We are so excited to share this flavorful Pumpkin Praline Cake recipe with you!
This delicious pumpkin recipe is perfect for fall celebrations, fall birthdays, Thanksgiving, or just because. If you love pumpkin spice cake, this cake belongs on your “must-make” list! It has wonderful pumpkin flavor, spices, a bit of sweetness, and a bit of crunch- yum!
How to Make a Pecan Praline Cake
*Find our full, printable recipe below!
Our classic Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe is one of our absolute favorites for fall, but the addition of a praline topping to the batter just elevates the flavor to a new level, and adds a nice balance of sweetness and crunch which we just love!
The praline topping is a magical combination of chopped pecans, brown sugar, cream, and butter.
Important: Make sure to add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom of each pan, or the praline may stick.
After combining and heating the brown sugar, cream, and butter until the sugar has dissolved, we divided the mixture between our three cake pans, and sprinkled evenly with pecans.
Next, we prepared the pumpkin cake batter and filled our pans, spreading it over the pecan mixture. You’ll notice that the batter is nice and thick.
After a half hour or so in the oven, your kitchen is going to smell AMAZING! Just look at these gorgeous layers. I’m in love.
Bring on the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
As with most of our pumpkin cake recipes, we couldn’t resist pairing this cake with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
Classic or Maple Cream Cheese Frostings would work perfectly but we decided to go with our Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting for an added flavor boost.
This spiced cream cheese frosting couldn’t be simpler to make, and the flavor is fantastic!
Tips for working with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frostings are softer than regular buttercream frosting recipes. I like to chill my freshly made cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator for several minutes before working with it so that the consistency will be a bit thicker and firmer.
If at any time you notice that the cream cheese frosting is a little too soft, whether you are frosting the cake or piping, pop the frosting bowl and piping bag in the refrigerator to firm it up.
I also like to chill my freshly crumb coated cake in the freezer for about 15 minutes or so before applying the second, final coat of frosting.
It is much easier to frost a cake that is nice and firm!
As always, cakes that are frosted or filled with cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated until closer to the time of the event.
Easy and Delicious Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Assembling the Pumpkin praline cake
To assemble and decorate the cake, I filled and frosted the layers (praline sides up) with our Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting.
I placed the cake on a turntable while I smoothed the frosted sides with a bench scraper, and then I created impressions with a small tapered spatula as I continued to rotate the cake.
I garnished over the top and around the border with finely chopped pecans, and then finished things off with a large shell border (1M piping tip).
No matter how you decorate the cake, you are going to fall in love with this recipe.
We hope that you enjoy this ultra moist cake recipe as much as we have! The three pumpkin praline cake layers bake up nice and tall, and are sturdy enough to hold up to fondant.
If you give the cake recipe a try, we would love to hear what you think. Leave your comments and photos below!
Pumpkin Praline Cake
This delicious Pumpkin Praline Cake has amazing spiced flavor plus the crunch and flavor of the brown sugar pecan praline topping! Perfect for fall gatherings!
Ingredients
For the Praline Topping
- 1 cup (217g) light brown sugar, packed into measuring cup
- ½ cup (113g) butter
- ¼ cup (58g) heavy cream, or whipping cream
- 1 cup pecans (120g), chopped
For the Cake Layers
- 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 2 cups (400g) sugar
- ¼ cup (54g) vegetable oil ( I use Canola oil)
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (6g) vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (360g) all purpose flour (plain in the UK)
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
- 2 teaspoons (6g) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (2g) nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 1 can (15oz) (425g) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup (121g) milk
- **Instead of using the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, you could also use 1 Tablespoon (6g) Pumpkin Pie Spice
For the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 sticks (1 cup) (226g) unsalted butter, softened slightly
- 2 (8oz.) ( 226g )packages cream cheese , softened very slightly - Use full fat cream cheese. Using reduced fat or the spreadable cream cheese will cause the frosting to be too soft.
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (3g) cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1g) nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon (2g) salt (optional - it will cut the sweetness, popcorn salt is the best to use as it is fine grained and will dissolve more quickly
- 6 to 6 ½ cups (690g - 747g) powdered sugar
- **Instead of using the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, you could use 2 teaspoons (4g) of Pumpkin Pie Spice instead.
Optional Garnish
- 1 cup chopped pecans for covering the top & base of the decorated cake
Instructions
For the Praline Topping
To a saucepan add the brown sugar, butter and cream. Cook over low heat until the brown sugar dissolves. After the sugar dissolves, cool for a bit and pour equally into the 3 prepared cake pans. Sprinkle evenly with the cup of chopped pecans. Let cool while you prepare the cake layers.
For the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour three 8 x 2 inch round cake pans - Cut a waxed paper or parchment paper circle and place in the bottom of each pan.
In a medium size bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Whisk at least 30 seconds to blend. Set aside.
In another bowl, add the pumpkin and milk. Stir to blend and set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed 3 to 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and oil and blend.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears.
Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture alternately. Begin and end with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry and 2 of wet).
Mix until just combined, do not mix above medium speed or over mix.
The batter will be thick. Spoon the batter evenly over the pecan mixture in the cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes then turn out.
When assembling the cake, place the praline pecan side up for each layer.
For the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.
Cut the cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated. If you are using a hand mixer you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger (and salt if using). Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar. Don't over beat or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly and remix. Do not microwave to soften.
Makes approximately 5 cups frosting - will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.
Assembly of Pumpkin Praline Cake
We assembled the cake layers (praline side up) by filling and frosting with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting. We garnished with about 1 cup chopped pecans over the top of the cake as well as for a border.
Prefer to Work with Cake Mixes?
**If you prefer to work with doctored cake mixes, you can still use the praline topping with our Doctored Cake Mix Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe! Just as with the scratch version, this Pumpkin Spice Cake has amazing flavor and is perfectly moist!
More Favorite Fall and Thanksgiving Cake recipes
Looking for more Thanksgiving and Fall cake recipes and ideas? We’ve made so many fall cake recipes over the years.
Don’t miss our roundup of favorites: Favorite Fall Cakes, featuring our Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake, Gingerbread Cake, Chocolate Pecan Pie Cake, Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake, and SO many more!
My Cake School- Online Cake Classes, Favorite Cake Recipes, and More!
*Don’t miss our full collection of the BEST cake and frosting recipes in our Recipes Section!
Also, if you are interested in cake decorating, be sure to check out our Free Cake Tutorials Section, or consider becoming a member of My Cake School for full online access to every cake decorating video tutorial that we’ve made! We would love to have you!
Wow that looks and sounds heavenly :-) Will add this to my very long To Bake list. Thanks ladies :-) Love the pic of Baking BeBe on your Pinterest :-)
This looks amazing!! How did you decorate the side of the cake? which tip?
Hi Tammy, Melissa used a 1M tip for the decorative shell border around the top of the cake. The sides of the cake were frosted then smoothed with a bench scraper. The impressions were created with a small tapered spatula.
Hi there! I normally judge as to whether or not I use 3 pans or pans, both 8″. I see the heavy ingredients in this recipe and I am not sure if I can bake in 2-8″ pans or 3 as the directions say? I like 2″ high cakes but not too sure on this one. Thanks a bunch, a few simple ingredients can make such a difference in taste and texture. I love the amount of heavy cream and 16 oz cream cheese.
Hi Mitzy, This recipe makes 71/2 cups batter. It is a thick batter and my 8 inch pans were filled slightly over 1/2 full. I think it would be too much batter for 2 pans. Hope you like the cake. It is going to be on our Thanksgiving dessert table.
Thank you BeBe. I will be quite pleased with the outcome. The ingredients are a wonderful blend.
I love the look of the icing and the specks in the icing. Is that the nutmeg making the specks?
Hi Janet, Yes, both the nutmeg and cinnamon make the little specks.
Could you use apple pie spice for the spiced cream cheese frosting?
Hi Heather, I haven’t tried it, but I think that would be a nice combination too. They contain similar spices. Here’s a link to our Apple Spice Cream Cheese Frosting: https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/apple-cheese-frosting-recipe/
Am I crazy or did I miss where you added the oil and vanilla to the batter? I just added it to the pumpkin mixture so we shall see! They are in the oven!!!!
Maravilhoso!!obrigada ??
Hi Amber, Thank you so much for letting me know, I have made the correction. …..after beating the butter sugar mixture for 3 to 5 minutes, add the vanilla and oil and blend into the batter. Your cake should turn out fine where you added the ingredients. Hope you like it.
very nice post, thanks for sharing.
Do hoy toast the peacans for the garnish?
This cake is absolutely delicious! It was moist and flavorful, and my family loved it. I had to end up placing my cake in a trifle bowl because it was SO MOIST, it fell apart. Not sure what went wrong there, but my family told me not to change a thing.?
Hi Cindy, Thank you for your review of the recipe. I am not sure why it was so moist it fell apart. You did use canned pumpkin rather than pumpkin pie filling , right? I’m happy that your family enjoyed it the way you made it, that is the important thing. You were smart to turn it into a trifle!
Can you make these in 6 inch pans or make cupcakes?
Hi Dawn, Yes the recipe can be made in 6 inch pans. Fill with approximately 2 cups batter and bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. I am not sure about cupcakes. My worry is that the praline filling will stick to the paper cupcake liners. It may work…….just have not tested it. Actually you should be able to sprinkle the praline on top of the batter-filled liners, bake & then swirl frosting on top.
Could I freeze these layers if I wanted to make the cake ahead of time and assemble later?
Hi Rebecca, Yes, you can freeze the cake layers. We turn out the baked layers onto aluminum foil covered cake circles. While the layers are still warm we wrap individually with plastic wrap then aluminum foil. This will keep them air tight. We have frozen layers for 2 months with success.
Thanks for your reply! To be clear…. you turn the cakes onto the foil covered circles …. so that’s praline side down? I’m definitely making this cake for AT LEAST one event this fall!
Hi Melissa, this sounds like a great recipe for Thanksgiving but can you tell me the amounts that I would need to make it a three layer nine inch cake?
thanks
Can you please tell me the amounts that I would need to make this a three layer nine inch cake?
Hi Jeraldine, The recipe makes approximately 7 1/2 cups batter so you will need to double the recipe if you are baking with three 9 x 2 inch round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Below are links to 2 cake batter amount charts that you will find helpful in the future. The batter amount on the chart are guideline but not rigid guidelines. Hope you will enjoy the cake.
http://www.fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/party_cake_batter_amounts_baking_times_2inch_pan.php
http://www.wilton.com/cake-serving-guide/cms-baking-serving-guide.html
I have the same question as Rebecca regarding freezing the layers. Do you freeze them praline side down or up? Thanks so much.
Hi Corky, We turn out the cake layers out on aluminum foil cardboard cake circles, so the praline side is up, but it could be either way. When you are assembling the cake layers you can choose to have the praline side up or down. Ours were down. Hope you will enjoy the cake.
Smoke is currently pouring out of my oven. The caramel seemed to rise up the sides and is leaking out of my 8inch by 2 inch deep pans. My daughter made most of this and followed the recipe to a T. What on earth?
I am pretty sure this is a complete fail.
Hi Jean, I am so sorry you had this problem. The most common cause of overflowing would be over filling the pans. There should have been just a thin layer of the praline in the bottom of each pan, so I don’t know why the caramel would rise up and spill over. Is it possible that your pans were only 1 1/2 inches deep? It is best to fill a pan no more than 3/4’s full. It must have been a mess to clean up.