Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 ¾ cups Granulated Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ¾ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
  • 3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup Buttermilk (room temperature)
  • 1 ½ cups Pecan Halves or Pieces (toasted)
  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter (for praline)
  • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (packed, for praline)
  • ¼ cup Heavy Cream (for praline)
  • Pinch of Salt (for praline)
  • ¼ cup Unsalted Butter (for finishing sauce)
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar (for finishing sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons Whole Milk (for finishing sauce)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking dish thoroughly.
  2. Toast Pecans: Spread pecans on a dry baking sheet and bake for 5–7 minutes until fragrant. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Cream Butter & Eggs: In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
  5. Combine: Alternate adding the dry ingredients mixture and the buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined; do not overmix.
  6. Bake: Pour batter into the prepared dish. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
  7. Prepare Praline Sauce: While the cake cools, melt the ½ cup butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and heavy cream.
  8. Caramelise: Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly, for 3–5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Remove immediately from heat.
  9. Drizzle Topping: Stir the toasted pecans and a pinch of salt into the warm praline mixture. Spoon this evenly over the warm cake.
  10. Make Finishing Sauce: In the same small saucepan, combine the ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Heat over medium-low, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved and the sauce is smooth.
  11. Soak: Poke small holes all over the top of the cake. Slowly pour the hot finishing butter sauce over the cake, allowing it to seep down.
  12. Serve: Let the cake cool slightly before slicing and serving warm or at room temperature.