Pecan Pie Cake

By jgroeneveld

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• 5 egg whites, room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk, divided use
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• For the filling:
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup karo dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• For the frosting:
• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup pecan halves, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Begin by making the filling. You can do this the night before or before preparing the cake. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, dark corn syrup, heavy cream, butter and salt. Heat over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling, continue to stir and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add in the vanilla extract and chopped pecans. Chill in the refrigerator until it thickens. This might take several hours but don't let it get too hard or you will have to microwave it so that you can spread it on the cake layer without tearing the cake. For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9-in cake pans by greasing and flouring the pans. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together egg whites with 1/4 cup of milk. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg white mixture and slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup milk. Beat for a full 3 minutes. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then invert on wire racks and cool completely. For the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, brown sugar and powdered sugar for 5 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. To assemble cake, lay one layer of cooled cake on a cake plate. Make sure the dome of the cake has been sliced off so that the cake is level. Top with the chilled and thickened pecan pie filling. Then top with the second cake layer. Spread a thin layer of the frosting on sides and top of cake to make a crumb coating. Chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Spread the remaining frosting over the cake and garnish with pecans. Keep cake chilled until ready to serve. Then let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.