Butter Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Vegan)
This cake is soft, fluffy, loaded with toasted pecans, and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. A tasty, simple snack cake that is dairy and egg-free.
This is the perfect cake to ease yourself into fall baking. A tender and moist vanilla cake elevated with butter extract (plant-based, of course) and toasted pecans. Let’s not forget the luscious cream cheese frosting, which pairs wonderfully with the butter and pecan flavors. This cake comes together quite easily and is ideal for a gathering or last-minute weekend bake.
What you will need:
Pecans, butter extract, and cream cheese are a must for this recipe. Butter extract is not vegan. I was able to find an alternative at Amazon: OliveNation Vegan Butter Flavor Extract. All other ingredients required for this recipe are basic pantry items.
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- cane sugar
- plant based butter with salt
- plant based milk
- plant based yogurt
- oil – I used olive oil
- vanilla extract
- butter extract – I used OliveNation Vegan Butter Flavor Extract from Amazon
- apple cider vinegar
- pecans
- plant based cream cheese – I use Violife
- powdered sugar
How to:
Let’s start by toasting and finely chopping the pecans. Set them aside for later. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare an 8×8 pan by lining it with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, add flour, baking powder and baking soda; whisk to combine and set aside. To a large measuring cup add the milk, yogurt, vinegar, vanilla extract and butter extract; whisk to combine and set aside.
In a medium bowl, add the butter, oil and sugar. With a hand mixer on medium speed, blend the ingredients together for 2 to 3 minutes. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk mixture, adding 1/3 at a time, blending for 20 to 30 seconds with each addition. Add the pecans to the batter and fold them in until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 43 to 45 minutes. The cake should be pulling away from the sides, and a toothpick inserted should come out clean. Once out of the oven, let the cake rest in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.
While the cake is cooling, the cream cheese frosting can be prepared. Start by adding cold cream cheese and slightly room-temperature butter to a medium bowl. With a hand mixer on medium speed, blend for no more than 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue blending on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Place the frosting in the freezer for at least 15 minutes or until you are ready to frost the cake. Once you are ready to frost the cake, remove the frosting from the freezer and blend it on medium speed for 30 seconds to a minute.
This is not an overly stable frosting. I suggest waiting to frost the cake until you are ready to serve it. You can also frost the cake and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. Once frosted, a sprinkle of toasted pecans over the frosting is a nice final look.
Store the cake in an air tight container in the refrigerator; it should remain fresh for about 3 days.
Alright, let’s get started. Please make, bake and enjoy!
Butter Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Vegan)
Ingredients
Butter Pecan Cake
- 305 grams / 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 2¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 225 grams / 1 cup + 2 tbsp cane sugar
- 63 grams / 4½ tbsp plant based butter with salt (room temperature)
- 4½ tbsp oil – I used olive oil
- 1½ tbsp vanilla extract
- 2¼ tsp butter extract – I used OliveNation Vegan Butter Flavor Extract
- 1¼ cups plant based milk (room temperature)
- 150 grams / ½ cup + 2 tbsp plant based yogurt (room temperature)
- 2¼ tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup / 84 grams toasted and finely chopped pecans + extra for the top of the cake
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 120 grams / 8 tbsp plant based cream cheese – I use Violife (cold out of the refrigerator)
- 28 grams / 2 tbsp plant based butter with salt (only slightly warmed)
- 240 grams / 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Butter Pecan Cake
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F and prepare and 8×8 pan by lining it with parchment paper. Toast and finely chop the pecans; set them aside for later.
- In a small bowl; add the flour, baking powder and baking soda; whisk to combine and set the bowl aside.In a large measuring cup, add the milk, yogurt, vinegar, vanilla extract and butter extract; whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the butter, oil and sugar. With a hand mixer, blend the ingredients together for 2 to 3 minutes. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk mixture, adding 1/3 at a time; blending 20 to 30 seconds with each addition. Fold in the pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 43 to 45 minutes. The cake should be pulling away from the sides and a toothpick inserted should come out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Allow the cake to completely cool before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the cold cream cheese and the slightly warmed butter to a medium bowl and blend with a hand mixer for no more than 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and and blend until smooth and creamy. Place the frosting in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up. This frosting can become runny easily. I suggest frosting the cake right before serving or frosting the cake ahead of time and storing the cake in the refrigerator until you are read to serve it. Sprinkling some toasted pecans over the top of the frosted cake is a nice final look.Store the cake in the refrigerator. The cake will remain fresh for about 3 days.
