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    Home / Cake

    Sweet Pecan Cake with Maple Frosting | Gluten Free Option

    By Leave a Comment

    This Pecan Cake is made with lightly toasted and sugared pecan pieces nestled inside a buttery soft cake. You'll love the nutty flavor paired with the maple frosting and a cup of afternoon coffee (especially if the kids are napping.)

    Jump to Recipe

    Tell me all about this pecan cake

    • Texture—because it's made with gluten free flour, the cake is closer to the denseness of a coffee cake, less like a layered cake.
    • Ease—I'd say this cake falls between beginner and intermediate. You'll need to toast the pecans and make "sand" with the butter, but combining the ingredients is pretty simple.
    • Baking—This cake bakes at 350°F (175°C) on the center rack of the oven.
    • Prep Time—Your eggs should come to room temperature, but other than that, you can start this right off. Toasting the pecans takes about 7 minutes and the putting the cake together takes around 10 minutes.
    • Bake Time—This cake bakes for 28-32 minutes (I always take mine out at 30 minutes, but every oven is different) with the oven light on so you can watch the magic happen, right?
    Up close of pecans on top of maple frosting and pecan cake

    Ingredients for cake and frosting

    To prep, you'll need a 9x9 or 8x8 inch square baking pan, 1 medium skillet, a food processor and 1 large mixing bowl.

    • Sugared Pecans—Chop up those pecans nice and fine in the food processor and then you'll get them all toasted and fragrant in the skillet with some butter and dark brown sugar. This smell must already be a candle, right?
    • GF Flour Blend—Or all-purpose flour if your body isn't terrified by gluten, like mine. My favorite gluten free flour blend is King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure. You can read why here.
    • Sugar, Salt & Vanilla—All add flavor and texture to the cake.
    • Buttermilk—This adds a lovely flavor and texture to cake, but it gives the acid to activate the double-acting baking powder.
    • Eggs—Lots of eggs for lots of moisture, structure and a perfect crumb.
    • Butter—I've made this with both regular butter and a dairy free butter substitute and could hardly tell the difference. Both created a delicious buttery flavor and smooth texture.
    • Baking Powder—Just the right amount to give plenty of rise to this pecan cake.
    Hand serving a slice of pecan cake with the rest of the cake in the background.

    How to make a simple pecan cake

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180°C) . Grease or line with parchment paper an 8x8 or 9x9 inch square pan with cooking spray and set aside.

    Finely chop pecans in a food processor (or by hand if you like larger pieces of pecan) until pieces resemble large sand.

    In a small skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir together. Add chopped pecans and continue cooking until pecans are fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to go into the cake later.

    Using a food processor, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Blitz about 5 second to combine.

    Add butter and blitz again until mixture resembles rough sand, about 10 seconds.

    Remove mixture and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

    Add buttermilk and vanilla, mixing on medium until fully combined.

    Don't have buttermilk on hand? No problem, simply mix 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in with your millk and allow to sit for 5 minutes. This is a great way to make a buttermilk replacement in a pinch!

    Add room temperature eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides as needed.

    Add in the toasted pecans, reserving ¼ C to sprinkle on top, or simply sprinkle fresh pecans on top like I did in the pictures. Either way is delicious.

    Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set on a cooling rack.

    Looking for something else gluten free and full of fall flavors? Try our Apple Upside Down Cake.

    Slice of cake on white plate with fork in front.

    How to make maple frosting

    Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a handheld mixer whisk butter for about 1 minute. Slowly add powdered sugar and maple extract.

    To get the maximum amount of maple flavor, I do recommend the extract. Maple syrup is delicious but it would require a lot of syrup for the flavor to really come through.

    While whisking on high, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is a spreadable consistency.

    Once cake cools, top with maple frosting and sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans.

    If you want to try a different frosting, try our cinnamon frosting that we used on our Butterscotch Cupcakes recipe. It would also be delicious on top of this pecan cake!

    Up close of fork with a piece of pecan cake.

    Can I make this cake gluten free?

    Yes! In fact, the cake pictured was made with King Arthur Flour's Measure for Measure gluten free flour blend. You can read why this is our favorite gluten free flour here. The recipe does not require any other adjustments. However, please check ALL ingredients before using to ensure they are gluten free.

    Up close of pecan cake with maple frosting, pecans sprinkled on top.

    Pecan Cake with Maple Frosting

    Simple Pecan Cake with sweet maple frosting. Soft, moist and full of fall flavors.
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 9 slices

    Ingredients 

    For the Sugared Pecans

    • 1 cup finely chopped pecans
    • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
    • 4 tablespoons butter - divided

    For the Cake

    • 1 ½ cup all purpose flour - or gluten free flour blend
    • 1 cup granulated white sugar
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 3 eggs - room temp
    • ½ cup buttermilk
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Maple Frosting

    • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter - room temp
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon maple extract
    • 5 tablespoons milk - 2% or milk substitute, like almond milk

    Instructions

    For the Cake

    • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 inch square pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
    • Finely chop pecans in a food processor until pieces resemble large sand. Set aside.
    • In a small skillet, melt 4 tablespoon butter. Add brown sugar and stir together. Add chopped pecans and cook on medium low heat until pecans are fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.
    • Using a food processor, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Blitz to combine.
    • Add butter and blitz until mixture resembles rough sand.
    • Remove mixture and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
    • Add buttermilk and vanilla, mixing on medium until fully combined.
    • Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides as needed.
    • Add toasted pecans, reserving ¼ C to sprinkle on top.
    • Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set on a cooling rack.
    • While cake is cooling, mix up the frosting.

    Maple Frosting

    • Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a handheld mixer whisk butter for about 1 minute. Slowly add powdered sugar and maple extract.
    • While whisking on high, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is a spreadable consistency.
    • Once cake cools, top with maple frosting and sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans.

    Notes

    Cake keeps well on the countertop for up to a week when wrapped tightly with aluminum foil or stored in an airtight container. 
    Gluten Free Soft Pecan Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting | Simple gluten free recipe perfect for the holidays! #glutenfree #pecan #cake #maple #frosting #holidaycake

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