Southern Pecan Praline Cake – Easy and Delicious

If you like pecans and pralines, if you like cake, and if you like EASY, you will love this delicious Southern Pecan Praline Cake. A decadent sheet cake recipe with great taste in half the time. 

Not only is Southern Pecan Praline Cake easy to make, but it also freezes beautifully. I have already made several ahead for different occasions and have them stashed in the freezer to keep them fresh. This sheet cake is also perfect for taking to potlucks or church suppers and stays fresh for about a week if kept covered in the fridge. 

What our readers are saying:

Cindy writes: “I made this cake last night. Brought it to work today, OMG, this cake is awesome! I have gotten so many compliments from my co-workers on this one!!! Sharon, Thanks so much for the yummy, yummy cake recipe. I will be making this one again real soon!”

Siobhan writes: “I have made this cake two times to bring to potlucks at works over the last month. I have to bring another today due to requests for more. It is the best cake ever. I pour the topping on it before bringing it to work for convenience. Works perfectly. Easy and delicious.”

Southern Pecan Praline Cake – So Easy to Make:

But, the best part about this excellent cake is that it starts with a box of butter pecan cake mix. I know there are a few of you baking purists that are rolling your eyes about now because I’m using a cake mix. But that’s what makes this cake so EASY! Of course, you know there has to be more to this story, and there is!

A word about pralines:

Pralines are a classic Southern candy, and these luscious, crunchy bites of heaven taste a little like a combination of creamy butterscotch, caramel, and roasted pecans all wrapped up in a sugary, fudgy package! Homemade pralines make wonderful gifts for your foodie friends and are simple to make. Check out my easy recipe for Old-Fashioned Pecan Pralines. 

Southern Pecan Praline Cake Ingredients: 

The rest of the story behind Southern Pecan Praline Cake is in its list of ingredients which include a box of butter pecan cake mix, a tub of coconut pecan frosting (which goes in the cake batter, yes you read that right), eggs, vegetable or coconut oil, and roasted pecans.

Decadent Praline Topping Ingredients:

And then, when you thought this cake couldn’t get any sweeter, there is also a decadent praline topping made with sweetened condensed milk, butter, and more roasted pecans which is then poured over the entire cake!

More Southern cake recipes:

If you like this southern cake recipe, I’m betting that you will also love these other popular cake recipes on my blog: Apple Dapple Cake with Caramel Glaze, Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing, Georgia Cornbread Cake AKA Pecan Cake, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Minnie Lee Croley’s Sour Cream Pound Cake, and Butterscotch Pecan Coffee Cake.  Need more dessert ideas? Check out all of my dessert recipes here.

More Southern recipes: 

Check out these popular southern recipes on my blog: Southern Potato Salad, Old-Fashioned Southern Cornbread, Southern Peach Bread, Best Ever Southern Caviar Dip, Southern Pink Lady Peas, Easy Hoecakes AKA Cornmeal Pancakes, Southern Fresh White Acre Peas, Southern Fried Green Tomatoes, and Southern Sweet Potato Pie. Of course, since this is a blog about Southern recipes, I have lots more. You can check all of my Southern recipes here. 

How to make Southern Pecan Praline Cake:

When you are ready to make this delicious cake, gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick baking spray.

Place the cake mix, coconut frosting, eggs, oil and water in a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld or your stand mixer and mix well to combine everything. Add the pecans and mix again.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake pulls away from the sides. Set aside to cool on a wire cooling rack.

How to make the praline topping:

To make the praline topping, combine the butter and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and stir until the butter is melted. Add the pecans and mix well. Pour over the cooled cake and serve.

Sharon’s Expert Tips:

• Southern Pecan Praline Cake keeps well covered in the fridge for approximately one week, or you can wrap it well in foil and store in a large ziplock bag in your freezer for up to two months.
• Check out my easy recipe for roasted pecans here, or spread the pecan halves out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. If you are roasting pecans which have already been chopped up, reduce the roasting time to five minutes or so. The smaller the pecan piece, the quicker they will burn, so observe them and start checking at 3-4 minutes. 
• If I am making this cake ahead and know I will be freezing it, I always bake and store the cake in a disposable aluminum baking pan. 
• It’s best to wait to add the praline topping to your cake to just before you are ready to serve it. It also works best to wait until the cake has cooled completely. 

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5 from 5 votes

Southern Pecan Praline Cake Recipe

Southern Pecan Praline Cake is about as southern as you can get and if you like pecans and pralines you will love this easy to make, decadent and delicious cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Southern

Keyword butter pecan cake mix, easy sheet cake recipe, cake recipes that start with a cake mix

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 15 servings

Calories 489kcal

Author Sharon Rigsby

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients:

• 15.25 oz box butter pecan cake mix
• 15 oz tub coconut pecan frosting
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable or coconut oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup roasted pecans roasted and chopped

Cake Topping Ingredients:

• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup pecans roasted and chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
• Place the cake mix, coconut frosting, eggs, oil and water in a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld or your stand mixer and mix well to combine everything. Add the pecans and mix again.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake pulls away from the sides. Set aside to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Pecan Praline Topping Instructions

• To make the praline topping, combine the butter and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and stir until the butter is melted. Add the pecans and mix well. Pour over the cooled cake and serve.

Notes

Sharon's Expert Tips:

• Southern Pecan Praline Cake keeps well covered in the fridge for approximately one week, or you can wrap it well in foil and store in a large ziplock bag in your freezer for up to two months.
• Check out my easy recipe for roasted pecans here, or simply spread the pecan halves out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven for ten minutes. If you are roasting pecans which have already been chopped up, reduce the roasting time to five minutes or so. The smaller the pecan piece the quicker they will burn, so watch them carefully and start checking at three-four minutes. 
• If I am making this cake ahead and know I will be freezing it, I always bake and store the cake in a disposable aluminum baking pan. It fits perfectly into a two-gallon plastic storage bag. 
• It's best to wait to add the praline topping to your cake to just before you are ready to serve it. It also works best to wait until the cake has cooled completely. 

Nutrition

Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 24g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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