- Candied pecans are a delicious, sweet and crunchy dessert that adds a brilliant dimension of texture to pumpkin cake. The candied pecans give the cake a unique flavor, which makes Pumpkin Cake with Candied Pecans one of the most popular cakes around due to its spiced aroma and delightful taste.
- This recipe for pumpkin cake with candied pecans will be a great addition to your fall baking and it goes well with this delicious pumpkin dip .
- Pecan pie is one of my favorite desserts, but how can you make it healthier? This pumpkin cake has walnuts and pecans, so it has the texture of a pecan pie. Candied pecans add crunch to this moist cake. Enjoy this recipe with friends and family!
happy thanks giving!
- Hope you celebrate it with friends and family. Ryan and I are hosting Thanksgiving dinner again this year - nothing fancy, just a great roast chicken using Ina's recipe (it's awesome) and a few sides. We usually make turkey on Thanksgiving, but there's always a lot (too many) leftovers, and my dad will just come over so we choose a smaller bird. And of course, this pumpkin cake will be served as a dessert.
- In true Olivia style (at least recently), I meant to get this recipe weeks in advance so you can have it too at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. There are a lot of things in life (also known as puppyhood) that get in the way of the baking process. All good though they are adorable (most of the time), and they grow so fast that I want to soak in puppy time as often as possible!
- Last year, I refrained from overwhelming you with pumpkin recipes and opted for some other fall flavors like sweet potato cake with marshmallow frosting, apple pumpkin cake, and pumpkin latte cake.
- . This year, I'll be back with another pumpkin cake recipe!
- My Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake is one of the most popular fall recipes (for good reason, I think) so I wanted to take this recipe and tweak it for a larger version and try it out with a few different flavors. I dare say the pumpkin cake recipe I bring to you today is better than that.
How to make a pumpkin cake recipe
This is probably one of the easiest cake recipes I have on my blog. It's a 2-bowl (one bowl if you're lazy) method that doesn't even require a blender. All you have to do is:
Whisk the dry ingredients together (skip this for one bowl)
Whisk together the wet ingredients with the sugar
Add the dry mixture to the wet and blend until completely combined
Cake Tip
To make the recipe, in one bowl, mix all the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
With a simple cream cheese frosting, it just couldn't get any easier!
Honestly, the most challenging part of this recipe was the candied pecans.
How to make Candied Pecans
Who knew making candied pecans would be such a pain in the ass?? The recipe I have for you below is actually pretty easy, but I got stuck a few times in my experience.
I had this vision of what I wanted candied pecans to look like: shiny and glossy, but not lumpy or sticky to caramel. Most of the candied pecan recipes out there show nuts coated in sugar, and this wasn't the look I was looking for.
-------------------------------------------------👇👇👇👇👇👇👇--------------------------------------------
I chose to try a recipe I found online and it seemed to have a technique that would work (albeit with some weird ingredients - milk??). It has had a lot of great reviews, so it definitely won't let me down. But let me down I did. I had to go with my intuition! The sugar mixture burned completely at the bottom of the pot before it was supposed to be ready. Fortunately, I had a feeling not to throw $20 pecans into it.
For attempt #2, I modified this recipe to see if that would work. The recipe is very simple, which is a huge plus for me.
Start with a skillet over medium heat, then add the pecans to toast for about 3 minutes (until fragrant). Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and when the nuts are ready, pour the mixture into the pan with the nuts and stir constantly for 5-10 minutes. I used heat insulating spoons for this, which worked perfectly.
Now, as you sweeten the pecans, they'll go from a liquid glaze to a grainy, crystallized glaze (aka the look I don't want), but you keep cooking it, and eventually it caramelizes a deep, dark, glorious color. Except that the mine was already burnt out. sigh. Some of them anyway.
My stove is the worst. The oven takes a long time to bake anything, and the burners get very hot. You literally can't grow up on it. I should have lowered my temperature - noted in the future!
Funny thing though, since I was caramelizing pecans, I really liked the way they looked drunk/crystallized! So much so that I asked Ryan to pick up more pecans on the way home so I could bring them back in.
You'll notice that I actually end up going with the bright people anyway, because they look so pretty. Although at one point I was convinced that they looked like crickets on a bun, I panicked and added some chopped crickets to try and hide that fact. I probably sent a message to 5 of my friends with a picture and a question: "Do these look like cockroaches?" This is my real life
Here's a shot without all the extra chopped pecans.... You can see where I came up with the idea, right?
In any case. I actually prefer the taste and texture of sugars rather than caramel, but both are delicious, and the beauty of this recipe is that you can decide how you like it!
This candied pecan recipe is honestly so much easier and less time consuming than the others out there, that I wonder why not everyone makes their nuts this way?? I will definitely be in the future. Any other type of nuts should work well too, if you're not a fan of pecans!
I chose to pair this pumpkin cake with a simple cream cheese frosting, but it will go well with plain vanilla frosting or cinnamon frosting if you're looking to spice up a bit more!
If you are a fan of pumpkin spice or just looking for something delicious for your fall and holiday dinner tables, this Pumpkin Cake with Candied Pecans will not disappoint!!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I convert this recipe?
The recipe will work as well for three 6x6 pots or 8x8 pans, but the layers will be thicker so the baking time will be longer.
To make cupcakes, all you have to do is reduce the baking time - start checking in 15 minutes or so. The recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes, depending on size.
For other transfers go here. Baking time may vary depending on the size of the pan.
Can I do this in advance?
Chilled cake layers can be baked in advance, wrapped twice in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Take it 2-3 hours before collection.
Garnishes can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 3 months. Bring it to room temperature and recharge before use.
Candied pecans can be placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for a week or two.
Ready-made cake (whole or cut and sealed) can be frozen for up to 3 months. Garnish the top with pecans before serving.
Can I get the measurements in weight/grams?
There is a metric option on the recipe card. If you click on it it will convert everything to grams.
This conversion is done automatically and I can't guarantee the accuracy but many readers have successfully used the scaling option in my recipes.
Tips for making a pumpkin cake recipe
April 14, 2022 - Cream cheese frosting recipe is revised to make firmer frosting.
You can make this pumpkin cake recipe in one bowl if you skip sifting the dry ingredients and add them to the wet all at once. It will work fine!
This candied pecan recipe works in two ways: you can stop when the nuts look like they are covered in cinnamon sugar (my personal favorite), or you can continue to cook them until they have a clear, dark caramel coating.
I make my own cake pops using the homemade cake release method and wrap them in parchment paper.
Learn how to keep your cake moist with simple syrup.
To help ensure cake layers bake nicely and flat, check out our How to Bake Flat Cakes post!
Ingredients
pumpkin cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree 14-15 ounces, no pumpkin pie filling
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Candied pecans:
3 cups pecan halves
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream cheese frosting:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups 12-ounce cream cheese, chilled, full-fat, without tub, diced
2 teaspoons vanilla
Cornstarch or meringue powder optional
crowd:
2/3 cup chopped pecans
Whole pecans
instructions
pumpkin cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans. Line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, oil, pumpkin, vanilla, and eggs.
- Add dry to wet and mix until combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (about 30-35 minutes).
- Cool in tubs on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then flip onto wire racks to cool completely.
Candied pecans:
- Place parchment paper on a large baking tray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and toast, approx. 3 minutes with constant stirring.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix sugar, cinnamon, water, and vanilla. stir well.
- When the pecans are fragrant, add the sugar mixture to the skillet. Stir constantly over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. I used heat insulating spoons for this. *
- Spread on a parchment lined baking tray to cool. Separate them as much as possible with spoons.
Cream cheese frosting:
- Using a hand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter until pale and creamy.
- Reduce the speed to low. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix over low heat until well combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and continue to beat over medium heat for one minute.
- Slowly add the cooled cheese one cube at a time (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Mix well until blended, making sure there are no lumps of cream cheese.
- If needed, add cornstarch or meringue powder 1 tablespoon at a time to harden the frosting (I didn't but that's an option).
- Run the mixer on low heat for a few minutes to remove any air bubbles.
crowd:
- Place one layer of cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Cover with 1 cup of frosting and spread evenly. Sprinkle 1/3 cup chopped candied pecans over the icing (reserve the prettiest ones on top). Repeat with the next layer.
- Put the final cake layer on top and cover the cake with crumbs. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Use the remaining icing to cover the outside of the cake. Decorate the top and sides with a swirl if desired (I used a large offset spatula to do this). Decorate with whole and chopped pecans.
Notes
*The sugar syrup will coat the pecans and eventually turn into granules. You can stop here if you like or keep cooking/stirring until caramelized and golden. Watch it carefully because it will burn quickly near the end.Pecan liqueur recipe adapted from The Cafe Sucre Farine.Calories: 851 kcal Carbs 88 g Protein: 6 g Fat: 55 g Saturated Fat 28 g Cholesterol: 119 mg Sodium 201 mg Potassium 290 mg Fiber: 3 g Sugar: 69 g Vitamin A: 4630 IU Vitamin C: 1.2 Calcium 104 mg Iron: 2.2 mgNutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please check it with your favorite nutrition calculator and/or scale converter.