Southern Pecan Praline Cake with Butter Sauce (+Video)
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’m gonna start this recipe by saying I am nuts about nuts. Alright now, get your brains outta the gutter! I’m talking about pecans and walnuts and macadamia – you name it. But my absolute favorite is the pecan. And if you love pecans like I do, you are in for a treat!
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. Unfortunately, I have not found an acceptable substitute yet for this flavor and consistency. It’s the same frosting used for German chocolate cake.
This recipe really relies on these specific ingredients. It just won’t taste the same with substitutes because I’ve tried!
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 he bundt pan very well with a nonstick spray that has flour in it (like Baker’s Joy or Pam Baking Spray.)
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: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- butter pecan cake mix
- coconut pecan frosting
- eggs
- oil
- water
- chopped pecans
- sweetened condensed milk
- butter
HOW TO MAKE PECAN PRALINE CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13 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.
I love the smell of this batter! Pour batter into greased baking dish.
Bake for about 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. I mean, it looks a little sad all by itself, don’t it? 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.
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Originally published: November 2012
Updated & republished: May 2019
Southern Pecan Praline Cake with Butter Sauce
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 15.25 ounce box Butter Pecan Cake Mix
- 1 tub Coconut Pecan Frosting
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
For the sauce:
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 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 all the cake ingredients except for the chopped pecans. Mix very well.
- Then stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
- Pour batter into greased baking dish.
- Bake for about 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 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 when serving. Or pour it all over the whole cake.
Video
Notes
- 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 can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I made this cake today. It is so moist. Great flavor. The only thing I changed was I used one cup of half and half. Will definitely make again.
Thanks so much Renea! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!
Have made it for three years now. Go to potluck dish. Won plenty of awards that YOU deserve and I’m sooo thankful. I owe you two and a half. Thankyou for blessing us with this gem.
Sounds great – I can’t find Butter Pecan Cake – is there a substitute I can use?
I can’t wait to make this cake for my father in law on Father’s Day. Thank you for this recipe. I’m a pecan big fan as well as my family. Can I use milk instead of water to mix the cake?
This cake is so easy and delicious! This is my second time making it and I made cupcakes this time. Baked for 13 to 15 minutes and they turned out perfect!
Excellent recipe! I added a teaspoon of butter pecan flavor to the batter and the frosting. Delish with vanilla ice cream. Hint to the non Coconut eaters: if the recipe call for coconut try pureeing the coconut, which mean you have to make the frosting from scratch. Just a thought…
Could you add bourbon to the butter sauce?
hello,
i have made this cake 3 times , easy to make and very delicious..i poked holes in cake after done and pour sauce and let it set….was excellent…will definitely try other recipes
Love it! Thank you so much Rena!!
I have made this cake in a bundt pan…many times.
And I have made it gluten free. I use a King Arthur gf yellow
cake mix and toast pecans in butter. I do not use that yummy
sauce. Too sweet for my taste. The cake is
delicious without it.
Thank you so much Jane! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave feedback on the recipe. Folks always ask me about gluten free so it’s good to know that it worked for you!
This is a GOOD cake. The first time I made it I thought it was a little too sticky or gooey but still delicious. The next time I made it I only mixed a little less than 3/4 cup of the frosing in the cake. I liked.the less frosting best because the cake was just the right amount of gooeyness. Also you can cut the cake easier and it makes a much neater cake when serving to guests. . So if you want a less gooey or sticky cake then put less frosting in the cake. I still rated it 5 stars because it is an EXCELLENT cake.
I have looked on line and in tons of stores. No where around here do they sell the cake mix. Any substitution recommendations? I bought all the other ingredients already
Hi Suzette, I just recently purchased it at Walmart. Also at Kroger. I haven’t tested it with any other type of cake mix. I suppose you could use a yellow cake mix but I don’t think it would be nearly as good.
I’m going to bake this cake. It looks delicious. I have a recipe for the coconut pecan icing. I just leave the coconut out, since I don’t like coconut.
Great idea Sarita!
I hate anything coconut but could not taste any coconut in this cake. It was delicious!
FYI, I made this cake the first time without reading the instructions completely. Therefore, I added the sweetened condensed milk to the cake – not the icing. I realized it the moment I took another look at the icing recipe. Luckily I had another can of the milk to make the icing, but I was afraid I had ruined the cake. I baked it without much hope of it being edible. Was I surprised when the cake cooled and I cut a piece. YUM! This was the moistest cake I’ve ever eaten, and the best tasting. Thanks so much for this recipe. (I baked it in a 9×13″ pan.)
Could you poke cake with fork before pouring icing over the top so it could soak in the day before I take to work.
I don’t see why not. 🙂
This is by far the best recipe I have ever tried!!!! The only thing I did different was that I poured the sauce over the whole cake! It was like we were eating at a fine dining restaurant defiantly will make again, and again, and again…… but you better have a big glass of milk handy!!
I love this recipe! It is without a doubt the favorite of all of my family. Would love to see your cookbook!! Thanks for a great recipe! It is quite the crowd pleaser.
I am so happy you love this recipe as much as I do! It really is absolutely one of my favorite recipes on my site. Thank you!
Can this be done as a layer cake?
Hi Kim! It is a super tender cake. I’m not sure that it is stable enough to be a layer cake. But having said all of that, I haven’t actually tried it so can’t say for certain. If you try it, please let me know!
I poured the sauce over the cake the first time I made this and it was awesome, even better the next day. I am going to make it again today! Can’t wait!
Getting ready to make it again, per husbands request! We love this cake!
Woo hoo!!!
I’m guessing this would need refrigerated since the sauce is made with milk?
Hi Denise, I usually don’t refrigerate it if I will be eating it within a day or two. If not, then you’ll want to refrigerate it. 🙂
Bundt cakes should not be completely cool before being unmolded.Ten or fifteen minutes of cooling is recommended;then carefully turn the cake out on a cooling rack and allow to cool thoroughly. I am a retired cake decorator and this always worked for me. Good Luck.
Thanks for your input Doris!
I guess I could be labeled a “coconut hater.” From the time I was a child, I could taste coconut oil in a cookie, and it was a taste I did not like.. With that said, I have made a version of this recipe and substituted oatmeal for the coconut in a homemade German Chocolate Frosting with good results. Just a thought…
Is there anyway you could omit the coconut frosting and just use a caramel Pecan frosting
Most caramel pecan frostings have coconut in them (as far as I am aware) but if you find a thick one that doesn’t have coconut – go for it! 🙂
I have substituted oatmeal for coconut in a homemade German Chocolate Frosting recipe with good results. Since it is baked into the cake, appearance does not matter. PJ
Thanks so much for the tip PJ!
I’d like to make this recipe the day before an event. Will it still be good, or should it be served the day of?
Thanks!
You can make it the day before. I would just maybe add the butter sauce right before serving or pour it on individual slices when serving. 🙂
Thank you!
I made this cake and it was delicious! I tried it in a bundt pan. However, after letting it cool for an extended amount of time I tried to pop it out and it completely fell apart. Like into large chunks of crumbs. Do you think the center may have been too warm still? I want to take this to a gathering and would like to dress it up a bit, but am nervous to try it in the bundt pan again. Any thoughts? Thanks!