to make the sauce next time. Thanks Brandie for all the great recipes you share with us. Keep on posting them.
That is one pretty tasty looking cake.
IT IS BEYOND DELICIOUS!!
I love your recipes!!! I have copied so many of them, and the ones I have made are wonderful. YUM
Oh my, I've been following your blog for a couple days, and just wanted to tell you THANK YOU! I don't remember how I came upon it, but I'm so tickled pink that I did! I made the red velvet poke cake last night and I am now officially addicted to any cake that has the word "poke" in it! Thanks again for sharing all these wonderfully easy things! Will be making the chicken/tater tot cass. this weekend:)
Now y'all know how to make a girl's day! Thank you so much!! I really hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Katie – I don't warm the frosting up at all. It scoops right out of the tub and mixes just fine with the batter as is. I hope you like this with the sauce when you make it again! Thank you again for your comments! 🙂
My dad loves pecan cakes! I'll have to make this for him!
This looks REALLY good with one exception — my family does not like coconut. Do you have any suggestion for a substitute frosting to use in place of the coconut pecan?
There's so much going on in this cake i doubt they would even know it's in there.
Pat yourself on the back!! This is brilliant and in a year of pecan shortage this is going to substitute for out pecan pie this season.
Thank you for the sweet comments everyone! Always love hearing from you!! Connie – unfortunately the coconut pecan frosting is essential in this. It gives it so much flavor & moistness. I can tell you that my husband (who does not like coconut) ate it & had no idea it was even in there! And I took it to a potluck recently and several people asked me for the recipe & when I gave it to them, they were surprised that coconut pecan frosting was an ingredient! And one of those ladies is a very savvy baker and she said she knew there was something she just couldn't put her finger on in the taste. Guess what? It was coconut! 🙂
Should this cake be refrigerated
Good grief I think I just gained 5 pounds looking at that! Might have to make that one real soon…and I LOVE nuts, too. But pecans are ridiculously expensive right now. Thanks for nothing Mr. Drought! Cute kitchen helper you have there…
Im going to try this. 🙂 this looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.
I made this cake. It is sooo good..
Its amazing!!!!