Maple Pecan Cake

By Texaschef11

Ingredients

• Maple-cream cheese frosting:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pecan flour (see notes)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup pecan or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 6 large egg whites
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Preparation

Step 1

1. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan with a removable rim. In a bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, pecan flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a small bowl, mix egg yolks, maple syrup, pecan oil, and brandy. Pour into flour mixture; stir to combine.

3. In a large bowl, with a mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until glossy, about 2 minutes. Stir a quarter of the egg-white mixture into yolk mixture. Scrape into remaining egg-white mixture and fold in gently.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350° oven until cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer in pan to a rack and let cool about 1 hour.

5. Remove pan rim. Cut cake in half horizontally and place bottom layer on a cake plate. Spread half the maple-cream cheese frosting on bottom layer; top with remaining layer. Spread remaining frosting over top (leave sides bare). Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

FROSTING:
In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan over medium-high heat, bring maple syrup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until reduced by about a third, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour into a glass measure nested in a bowl of ice water and stir constantly until syrup is very thick and barely warm to touch, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from ice water. In a bowl, with a mixer on low speed, beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. Beat in powdered sugar. Scrape in reduced syrup; beat until smooth.

**Notes: If the nut flour is not available, use 1 cup pecans: bake in a 350° oven until golden under skins, about 10 minutes, then whirl in a food processor until finely ground.

Nutritional Information
Calories:511 (55% from fat)
Protein:6.2g
Fat:31g (sat 10)
Carbohydrate:56g
Fiber:1.1g
Sodium:326mg
Cholesterol:102mg