Pecan Pie Cake with Cream Cheese Coconut Frosting

 This is an amazing cake!  
It takes time and has many steps, 
but it's so very worth it!  

It's a recipe I've been asked for over and over again.

Pecan Pie Cake with Cream Cheese 

Coconut Frosting

2 cups pecans, finely chopped and toasted

1 recipe Pecan Pie Cake Batter

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1 recipe Pecan Pie Filling

 Sprinkle pecans evenly into 3 generously buttered 9 inch round cake pans; shake to coat bottom and sides of pans. 

 

  Set aside while you make the Pecan Pie Cake Batter.

Batter:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1 TBSP vanilla 

2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted, for the batter
1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted for the cake pans 

 Beat the butter and Crisco at medium speed 

with mixer until fluffy.  

Gradually add the sugar beating well.  

Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, 

beating just until blended after each one.  

Stir in vanilla.

 

 Combine the cake flour and baking soda; 

add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk--

beginning and ending with flour mixture.  

Beat at low speed until blended.  Stir in pecans.

 

Beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form; 

fold one third of egg whites into batter.  

Gently gold in remaining beaten

 egg whites just until blended.  

 

  Spoon batter evenly into the 3 prepared pans.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until done.  

Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes.  

Invert onto wax paper and brush the tops 

and sides evenly with corn syrup; cool completely.

Pecan Pie Filling:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/3 cup cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt

3 TBSP butter

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together first 6 ingredients in 

heavy saucepan until smooth.  

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, 

whisking constantly; boil 1 minute until thickened.  

Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla.  

Place a sheet of wax paper directly on surface of mixture 

to prevent a film from forming and chill 4 hours.  

Spread the filling in between the cake layers 

when cake and filling are both cool.  

Frosting:  

1 stick butter, room temperature

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

16 oz confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla
2 cups coconut, toasted lightly

Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth.  

Mix in confectioner's sugar until creamy and add the vanilla. 

Frost top and sides of cake with the frosting.  

Add the toasted coconut and pecans to 

the top and sides to complete. 

**********

The delicious cake batter ingredients...
To the right side of these ingredients, 
a quart of buttermilk should be standing there...
It is not...sigh...
The ingredient picture with the buttermilk would not load...
I think he was upset that he was not included in this picture...
Buttermilk can be quite diva-ish...
So...picture the buttermilk here and we will go on...

You'll cream the butter and butter Crisco until light and fluffy...
Gradually add the sugar and beat well...

Add the eggs and vanilla...
Cake flour and baking soda alternately with the buttermilk...

Toast the pecans...

Add 1 cup of the pecans to your batter...

Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form...

Like this!

Fold the whites into the batter...

Place the other cup of toasted pecans in your 
3 floured and greased pans...

I put about 4 over filled ladles of batter into each cake pan...



Spread it gently with a spoon...



Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes...

After the cake layers cool...

Put the first one on the plate and brush with 
the Karo syrup on the top and sides...

Add the cold filling...

And repeat...

The filling will be kinda squishy, but it will be ok...

I usually put the cake in the refrigerator at this point while I make the frosting...

Carefully and generously spread the top and side with the frosting...



Add the cooled, toasted coconut to the top and sides of the cake...

Perfection!!

Oh, my!  Enjoy!