Butternut Pecan Cake with Traditional Buttercream Frosting
Recipe provided by Kelly Williams
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Makes: 10 servings
- Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 of 10 servings): Calories 996, Total Fat 43 g, Saturated Fat 23 g, Carbohydrates 143 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Sugar 106 g, Protein 13 g, Cholesterol 100 mg, Sodium 500 mg
- Total Time: 3 hr 5 min (includes cooling time)
- Hands-On Time: 1 hr 10 min
Cake Components:
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cubed, and additional for greasing the pans
- 16 ounces all-purpose flour (roughly 3 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 22 ounces granulated sugar (roughly 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup egg whites (from roughly 10 large eggs)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
Pecan Filling:
- 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, strained
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoons milk
- For the cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment if desired for easy release.
- In a stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt; mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, egg whites, vegetable oil, and vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
- With mixer on low, add cubed butter to dry ingredients. Beat until crumbly and no butter chunks remain. Add some wet mixture; mix on medium until light, scraping bowl often. Add remaining wet mixture in batches; beat on medium-high 4 minutes. Scrape bowl.
- Beat in any remaining wet mixture on medium 5 minutes. Divide batter evenly into pans; bake until toothpick is clean and edges pull from sides, 40-50 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto racks to cool completely.
- For the filling: In a saucepan over medium-high, toast pecans in butter. Stir in condensed milk until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt. Cool completely.
- For the buttercream: Beat softened butter until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add sifted confectioners' sugar until light. Mix in vanilla bean paste and milk; beat 3-4 minutes more.
- To assemble: Slice each cake layer horizontally. Place one on serving plate; spread generously with filling. Repeat layers. Frost entire cake with buttercream. Serve at room temperature and delight in every rich, nutty bite!
This decadent cake was crafted by a culinary competition participant. It has not been tested in home kitchens.
Categories:
