Cake Recipes
Pecan Pie Cake
Yield: 1 (3-layer) cake; about 3 cups filling; 16 to 20 pastry leaves, 12 pecan pastries
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups pecans, finely chopped, toasted and divided
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
Pecan Pie Filling
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups Half-and-Half
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pastry Garnish
- 1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 24 pecan halves
Instructions
- Cake: Sprinkle 2 cups pecans evenly into 3 generously buttered 9-inch round cake pans; shake to coat bottoms and sides of pans.
- Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well.
- Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Add flour and baking soda to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.
- Stir in remaining 1 cup finely chopped pecans.
- Beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form; fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter.
- Fold in remaining egg whites. Do not over-mix.
- Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until done.
- Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.
- Invert layers onto wax paper-lined wire racks.
- Brush tops and sides of layers with corn syrup, and cool completely.
- Spread half of Pecan Pie Filling on 1 layer, pecan side up.
- Place second layer, pecan side up, on filling; spread with remaining filling.
- Top with remaining layer, pecan side up.
- Arrange pastry garnish on and around cake, if desired.
- Pecan Pie Filling: Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart
saucepan until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute or until thickened.
- Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Place a sheet of wax paper directly on surface of mixture to prevent a film from forming and chill 4 hours. To chill filling quickly, pour filling into a bowl. Place bowl in a larger
bowl filled with ice. Whisk constantly until cool (about 15 minutes.)
- Pastry Garnish: Unfold piecrusts, and press out fold lines. Cut 8 to 10
leaves from each crust with a 3-inch leaf shaped cutter and mark leaf veins using tip of a knife. Reserve pastry trimmings. Whisk together egg and water and brush on pastry leaves.
- Crumple 10 to 12 small aluminum foil pieces into 1/2 inch balls. Coat with vegetable cooking spray, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drape a pastry leaf over each ball; place remaining pastry leaves on baking sheet.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden.
- Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.
- Gently remove foil from leaves.
- Pinch 12 pea-size pieces from pastry trimmings. Place between pecan halves, forming sandwiches.
- Cut remaining pastry into 2 inch pieces; wrap around pecan sandwiches, leaving jagged edges to resemble half-shelled pecans.
- Brush with egg mixture.
- Place on baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until golden.
- Cool on wire rack.
Source: Southern Living - October 1998