Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe to bake this really delicious Butter Pecan Cake from scratch. It’s really easy, and you’ll love the great butter-pecan flavor. We’ll also introduce you to the all new OXO On Mixer. The mixer with a light. Printable recipe included.
Butter Pecan Cake Recipe, sponsored by OXO On, the mixer with a light.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by OXO On, the mixer with a light. OXO provided me with one of the new mixers in exchange for my testing and writing about their product. All comments are my own. Some of the included images are property of OXO.
Butter Pecan Ice Cream has always been one of my favorite Ice Cream flavors. That an Fudge Royale, Coconut, Vanilla, and a few others. How about you?
Is it possible to capture the goodness of Butter Pecan Ice Cream in a Butter Pecan Cake? I’ll have to let you decide that for yourself. Even if it doesn’t taste “exactly like it,” how bad can it possibly be? It is cake after all. Cake with lots of creamy sweet frosting. And pecans, did I mention the pecans?
As mentioned above, this particular recipe on Taste of Southern is being sponsored in part by OXO Kitchen Gear. I’ve had the privilege to work with them a couple of times in the past, and I always get a bit excited when they contact me again asking if I’d like to participate in a new project.
OXO recently released a series of products called OXO ON. These are new kitchen appliances, with built in lights. How cool is that?
OXO gave me the choice to select either a new OXO On Illuminating Digital Hand Mixer, or an OXO On Digital Immersion Blender. It was a tough choice. I already had a pretty good mixer and an immersion blender that was working out rather well.
I opted for the hand mixer, and I’m really glad I did.
I wasn’t sure how I would like it, but now that I’ve had a chance to work with it, I’ll just go ahead and say it… “I love this OXO On Hand Mixer.”
You’ll just need to keep reading to learn more about it, and what I find best about this new fangled piece of kitchen apparatus. Let’s just say I’ll be doing away with the older hand mixer as soon as I can find a Yard Sale to sell it at.
OXO makes a great line of products. They are well made, durable, and meet a lot of my kitchen needs. I do hope you’ll visit their website to learn more about them.
I also hope you’ll read through our recipe for the Butter Pecan Cake, and that you’ll get excited about it enough to want to try it.
This cake is totally scratch made, super moist and delicious.
Ready to give it a try? Ready to learn more about the mixer? All right then, let’s get in the kitchen… and Let’s Get Cooking!
The OXO On mixer, the one with the light. Includes balloon shaped beaters, and dough hooks. More information is available online by clicking www.oxo.com.
Butter Pecan Cake Recipe: You’ll need these ingredients to make the layers.
We’ll begin by melting some butter.
I placed mine in this stainless steel bowl, and placed it in the oven that I have already preheated to 350 degrees. We’re going to toast the pecans first. You could also just melt the butter in the microwave.
You will need pecan pieces, or if using whole pecans, you’ll need to chop them up.
Coat the chopped pecans in the melted butter.
I took the bowl out of the oven once the butter had melted, then added the chopped pecans. Next, I used a large spoon to toss the pecan pieces around in the butter until they were coated well.
The bowl was hot coming out of the oven. Don’t ask me how I know, just be careful. (Smile)
Spread the butter coated pecan pieces out on a baking pan.
Place the pan in the hot oven. I used the middle rack, just like I will for baking the layers later on. The pecan pieces need to be turned or stirred after about 8-10 minutes.
Let them bake in the oven for about 20 minutes total, or until lightly toasted. I took mine out after 10 minutes, placed them back in the stainless steel bowl, stirred them good, then spread them back out in the baking pan.
Next, I placed the pan back in the oven, and let them bake for another 10 minutes. Just be sure you don’t let them burn.
Once the pecans are toasted, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool. We’ll use them further on in the recipe. You will need to divide them so be sure to watch for that in the instructions coming up.
Meet the OXO On mixer. This is what came in the box.
It was packed very well in the display box. I removed the mixer and the accessories.
The OXO On Mixer comes with balloon shaped beaters for your basic mixing needs, and also comes with a sturdy set of dough hooks for thicker breads and batters.
That little black round thing on the right slips into the bottom of the mixer where the beaters are normally inserted. This piece holds the beaters in place for storage. Instructions and a small recipe book are also included.
The round white part with the two holes is where you insert the beaters. This is the part that actually lights up while you’re using the mixer. It’s a pretty bright light when it’s on full power.
Notice also, how the cord can be wrapped around the bottom of the mixer for storing. Cool huh?
Here’s a closer look at the light itself. Looks like a pigs nose doesn’t it?
One of the beaters has a round section on the shaft. This one goes into the larger hole. The other one doesn’t have the round piece and snaps into the smaller hole. They just push in and lock into place. Really quick and simple.
When you turn the power on to the mixer, the light comes on at a low setting. Once you actually press the button to start the beaters turning, the light comes on to full power.
Who would have thought you need a light for inside the mixing bowl. OXO did, and now that I’ve used it… I like it.
Now, grab a large mixing bowl and add the sugar to it.
Add the softened butter.
I haven’t mentioned it, but all the ingredients need to be at room temperature before you start assembling the batter. Really cold butter may take an hour or longer to soften up, so allow yourself plenty of time.
The eggs, and the milk, also need to be at room temperature.
Add the mayonnaise.
Naturally, I’m using Duke’s Mayonnaise. But, if you can’t find it, use what you have on hand. The mayo will help make the layers more moist. I just used two heaping Tablespoons.
Cream the sugar, butter, and mayo together.
I had to adjust the camera so you could see the light in operation. It was really bright, much brighter than I had imagine it would be. That would come in handy when mixing on the counter top under a section without a more direct overhead light.
Cream everything together until its nice and smooth. Sit aside for later.
This recipe calls for “sifted flour.” What does that mean?
Basically, it means you need to measure the flour used in the recipe AFTER it has been sifted.
Is sifting totally necessary? YES… well kinda-sorta. The flour needs to be aerated, which you can basically do with a whisk. Just whisk the flour around to fluff it up a bit, then measure out the three cups called for.
Let me show you what happens if you just scoop flour straight out of a bag.
In the photo above, I scooped three cups of flour out of a bag, leveled off each cup full, then placed it on the parchment paper as seen above.
I placed the three cups of flour in my sifter. Then, I added the baking powder.
Add the salt.
Sift the dry ingredients together.
I ran everything through the sifter. This mixes the baking powder and salt together a little bit, but you should whisk it all together, or stir it with a fork a bit more just to be sure it’s mixed in well.
After I sifted the flour, I spooned it back into my measuring cup. I placed three cups of sifted flour back onto the parchment paper.
It’s best to use a Tablespoon and spoon the flour into a measuring cup as opposed to scooping it up. Then, level the top of the flour by pulling the back of a knife across the top of the flour in the measuring cup. I’ve covered this in my Basic Cake Layers recipe elsewhere here on Taste of Southern.
After measuring three level cups of flour out onto the parchment paper, I had this much flour left over. That’s the difference in using sifted flour and not sifting the flour. It could make a big change in the batter consistency for some recipes.
Of course, I saved this little bit to dust the bottom of my baking pans later on. Just thought you might like to see how big of a difference sifting flour can make.
Add the eggs – one at a time – to the creamed sugar-butter mixture.
Lets go back to the wet ingredients. We need to add the eggs, one at a time, to the creamed sugar-butter mixture.
I like to crack the eggs into a small bowl instead of directly into the sugar. That way, if a piece of shell happens to fall in, you can easily see it and dig it out.
I also suggest that you lightly beat each of the eggs with a fork before adding them to the creamed sugar and butter mixture.
Add the eggs, one at a time, then use your mixer to mix everything together until each egg has been fully incorporated. Repeat the process until all four eggs have been added in.
Mix each egg in just until you don’t see any more dark yellow spots from the egg yolks. You want to fully incorporate each egg, but don’t get carried away with the mixing part.
The wet ingredients should look like this. It will be a little thick at this point, but that’s what we are looking for.
Notice how the new OXO On Mixer stands flat on its base. Most mixers tilt back when you sit them down, but this one sits straight up. Also notice that even though the mixer is stopped, the light is still glowing a bit. It reduces down in illumination until the power is turned fully off.
Add the vanilla extract next. Mix this in well.
Time to start bringing it all together. We’re going to start adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients at this point. This is done in stages, starting off with one third of the flour. You don’t have to measure it out, just add about a third of the flour mixture to the creamed sugar-butter mixture.
Mix this together until the flour is fully incorporated. Again, you don’t want to over mix the batter, just work everything in then stop.
Add about half of the cup of milk. Mix this in until it’s fully incorporated together.
We’re alternating between the flour and the milk, starting with dry ingredients and ending with dry ingredients.
It goes like this: One third flour – half the milk – one third flour – other half of the milk – balance of the flour. You’ll need to mix it together after adding each addition.
Once you have the batter mixed together, add the needed amount of toasted pecans to the mixture.
Use a large spoon to FOLD the pecans into the batter. Folding just means to gently mix the pecans into the batter, scooping up from the bottom of the bowl as you go. This helps to not over beat the batter by using the mixer again.
Prepare the pans for baking.
I’m fixing to TEST out a new way of baking with this recipe. I’ve never baked layers this way, so we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out. (Obviously it worked, or I wouldn’t be telling you about it. Right?)
Use some softened butter to grease just the BOTTOM of the inside of your baking pans. Don’t butter the sides of the pan.
This was totally a new way of doing things for me. I wasn’t sure if the layers would actually release from the pans, but we’ll show you the next step in that process further down the page.
Mama always greased the bottoms and up the sides of all her pans.
The theory behind not greasing the sides, is that it will allow the batter to rise up higher inside the pan while it bakes. We’ll see.
Next, use some of that leftover flour to add a thin layer of flour to the bottom of the pan.
Dump some flour into the pan, shake it around to fully coat the bottom, then dump any excess into the next buttered pan. Tap out any clumps of remaining flour. You might need to drop the pan onto the top of your counter to loosen up the clumps, but just be sure to leave a thin layer of flour on the bottom.
Note: Any clumps of flour remaining in the pan will cause holes in the bottom of your cake or around the edges.
Evenly divide the batter between the three 8 inch baking pans.
For the record, I measured the batter as I was adding it to each pan. You should have slightly over six cups of batter. So, you’ll be adding two cups of batter to each pan.
I probably had enough left to add a heaping Tablespoon or so to each pan. Use a large spoon to gently spread the batter out in the pans. Be careful not to touch the sides of the pan. Spread from the center out to the edges of the pan, trying to get the batter level inside each pan.
Raise the pans up an inch or two above your counter top, then drop it. This will help reduce any air bubbles that might be in the batter. Air bubbles will cause holes in your layers. We want to avoid as many large holes as possible.
Bake at 325 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes.
Place the layers in the oven, on the middle rack, and bake until they test done. I baked all three layers at one time since they are 8 inch pans.
OXO On Mixer controls.
Here’s a quick look at the power and speed controls on the handle of the mixer.
The POWER BUTTON turns the power off and on to the mixer. When power is turned on, the light glows dimly.
I really liked how versatile the speed adjustment is for the OXO On Mixer. The UP button increases power, while the DOWN button decreases power.
A small blue light indicates the level of the speed being used. There are six speed settings on the mixer and adjusting the speed is just a tap up or down on the speed button.
I must admit, I managed to cut the power off on the mixer three different times while using the mixer. I gripped the handle up near the controls since that seemed more natural to me. This caused me to accidentally hit the power button several times which caused the mixer to shut off.
The Up/Down button is convenient in it’s location, but I might have liked it to be more towards the front or top of the mixer. Then again, maybe it was just my big hands getting in the way.
At the top, you’ll see the EJECT button for the beaters. Pressing this button quickly ejects the beaters being used from the body of the mixer.
Also, I don’t have a picture of it, but the cord has the ability to swivel from one side to the other. The cord can be snapped into place on either side, so you can adjust it for whether you are left or right handed. OXO seems to have thought about almost everything.
Test the layers for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the layer after it’s baked for 25-30 minutes. If the toothpick pulls out clean, the layers are done. If some crumbs are attached, let the layers bake for a few minutes longer.
AS SOON as you pull the layers out of the oven, place them on a wire rack. Use a butter knife and run it all around the edge of the layer in each pan.
Since we didn’t grease and flour the sides of the pan, this step is crucial to making sure the layers come out of the pan without sticking.
Let the layers sit on the cooling rack for 10 minutes.
AFTER TEN MINUTES… flip the pans over to release the layer.
I generally place the cooling rack on top of the layer in the pan. Then, holding both pieces together, I flip the pan over and let the cake layer fall free.
Let the layers cool completely on the wire rack.
Thankfully, my layers popped right out. I was concerned about them since I didn’t grease and flour the sides of the pans the way I’ve always done before. Again, running the knife around the edges just as soon as you remove the layers from the oven is a MUST.
If your layers don’t fall free, you might try gently tapping on the pan while the cake is flipped over. This will sometimes cause the layer to release and fall free.
Butter Pecan Cake Frosting: You’ll need these ingredients.
While the layers are cooling, we’ll go ahead and make the frosting for the cake.
I used this hand sifter to sift the Confectioners Sugar for making the frosting. I’ve tried using my older sifter with the handle to do this in the past and it just makes a really big mess.
The sugar DOES need to be sifted. It will have lumps in it if you don’t sift it somehow. You can try fluffing it with a whisk, but I don’t think that will be enough.
WOW – That’s a lot of sugar in that bowl.
Each pound of confectioners sugar equals out to about 3 1/2 cups. My bag weighed two pounds, so that was only seven cups. I ended up opening another box to get that extra cup. So, it’s not a typo, you’re going to need a lot of sugar for the frosting.
Once you have sifted the sugar, add the softened butter.
Add the vanilla extract.
What do you mean I’m messy? Wait until you sift 8 cups of confectioners sugar in your kitchen. (Smile)
Mix well.
OK, this is where the OXO On Mixer really started to shine. I know it’s a bit higher priced than some other hand mixers, but it came through this batch of frosting with flying colors.
My other hand mixer, which isn’t more than a year old, would have ground to a stop trying to mix all this sugar and butter together.
The really nice feature about the OXO On Mixer, is that it MAINTAINS speed even when placed under a bind. It just automatically adjusts for the heavy load and keeps on turning. I really, really liked this part.
Mix the sugar and butter together until smooth.
Add the milk.
Things got a bit tougher once the milk was added. Still, the OXO On Mixer kept stirring and purring. The only time it stopped was when I accidentally hit the power button.
I must admit, my hand got tired while mixing all this sugar together with the butter and milk.
The OXO On Mixer isn’t heavy, but it took about five minutes to get this stuff creamy enough. You’ll notice the “heft” of the mixer while using it. It just has that “well built” feeling, as opposed to something light and flimsy.
But, the best part again was that it held it’s speed while mixing all this frosting together. I’m sure those dough hooks will do just as well and I hope to try those out before long.
Add the pecans.
I would suggest that you just fold these into the frosting. But, since I had gotten this far, I just plunged the mixer right back into the bowl. In just a few seconds, I had the pecans mixed into the frosting.
Did I mention that I really like how well the OXO On Mixer handles the tough work?
The frosting needs to be creamy.
In the event your frosting gets to be a bit thin, just add more sugar to bring it back to the consistency you need for easy spreading.
Likewise, if it’s too thick, add a few more drops of milk. You’ll just need to adjust it for what you need.
Assemble the cake.
I placed a spoonful of frosting in the center of this cardboard circle. Then, I centered the first layer on top of that. The frosting will keep the layer from sliding around while you build the cake.
I placed some frosting in a gallon sized zip bag, snipped off the corner, and squeezed out a ring of frosting around the edge of the first layer. Additional frosting was added in the center, then spread out to the edges.
After that, I placed the second layer on top of the first. Repeat the process until you have all three layers together.
Enjoy!
I needed to go ahead and snap a picture so I could start uploading this review and recipe.
I’m not going to begin to tell you how late, or should I say how early it is here on the east coast. Let’s just say that the sun will be coming up shortly. I need to get at least a couple of hours of sleep because I have to hit the road about 9:00am this morning.
So, my plans for the cake from here is to spread a thin layer of frosting on the outside of the cake. This is called a crumb coat. Once that is done, I’ll place the cake in the refrigerator and let it firm up a bit.
Next, I’ll pull the cake back out, and finish adding the frosting to the sides and top of the cake, trying to make it look as good as I can.
I had this great idea to crumble up some waffle cones and sprinkle it on top of the cake once it’s frosted. What do you think?
Since the cake is suppose to be like Butter Pecan Ice Cream, I think the waffle cone flavor will add even more flavor to the overall cake and presentation.
You could also add toasted pecans to the top, or maybe some chopped and toasted pecans around the outside edges of the cake. There are several ways to finish it all off.
In closing, I’d like to thank the fine folks over at OXO for giving me the opportunity to test and write about the OXO On Mixer. I love it, and I’m pretty sure you will also.
Visit the OXO WEBSITE for more information, and be sure to leave a comment below about our recipe should you decide to try it.
I do hope you’ll like it.
Be Blessed!!!
Steve
