Description
A moist, caramel-soaked vanilla cake topped with a rich brown butter praline sauce and a crunchy toasted pecan crust. This easy Southern-style dessert is perfect for gatherings and requires minimal effort for maximum flavor.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, softened (for cake base)
- Granulated sugar (for cake base)
- Large eggs, room temperature
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Whole milk
- Light brown sugar (for praline filling)
- Heavy cream
- Butter (for praline filling)
- Whole pecans
- Flour (for topping)
- Powdered sugar (for topping)
- Butter, melted (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.
- Cream softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Poke holes all over the warm cake surface, spacing them about 1 inch apart, going down to the pan.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, heavy cream, and butter. Stir constantly until boiling, then boil for exactly 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Slowly pour hot praline sauce over the warm cake. Let cool completely to room temperature (30-45 minutes).
- Toast whole pecans in a dry skillet for 3-5 minutes until fragrant. Cool and chop coarsely.
- Mix chopped pecans, flour, powdered sugar, and melted butter until resembling coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle pecan mixture evenly over the cooled cake.
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes to toast the topping. Let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Ensure the cake is warm when poking holes to help sauce absorption. Do not overmix the batter to avoid a tough cake. Watch the praline sauce closely to prevent burning; boil for exactly 2 minutes. Toast pecans for maximum flavor. The cake is best served at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 42
- Sodium: 280
- Fat: 22
- Saturated Fat: 11
- Carbohydrates: 58
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 5
Keywords: butter pecan praline poke cake, poke cake recipe, southern dessert, easy cake recipe, pecan cake, brown butter praline, holiday dessert, crowd-pleaser dessert