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Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Brown Butter Pecan Sheet Cake with Cocoa Filling

A tender, nutty brown-butter pecan cake split around a silky cocoa cream filling, with toasted pecans in every bite.

Brown Butter Pecan Sheet Cake with Cocoa Filling

Ingredients

  • 1⅓ cups chopped150 gPecanstoasted and finely chopped
  • ¾ cup170 gUnsalted butter
  • 2 cups250 gAll-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup packed180 gBrown sugarpacked
  • ¼ cup50 gGranulated sugar
  • 3 large150 gEggsroom temperature
  • 1 cup (240 ml)240 gButtermilk, low-fatroom temperature
  • 2 tsp8 gVanilla extract
  • 1¾ tsp8 gBaking powder
  • ¾ tsp3 gBaking soda
  • ¾ tsp4 gSalt
  • ¾ cup170 gCream cheesesoftened
  • 1 cup120 gPowdered sugar
  • ⅓ cup30 gUnsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup (120 ml)120 gHeavy creamcold

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch pan and line the bottom with parchment, leaving overhang.
  2. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven 7–8 minutes until fragrant; cool, then chop finely. Set aside one third of the pecans for the topping; the remaining two thirds go into the batter.
  3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling, until it smells nutty and the bits turn golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and cool 10 minutes.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  5. Whisk the brown sugar and the granulated sugar into the browned butter, then whisk in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
  6. Stir in half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, then the remaining half of the flour mixture, just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the batter portion of the pecans (two thirds).
  7. Spread the batter in the pan and bake 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
  8. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, lift out by the parchment and cool completely on a rack, about 1 hour.
  9. For the cocoa filling, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and the unsweetened cocoa powder until smooth. In another bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the cocoa cream cheese mixture.
  10. With a long serrated knife, split the cooled cake into two even layers. Spread half of the cocoa filling over the bottom layer, set the top layer on it, and spread the remaining half of the filling over the top.
  11. Sprinkle the reserved one third of the pecans over the top. Chill 20 minutes to set, then cut into 12 slices. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Milk, Egg, Tree nuts, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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