Facebook
Pinterest
Email
Print
- Recipe Index
- Desserts
- Cakes & Cupcakes
- Praline Layer Cake
Praline Layer Cake
This website uses affiliate links which may earn commission for purchases made at no additional cost to you.
Happy Sunday! We have been waiting what feels like years to share this recipe with you guys. So while you’ve been going around not even knowing what praline layer cake is, we’ve been twiddling our thumbs itching to share this praline cake recipe.
So clearly we are VERY excited for today. And we can’t wait to see all of you making this delicious, buttery, caramel loaded, cake too.
What is praline cake?
This praline layer cake is made with a to die for vanilla cake (which we conveniently broke down in a step by step tutorial to answer alllll your questions), salted homemade caramel filling with toasted pecans (UM HELLO), and a perfectly tangy cream cheese frosting. The result it a decadent, Fall flavored cake with an explosion of flavors and textures that will leave all your guests coming back for a second piece.
Which in our opinion is the sign of a great cake.
Tips for making homemade praline cake:
I’ll be the first to admit that layer cakes can be tricky. There are generally three moving parts that you have to prep, bake, and assemble, and it can get a little overwhelming. We’ve rounded up our top tips to make the process as easy for you as possible:
- Think ahead: We like to do anything we can in advance that way you aren’t chopping pecans and trying not to burn your caramel at the same time. Prep your cakes a day in advance, toast and chop your pecans early, or even make your caramel before starting (you can always warm it up).
- Freeze your cake layers: Using frozen cake creates a sturdier base for frosting and fillings, and makes cake assembly so much easier. Bake your cakes a couple of days (or even weeks!) in advance and freeze them.
This Praline Layer Cake is definitely going to be the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving dessert spread. And if all goes well, we’ll probably whip it up again for Christmas because it is so scrumptious.
Enjoy this cozy Fall sunday an that extra hour of sleep 🙂
Print
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50mins
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: american
Praline Layer Cake
Vanilla cake with a pecan caramel filling and cream cheese frosting…heck yes. This decadent praline layer cake is the perfect centerpiece for any Holiday!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50mins
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: american
Ingredients
for the cake
- 1 recipe of the the best vanilla cake ever
for the praline filling
- 2 cups salted caramel*, divided
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
for the cream cheese frosting
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Prepare the vanilla cake according to directions. Pour into 3 greased 6 inch rounds* and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Set aside to chill.
- While the cakes cool, prepare the filling. Prepare the caramel according to directions. Set aside 1/2 cup of the caramel to use for drizzling the top of the cake. Add the chopped pecans to the remaining 1 1/2 cups of caramel and stir to combine. Allow to cool down for 15 minutes and then transfer to a piping bag and set aside.
- To make the buttercream, beat the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat to combine. Scrape down the bowl and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- To assemble the cake, place the first layer on a cake stand or flat plate. Pipe about half of the caramel praline filling around the cake. Place the second layer on top of the filling and repeat with the remaining half of the filling. Frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting, covering the top and pulling down to cover the sides of the cake. Put the cake in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes. This will help the frosting and filling to set.
- While the cake is chilling warm up the remaining 1/2 cup of caramel in a microwave safe bowl. Pour over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Top the top of the cake with crushed up pecans. Enjoy!
Notes
*Make 2 recipes of caramel to get 2 cups!
*If you don’t want a 3 inch layer cake, you can also do 2 8 inch rounds!
I did this as a 3 layer 8 inch cake. I did the recipe as 1.5 times. Had a lot of leftover caramel, but the cake itself was great. It was very tall, but beautiful and delicious. Everyone chose to have the cake instead of the pie for Thanksgiving. Wish this review would let me upload pictures.!
First off, I am vegan. I usually look for recipes that are vegan because not all recipes tolerate the adjustments I need to make. This is a beautiful recipe. It was easy to make, baked beautifully and tasted wonderful. For anyone that is interested, I used JustEgg for the eggs, I used 1 cup of oatmilk with 1 tbsp of apple cidar vinegar along with 1/3 cup of almond milk vanilla yogurt for the buttermilk and I used 1 stick of plant based butter. I did have to cook it it just slightly longer, 2 to 5 minutes. I plan on making your chocolate peppermint cake next. I found you on Instagram, love your recipes, thank you.
Best. Cake. Ever.
I made this for my husband’s birthday who was craving something vanilla/caramel. It was my first time making caramel so I was worried about messing it up, but it came out perfect!! My daughter had fun helping with the caramel drizzle, and we put some crushed chocolate/caramel cookies on top.
I did two 9” cakes instead of three 6” and cut the frosting recipe in half. Best cake I’ve ever made, delicious!!