Delicious chocolate cake to serve during the holidays. If desired, garnish with whole pecans and chocolate curls
I've made this cake 1/2 dozen times over the last 5 years and after some trial and error with the topping what I now do is after I get the brown sugar/butter/whipping cream/praline topping in the cake pan, I put the two cake pans in the freezer for 15 minutes. That way when the cake batter is added to the pans, the topping does not push to the sides of the cake pans. Works really well. As for other notes about the cake sticking in the pan after baking, I found that you really have to be diligent about getting the cakes out of the pans within that first 5 minutes. In one instance when I waited too long, I simply put the cake back into the warm oven for 3 minutes to "soften" up the topping. This cake is really terrific and is not one of those that you should worry about counting calories. Just simply enjoy it, then go for a long walk afterwards.
Read MoreI've made this cake 1/2 dozen times over the last 5 years and after some trial and error with the topping what I now do is after I get the brown sugar/butter/whipping cream/praline topping in the cake pan, I put the two cake pans in the freezer for 15 minutes. That way when the cake batter is added to the pans, the topping does not push to the sides of the cake pans. Works really well. As for other notes about the cake sticking in the pan after baking, I found that you really have to be diligent about getting the cakes out of the pans within that first 5 minutes. In one instance when I waited too long, I simply put the cake back into the warm oven for 3 minutes to "soften" up the topping. This cake is really terrific and is not one of those that you should worry about counting calories. Just simply enjoy it, then go for a long walk afterwards.
The absolute BEST cake ever! Fun fact...this cake has a total of 7,128 calories of which 4,320 are fat calories. A serving size is 1/24 of the cake and is 297 calories. I would like to know who can cut a serving piece that tiny. A normal serving piece would be 1/12. The moral here is that life is too short so why not enjoy a big slice!
Actually a Pillsbury recipe. I have made many times for family gatherings and everyone always loves it. If you butter the cake pans well, let them cool for 5-10 minutes, flip them and firmly pat the bottom of the pans they will not stick. Also pull the pans up very slowly and evenly. If one side starts to stick just carefully use a knife to loosen it. I recommend making the day before serving because the flavors blend nicely overnight. Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this cake yesterday for my mother-in-law's surprise b-day party...it was an incredible hit with all the guests. She later came and pulled me aside to let me know that this cake might easily become one of her favourites - big compliment from her as she's a fantastic cook/baker. I will definately make this again! As for the caramel topping sticking to the bottom of the pan, I had lined the bottom of the cake pans with baking paper - the cakes came out quite easily and didn't stick to the bottom at all. I had also greased & floured just to be on the safe side :). Thanks again Eleanor!
Wow,..... this has been the Birthday cake in our family since it won the pillsbury bake off..... a tip i use, when spooning the cake over the praline sauce, spoon first around the edge of the pan to seal, then fill in the middle, that way none of the delicious caramel will escape.... never put any wax paper or parchment on the bottom of the pans. If youwant you can substitute whipped topping for the real stuff, have done it both ways and the topping is actually less calories so you may have two peices....Yummmmmy.
I think the next time I bake it, I will use cream cheese frosting instead of whipped topping. It just seems to need a little more flavor to me. i think this is actually a Pillsbury bake-off winner recipe.
Awesome! I usually stick with the "safer" recipes on this site...the ones with many, many reviews, but I couldn't pass this one up. I'm glad I didn't! It is delicious! The topping didn't stick to my pans at all! Be sure you grease and flour your cake pans. Thirty-five minutes was perfect. My only problem was with my 2nd cake...the top layer completely fell apart. The icing made it slip off the bottom layer. I don't know how this problem could be fixed since the cake is SOOO moist. Anyway, the one that held together was absolutely perfect! Good luck!
I made this cake for my boss's birthday and he LOVED it. I couldn't find devils food cake with pudding, so I used Duncan Hines moist devils food cake. Will make this again!!
TIP To get the residual praline out of the bottom of the cake pan. After flipping pan over, place a damp rag on top and iron the damp rag on high setting for about 30 seconds, essentially steaming or heating the bottom of the pan so the praline falls right out
Verrrry tasty. However, after using shortening and parchment paper in the pans, the carmel/pecan topping still tore off of the cake, was immovable in the pan bottoms, and also took some chunks of cake with it. I think waiting only 5 mintues to take them out of the pans was part of the problem. If (big if) I ever make this cake again, I'll omit the paper, I'll grease and flour the pans within inches of their lives, and wait til the cake is cooler, more set, before trying to remove. 4 stars because I could fix it by making more topping, drizzling that on the cakes and the whipped cream covers any and all imperfections in the cake itself. Got rave reviews for Christmas dessert...
I have made this cake time several times and its always a hit. I got the recipe off the back of a devils food cake mix. You do have to watch the praline topping as it will stick if your not careful but I've always been able to piece my cakes back together. I cover the whole cake in whipped cream place a few pecans around the center and edge plus a few chocolate curls for garnish it turns out very pretty. In a pinch you can use cool whip or cream cheese frosting but nothing beats the real deal.
This is my favorite cake but I use 1/4 C of Hazelnut creamer (coffee creamer) instead of the whipping cream with the brown sugar and butter. YUM!!!! For those having problems with the cake sticking to the pan, try parchment.
I stayed up all night one time attempting to make this cake, but in the middle of the recipe for the praline part, it ended up cooking to the bottom of the pans. I've had this cake before properly made, but I just can't seem to do the praline crust right. I can't keep the praline layer from sticking to the pans. (I love this cake btw)
I combined this recipe with the chocolate candy bar cake....OH MY DEAR...it was to die for...Thank you JJOHN32 and NOULLETTE!!!!
Great recipe, now one of my favorites. I made exactly as instructed; however, putting praline mixture in freezer for 15 minutes is the key. In the future I will simply use Cool Whip instead of going through the trouble of making the whipped topping, cool whip is just as good.
Delicious! Such a hit amongst my coworkers. Only one problem...it was very difficult to keep the glaze even on the bottom of the pan. It was pushed to the side when the batter was placed on top, leaving some parts of the cake with no glaze and some parts with a ton of glaze.
Got rave reviews on this one!!! I might add more whipped cream. Recipe is easy and looks like you went through a lot of work.
This was a great recipe! However, I made two changes...I used milk instead water, and I used cream cheese icing instead of the whipped icing. I was nervous about making this cake for the first time for Thanksgiving, but it came out great, and my whole family loved it.
Great cake, you won't be sorry you took the time to make this one. Next time am going to use a cream cheese icing :)
I made this for a baking contest at work and won. it looked lovely and i got many compliments. everyone assumed it was really hard--but it was so simple!
Absolutely delicious cake. It's in my top 5 now. Next time I will make it into a 3 layer cake. My 8 inch pans overflowed onto my oven and smoked up the house. I had no problems with the praline sticking to the pan. I used the Pam Baker's spray and released them after cooling for 5 minutes.
Cake tasted good when frosted with dark chocolate frosting. It was next to impossible to remove cake and topping from the pans since the topping stuck horribly. I don't know how everyone else did it without trouble. I would not make this again for this reason.
Great cake... a really big hit at the last birthday party I made it for... frosting is not too heavy and praline added just the right amount of sweetness to the cake.
I love this cake! Its in the Pillsbury cookbook and I have made it ALOT. It's yummy for sure! I usually slice a little off the top part so its more flat. Then I just eat the scraps too! =)
Cake was ok. Baked in 9" pan. Icing was good but I didn't add any granulated sugar - was plenty sweet without. Only put chopped snickers on top.
great cake, i didn't have brown sugar, but i think it didn't really change it, probably only in the presentation, amazing flavor....
I was looking for a good replacement Chocolate Praline Cake for my restaurant, since my baker's wasn't what it used to be, when I found this. It tastes wonderful!! The cakes work beautifully if you freeze the praline mixture before adding the cake batter, and then removing them from the pan within the first 5 minutes of coming out of the oven. Not one pecan stuck to the pan. My only problem is that when you take the cake out of the oven it is rounded on top so that when you flip it over it cracks down the center. Trying to figure out how to solve this problem...any ideas?
Super delicious cake! I don't have the cake mix so I made the batter myself. It still turned out very yummy. The cake is so moist that the chocolate drips out with every bite. The praline is very very tasty. By far the best chocolate cake I ever had. (The cake pans and utensils were all licked clean). I am fussy with presentation though. Since this cake invokes stacking 2 layers together sandwiched in cream, it doesn't look too appealing. Therfore I have plastered the round edges to conceal the layering. It looks lovely and my husband loves it. I have attached a photo if you want to have a look. Will definitely make another one!
I had trouble with the bottom sticking despite my best efforts. It was still pretty tasty.
I found this recipe in a cookbook I have several years ago and it is one of our all-time favorites. The one thing to note about it is that it is difficult to cut once it's assembled because of the whipped cream.
This is my favorite easy-to-make cake. I've made this about a dozen times and it always gets rave reviews. This recipe was the first prize winner in a Rhode Island Pillsbury bake off contest ages ago, and that's when I first tried it. It doesn't sit in your stomach like lead afterwards like some heavily frosted cakes tend to do. This tastes almost like a candy cake with that beautiful chewy-crisp caramelly center balanced with the lightness of the whipped cream. Absolutely perfect.
This is delicious cake. My changes were to make a 3 layer cake I thought I would double the caramel mixture --- DON'T. My pans overflowed in the oven and I had one big mess. The cake turned out distored because of my error. I believe it was the uglies layers I have ever made. None the less I decided to make a whipped topping frosting (from this website). Mine was white chocolate pudding and whipped topping. I covered the whole thing with it and garnished with grated chocolate and pecans. Turned out great despite the problems.
Fabulous cake was a big hit!!
Great tasting cake and it looks good too! However, I would only plan for a maximum of 16 servings (especially if you use two 8" pans).
Made this for Thanksgiving and it received wonderful "reviews". Brought left overs to the office where it again was given a perfect 10!One correction this does not serve 24! It was 12 small slices but all agreed that it was rich and filling so small slices are the way to go! Easy to make and loved that I had this made 2 days before leaving me time for the rest of my cooking. Very easy. Do wish that all recipes would include a photo of the completed item!!
Fantastic cake! So moist and rich, but has a nice light feeling to it with the whipped cream frosting. A new favorite in our house!
really good. pretty difficult to keep the praline from moving off to the edge when putting in the cake batter though
My family loves this. 5++ stars. I did not have pecans, used walnuts. I am sure it will be 10+ with pecans. Very easy to make. Grease and flour the pans to prevernt sticking and shake the cakes out easily from pan, take your time, excellent!!!!second review: you MUST remove the cakes from the pans in five minutes, no more no less or they will stick
This is a beautiful cake. I've made it twice and it's been a hit both times.
This review is for the praline filling only. It is marvelous. I used it with the cake from another recipe and the chocolate buttercream frosting from a third to make my son's birthday cake. The praline stayed soft and came right out of the pan with minimal mess. This is going to be my go to for sweet rolls as well. (The 4 star rating is because the recipe called for a cake mix. I can't give a cake mix 5 stars, ever.)
I have been making this cake for a number of years. I made it for someone's b-day at work and now everyone requests it. I always make it for our school's annual cake auction and it always brings in over $100.00. Everyone just loves it!
We love this recipe. Is been my mom’s favorite for 20+ years. I used gold sprinkles and chocolate shavings on top.
I make this cake every Christmas because my friends DEMAND it. It is excellent. The fresh whipped cream topping perfectly balances out the sweetness of the praline filling. Delicious!
This cake was a hit with everyone who tried it. I love the whipped cream frosting. (I'm sure if I felt totally lazy I could use cool whip in the future). I didn't change a thing, and had no problem with the cakes sticking as I baked them in silicone cake pans. The only problem I had was that my pecan topping went to the outer edges of cake pans maybe when I added the batter or during cooking? Not sure. At any rate there wasn't any topping in the center of the cake just on the edges. Still delicious but what did I do wrong?
Very good flavor and balance of sweetness. I had no issues with it sticking to the pan (primed the pans with Wilton cake release). As another reviewer mentioned as well, my praline topping baked to the outside of each layer...so the middle had none (and I was careful in putting the batter in the pan so not to disturb the praline at the bottom). A little tough to cut with the chewy outer rim of praline and the whipped cream filling. Still got good reviews from the family though. Very pretty presentation too.
Everyone I've served this to has said "this is the best cake I've ever tasted" - and I'd have to agree - very easy and SO delicious! The whipped cream is just sweet enough to compliment and praline layer, but not too sweet. I've made it twice now and has turned out perfect both times.
After reading their reviews I did spray the pans really well with butter flavored Pam Spray. I let the cake cool for 5 minutes and flipped it out on the cooling rack, smacking the bottom of the pan hard and it fell right out. Because I donated the cake to a bake sale for the Senior Center, I decided I wanted something sturdier than just a whipped cream filling so I used Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting from allrecipes. It had to sit out for an hour and held up wonderfully. I made chocolate curls to garnish it with and sprinkled a few more pecans on top and lightly drizzled caramel and chocolate on top. It was one of the prettiest cakes I have ever made and everyone loved it.
I make this for special birthdays ans holidays and it is always a crowd pleaser!
Wonderful recipe. Cashew nuts were replaced for pecan. I made this for my friend on her birthday and she nearly had no chance to have it if I didnt specially keep a piece for her, cause the whole cake was gone in minutes. Also brought it to company and all raved for it. Thank you for a keeper, Eleanor.
YUMMY! I had to bake it in a 9x13 for lack of pans, but everyone LOVED our Christmas dessert.
I doubled this recipe and made a 2 layer lasagna pan cake. I lined the bottom of the pan with a silicon baking sheet and had no problems with sticking. I only put the pecans on the bottom half, I did feel I needed a bit more filling so I used the pecan filling from the The Old Fashion Red Devils Food Cake recipe on this site. I frosted it with canned butter cream icing because I wanted to top it with a cake topper that I printed on edible paper with edible ink. (You can't use dairy frosting with the cake topper) I got rave reviews on the cake and a friend said it was the best cake she ever ate. I was very pleased and will make again and again.
This was good, and easy, but I was disappointed that there was not more praline flavor. Maybe next time I will make extra "praline sauce" to pour over the cake instead of making the whipped cream icing. The tip about putting the pans with the praline sauce in the freezer for 15 minutes before adding the cake batter worked wonderfully. I will definitely try this recipe again.
