Pecan Praline Cake

Candied pecans, praline filling and caramel buttercream make this cake a delectable treat that’s fit for any table. This cake is reminiscent of the Louisiana delicacy pecan pralines. Pecan pralines are pecans suspended in a thick caramel, and they melt in your mouth with each bite. This pecan praline cake stays true to this southern candy, since I’m pretty sure the praline filling could double as a pecan candy recipe if you just add some pecan halves to it and let it solidify at room temperature.

One reason pecans are found throughout Louisiana cuisine is because there are just so many of them! I have fond memories of walking home from school, stopping in a neighbor’s yard, and collecting as many pecans as I could carry. In fact, pecan trees produce so many pecans that folks are eager to give them away. Plus, unlike delicate berries or other fruit, pecans are much simpler to gather. You don’t have to worry about bruising the bounty or picking not-yet ripe berries. When pecans are ripe, they fall to the ground. You just gather them (but the real work comes in with shelling them!)
I wanted to bake something this weekend to celebrate my home state of Louisiana, as many people are still reeling from the devastation that has been caused by the flooding two weeks ago–flooding that has affected nearly everyone in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas–directly or indirectly. The city’s curfew was lifted a few days ago, but it still feels like a bit of a war zone. Certain resources (like vehicles) are still scarce because so many people lost their cars in the flash floods. I made this cake with my mother this morning. I came home to Baton Rouge to assist family with cleaning up following the flooding.

This unique cake is comprised of four parts: the cake layers, praline filling, caramel butter cream and candied pecans. Candied pecans are made by coating pecan halves in a sugar-egg whites mixture and then baking. The cake layers are similar to most cake, except they’re spiked with praline liqueur. The filling is made by stirring chopped pecans into a homemade caramel-type mixture. And the caramel buttercream is made by preparing a homemade caramel, then beating in butter. There are quite a few steps but it’s such a delicious and unique cake that it’s worth it!

This recipe was adapted from Southern Living.