Hot Maple Cake with Crackle Icing and Maple Candied Pecans
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
If you love delicious, buttery cake donuts topped with maple glaze, this cake is for you! It's a GIANT version of my favorite maple cake donut. Don't skip the maple candied pecans on top — they're so easy to whip up and incredibly addictive.
Author:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/8 cups cake flour
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • pinch of salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon maple extract
  • 1 recipe maple candied pecans (see link in recipe note)
  • vanilla bean ice cream (optional, for serving)
  • maple syrup (optional, for serving)
Instructions
  1. To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare a 10-inch oven-safe skillet sprayed with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the butter and water to a boil. In the meantime, in a separate large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt before whisking in the egg, sour cream, maple extract, vanilla extract. Mix to combine. While mixing, slowly pour in the boiling butter and water mixture. Mix to combine completely. Your batter will be very runny. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 17-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in several places comes out with a few moist crumbs. While the cake bakes, prepare everything to start your frosting.
  2. Make the icing: When the cake is fresh out of the oven, bring the sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat (I use the same saucepan as before). Reduce the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, for 10 minutes. The frosting will bubble like caramel most of the time and you'll notice it start to pull away from the sides of the pan as it nears the 10 minute mark. Remove the icing from the heat and whisk in the maple extract. Pour the icing over the hot cake and spread quickly, because it begins to set immediately. Top the cake with maple candied pecans. Serve immediately with vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled maple syrup.
Recipe by Willow Bird Baking at https://willowbirdbaking.com/2016/01/31/hot-maple-cake-with-crackle-icing-and-maple-candied-pecans/