What a beautiful cake this is and it tastes as good as it looks. But guess what? It is not that difficult to make. I used a yellow butter boxed cake mix and a few extra ingredients to make it rich and delicious.
The recipe makes 3 round cakes each layered with caramel sauce. You could make the cake in a Bundt pan, just pour the caramel sauce over the cake after it cools. Then wait about 20 minutes and frost the cake.
Ingredients
Batter:
I box Butter Cake Mix, any variety (using recommended eggs and butter)
Use Whole milk (or for more rich cake use cream) to replace the water in cake mix
1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1/3 cup dark corn syrup or maple syrup
Caramel sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Cream Cheese Frosting
One- 8 ounce package cream cheese (do not use low fat brand), softened to room temperature
16 ounces powdered sugar, sift for better results
½ cup roughly chopped toasted pecans
½ cup coconut, toasted (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla
Garnishes: raspberries, fresh mint sprig
Instructions:
Cake Batter:
Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8 or 9 inch round cake pans
Break eggs into bowl and beat, add cake mix, syrup, butter and milk. Beat batter according to package directions. Add pecans and stir to combine. Pour cake batter into prepared cake pans and bake according to package directions. Remove cake when cake tested inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool cakes 3-5 minutes. Remove cakes from pans onto cake rack to cool before layering with caramel.
Caramel sauce:
Heat sugar and water on moderately high heat in a heavy 2 or 3 quart saucepan. Stir vigorously as sugar melts. Sugar may harden, keep stirring while sugar melts. As soon as sugar melts and turns amber color turn off heat and add butter and whisk until butter melts. Remove from heat and slowly and carefully add the cream. Whisk until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Whip cream cheese until fluffy, slowly stir in powdered sugar. Continue to beat on low until sugar has incorporated into cheese. Add vanilla and pecans and mix until combined.
Assemble the cake:
Place one cake on cake plate and top with 1/3 of the caramel sauce, layer with second cake and top with 1/3 caramel sauce. Top with third cake and top with remaining caramel sauce. Frost cake with Pecan cream cheese frosting. Top cake with coconut if desired. Garnish with raspberries and mint leaves.