Pecan Pie Cake

In the spirit of the season I would like to share the recipe for one of my favorite holiday desserts, Pecan Pie Cake. I first made this cake years ago when we were living in New York City. We had invited friends over for a traditional holiday dinner and rather than making a pecan pie, I made this cake. (I guess I felt was a more sophisticated take on the good old stand-by.) The cake was rich yet not too sweet with a delicate texture, and there was not a cake crumb left at the end of the evening. While I still love pecan pie, the Pecan Pie Cake has become our family’s traditional holiday dessert.

Pecan Pie Cake

• 3 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 recipe Pecan Pie Filling
• 1 recipe Pastry Garnish (optional)

1. Generously butter three (3) 9-inch round cake pans. Sprinkle 2 cups pecans evenly into the pans and shake to coat bottoms and sides of pans.
2. Cream 1/2 cup butter, shortening and sugar, beating well with electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in remaining 1 cup finely chopped pecans.
4. In separate bowl, beat egg whites with mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-third of egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites. (Be careful to not overmix!) Pour batter into prepared pans, evenly dividing among three pans.
5. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until done. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Invert layers onto parchment paper-lined wire racks. Brush tops and sides of layers with corn syrup, and cool completely.
6. Place one cake layer on serving platter, pecan side up and then spread half of Pecan Pie Filling on the layer. Place second layer, pecan side up, on filling; spread with remaining filling. Top with last layer, pecan side up.
7. Arrange Pastry Garnish on and around cake.

Pecan Pie Filling

• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until smooth.
2. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla extract.
3. Place a sheet of parchment paper directly on surface of mixture to prevent a film from forming and then chill 4 hours.

Pastry Garnish

• 1  (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
• 1  large egg
• 1  tablespoon  water
• 24  pecan halves

1. Unfold piecrusts, and press out fold lines. Cut 8 to 10 leaves from each piecrust with a 3-inch leaf-shaped cutter or cut freehand with sharp knife. Mark leaf veins using tip of a knife. Reserve pastry trimmings.
2. Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water, and brush on pastry leaves.
3. Crumple 10 to 12 small aluminum foil pieces into 1/2-inch balls. Coat with vegetable cooking spray, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
4. Drape a pastry leaf over each foil ball. Place remaining pastry leaves on baking sheet.
5. Bake at 425° for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Gently remove foil from leaves.
6. Pinch 12 pea-size pieces from pastry trimmings. Place between pecan halves, forming sandwiches.
7. Cut remaining pastry into 2-inch pieces; wrap around pecan sandwiches, leaving jagged edges to resemble half-shelled pecans. Brush with egg mixture. Place on baking sheet.
8. Bake pecans at 350° for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack.
9. Use leaves and pecans for decoration on and around Pecan Pie Cake.