This Praline Crunch Cake combines a moist molasses and coffee flavored cake with a custard buttercream frosting. Praline crunch is sprinkled on top to finish this spectacular dessert. One taste of this cake and your family may have a new favorite!
The recipe for this Praline Crunch Cake was another family favorite that came out of my mom’s Pillsbury’s Best of the Bake-Off Collection recipe book . This was my brother’s birthday cake request every year. Some how this dessert was lost for some time. My kids had never had it until I made this one. I can tell you they will certainly make sure it is not lost again. They loved it! What’s the best part of this dessert? I’m not sure what I love more. The subtle flavors of coffee and molasses in the cake or the luscious custard buttercream frosting. Of course the delicious praline crunch topping is a strong contender for the best part of this dessert as well. When all three are combined it creates one crazy delicious dessert!
Praline Crunch Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 C all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 C sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant coffee
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Stick Unsalted butter softened
- 2 Tablespoons Molasses
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 1/3 Cup All purpose flour
- 2/3 Cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 1/4 Cups Milk
- 3 Egg yolks slightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 3/4 Cup Unsalted butter well creamed
For Praline Crunch topping:
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1/4 Cup All purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
- 1/4 Cup Chopped pecans
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 13x9x2 inch pan.
- Sift Flour, sugar, baking powder,salt and coffee together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add 3/4 cup of the milk, butter and molasses to dry ingredients and beat on low speed for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Add remaining 1/4 cup of milk, eggs and vanilla and beat 1 1/2 minutes on medium speed.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
For the frosting:
- Combine flour, sugar and cornstarch in a medium sauce pan.
- Stir in milk and cook on medium heat stirring constantly until thickened.
- Blend a little of the mixture into the egg yolks to temper the yolks. (Make sure you stir yolks constantly while adding hot mixture)
- Stir yolks back in with remaining hot mixture and cook over low heat stirring constantly for 2 minutes. (Take care not to burn on bottom of sauce pan.)
- Remove from heat and add vanilla.
- Cover and let cool to lukewarm temperature.
- Mix into creamed butter and cool completely.
- Spread onto completely cooled cake.
For Praline Crunch:
- Cut butter into flour.
- Add brown sugar to make crumb mixture.
- Add pecans.
- Place in small baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
- Cool and break into small pieces.
- Sprinkle on cake.
Nutrition
I kept the Praline Crunch Cake right in the pan and frosted it but you could also remove to a serving platter first. This cake should be stored in the refrigerator but you may want to bring it to room temperature before serving for the best taste. Enjoy!
If you like this Pillsbury Best Bake-Off recipe you may also like their Apricot Bars recipe. Check back tomorrow to see that recipe!
This recipe is being shared on Tidy Mom’s link party and Six Sister’s Stuff link party. Come by and check out this and other amazing recipes!
Also, come by and check it out on Baking in Pyjamas link party on Sunday.
This cake looks so yummy–I love praline treats! 🙂
Visiting from I’m Lovin It! This cake sounds delicious, I love everything about it. Pinned. I co-host Sweet and Savoury Sunday and would love for you to stop by and share this and other recipes with us when the party goes live on Sunday night. Have a great day!
Great! Thanks for stopping by and for pinning! I will definitely stop by you party Sunday. Thanks for the invite!
This is a very beautiful cake, and it sounds DELICIOUS !!
Thank you Winnie. We all love it in our home. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
mmm… this sounds so good! I can;t wait to make it! Pinning this for Father’s day!
Jessica from http://www.sparklesandglue.com
Thank you for stopping by Jessica. I hope your father enjoys it. It’s one of my favorites!
My Grandmother and Mother use to make this recipe (I’m 68 now), so I would probably guess it goes to the ’50s at the earliest.
The ingredient list here is very similar to the recipe they used with a two exceptions for the cake. It was 2 tsp ‘Double Acting’ Baking Powder and ‘1/2 cup Crisco’ instead of the 1 stick butter for the cake.
This frosting is vastly different. Theirs was: Combine 2 TBSP Butter, 1 1/2 cups Sifted Confectioners’ Sugar. Mix 2 TBSP Cream and 1 tsp Instant Coffee and add a few drops at a time until spreading consistency. Then add 1 tsp Vanilla.
The praline recipe was the same.
Try both and enjoy!!!