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Maple Pecan Cake

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This lovely maple pecan cake recipe has the perfect combination of flavors and textures. The warm maple syrup blends perfectly with pecans for an out of this world dessert. The maple frosting is amazing too!

Slice of cake with three layers of tan maple cake studded with pecans with a smooth maple buttercream between the layers.

Layer upon layer of rich maple cake studded with delicious pecans and wrapped in maple frosting. It is a dream come true in cake form.

Make it for birthdays, coffee with your friends or Thanksgiving. Now matter the reason, just do yourself a favor and make one for dessert as soon as possible!

round maple cake on white pedestal.

I made this cake for my uncle’s birthday a couple of years ago and it was a smash hit with my family. So I thought it was high time to update the pictures and share it with you again.

It would be a great addition to your holiday dessert table. But really it is perfect for any special occasion.

slice of three layer cake with maple and pecans with maple frosting.

This recipe is heavily adapted from World Class Cakes, 250 Classic Recipes from Boston Cream Pie to Madeleines and Macarons by Roger Pizey. If you are a person that loves to thumb through a cookbook and be awed by the photography, this is a book for you.

There are a lot of great recipes in the book as well, but it’s the eye candy that is most impressive. It really entices you to get in the kitchen to try to recreate his masterpieces.

My Uncle Steve turned 60 last month and I was really excited to have such a great occasion to bake a cake!  So I looked at the cakes in the list for the month in an effort to pick something that would work as a good extra special birthday cake.

The second I saw the Maple Pecan Cake, I knew that was the one.  It was perfect for my uncle and definitely befitting of a milestone birthday.

Slice of three layer cake with tan maple cake studded with pieces of pecans coated in a maple buttercream served with a fork, ready to eat.

The original recipe called for two eight inch cake pans.

I thought I had some, but it turns out I just have an ever growing collection of nine inch pans.  The recipe says it only served six anyway, and that would never do with my large cake loving family.

So I made more or less one and a half times the cake batter and put it in three nine inch pans.  Then I doubled the frosting, because I think we all know by now that the frosting is my favorite part.

The results were amazing, if I do say so.  My Uncle Steve said it was absolutely perfect with a great texture and great flavor.  It doesn’t get any better than that from the birthday boy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bake the cake ahead of time?

If you are wanting to spread out the work, bake your cake layers ahead of time. Wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to a month or two. Then all you have to do is frost them within a day or two of serving.

How do I store cake?

You can keep this cake at room temperature for several days. If you have a cake dome, using it will help to keep the cake moist for longer. For longer storage, put slices of cake in airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

More great layer cake recipes:

  • Haleakala Cake features soft white cake with pineapple filling. The whole thing is wrapped in a fluffy meringue style frosting and topped with coconut. It’s a tropical showstopper.
  • Cookies and Cream Layer Cake uses that same soft white cake base but adds bits of Oreos. We love it with buttercream and have made it for several birthdays and special occasions.
  • Devilishly Good Chocolate Cake is a soft and moist chocolate cake that is super easy to make. We love it with shiny fudge frosting.
Slice of cake with three layers of tan maple cake studded with pecans with a smooth maple buttercream between the layers.

Maple Pecan Layer Cake

Carlee
This lovely cake is the perfect combination of flavors and textures. The warm maple syrup blends perfectly with pecans for an out of this world cake, the maple frosting is amazing too! Dessert is served and it’s delicious!
5 from 11 ratings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 Servings
Calories 294 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • teaspoons baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • cup buttermilk
  • 11 Tablespoons butter melted
  • 6 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup pecans chopped and toasted
  • 2 recipes French Maple Buttercream
Makes: 9inch round

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and salt until there are no lumps and it’s completely mixed.
    2½ cups all purpose flour, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
  • In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together until just mixed.
    1¾ cup buttermilk, 11 Tablespoons butter, 6 Tablespoons maple syrup, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Fold in the toasted pecans.
    ¾ cup pecans
  • Divide among the three pans and bake for 30 minutes or until it tests clean
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack. Cool completely
  • Assemble using a double batch of maple buttercream. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 294kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 336mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28g
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Recipe Rating




Anonymous

Tuesday 26th of November 2019

Are there really no eggs in this recipe or is it meant to be eggless? Looks very good!

Carlee

Tuesday 26th of November 2019

There are really no eggs, but that is a great question! I hope you enjoy it!

Chess

Tuesday 28th of May 2019

A cake with no eggs???

Carlee

Tuesday 26th of November 2019

No eggs! I have a few on the site without, the devilishly good chocolate cake is another that comes to mind. It really works!

anne@simpleandsavory

Sunday 2nd of December 2018

That is one beautiful looking cake! I'm sure it tastes delicious too!

Carlee

Tuesday 26th of November 2019

IT is so good! Thank you!

Jolene

Thursday 29th of November 2018

I will jump at any excuse to use maple syrup! This looks absolutely delicious!

Carlee

Tuesday 26th of November 2019

Me too! Thnak you!

Liz @ Books n' Cooks

Thursday 29th of November 2018

What a beautiful cake. This is a cake that I'd absolutely love, with the little bit of crunch from the pecans and that sweet frosting. Would be a great alternative to a Thanksgiving pecan pie too!

Carlee

Tuesday 26th of November 2019

I agree, being a cake person I think it would be a fabulous Thanksgiving dessert!