Praline Cake Squares

Sometimes you just have to make a cake. You do. It’s a fact. There’s something therapeutic about measuring, stirring and mixing to create sweet goodness out of simple ingredients.

This recipe for Praline Cake Squares is one I’ve had marked in my Aunt’s cookbook for a while now. I don’t have any idea where it came from, but sure wish I did because I’d send them a thank you note. Good? It was mighty good, with a light texture, the perfect amount of sweetness, and a delicious praline type topping. This recipe is on my keeper list for sure. Let me put it this way, if I had a restaurant, Praline Cake Squares would be on the dessert menu.

The process is simple. Mix up a buttermilk cake batter and bake until done.

While the cake is baking make the icing. Dark brown sugar makes this icing/topping. The icing will have little pieces of butter in the mixture. That’s okay. Once you pour it on the baked cake, the butter begins to melt right in.

(Side note: There’s no rhyme or reason, but I used light brown sugar for the cake, and dark brown sugar for the icing. Not sure you need to use two different brown sugars, but if you’re going to choose one, I think I’d go with the dark brown sugar for this recipe.)

Pour the icing on the warm, baked cake, and spread evenly.

Top with pecans. I covered only half of the top with pecans, because my kids don’t care for nuts. Pop it back in the oven, under the broiler until it bubbles.

Cut into squares and serve. It’s something else while it’s still warm. Look at that goodness in the bottom of the pan.

Give this one a try soon for your next get together, and watch it disappear fast.

Enjoy! Happy baking!

Praline Cake Squares Recipe

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Praline Cake Squares

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Adapted from Carole Radford's Hearts Go Home for the Holidays

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Ingredients

Cake ingredients:

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
• 2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa powder, Hershey's Special Dark)

Icing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking/cake pan.
2. In a saucepan, heat the buttermilk and butter, until butter melts. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
3. Add the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla, and beat together.
4. Whisk together the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, cocoa powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix.
5. Pour into greased and floured 13x9x2-inch baking/cake pan. Bake at 350-degrees F for about 20-25, until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean from center of cake.
6. While cake is baking combine icing ingredients, except for pecans, until smooth. As soon as cake is done, spread icing on top, and sprinkle with pecans. Switch oven to broil. Return cake to bottom rack of oven, and broil until icing bubbles (about 4-5 minutes). Watch carefully. When icing bubbles, remove from oven, slightly cool, cut in square and serve.

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