Caramel Nut Spice Cake is an easy and delicious autumn cake that is made with boxed cake mix but jazzed up with caramel sauce and chopped pecans.
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Caramel Nut Spice Cake is an easy and delicious autumn cake that is made with boxed cake mix but jazzed up with caramel sauce and chopped pecans.
This recipe comes to me from my Grandmother. I found it in a box of recipes that she left me and at the top she has written “excellent cake - do again for coffee hour”.
At the retirement home where she lived, they had a coffee hour three days a week, and her baked goods were often the star of the show. I know that if she has anything about coffee hour on a recipe that it’s going to be a keeper and this cake is no exception.
You use boxed spice cake mix here which makes prep simple and quick, but you could use your own spice cake recipe if you’d like. The cake then gets topped with caramel and chopped pecans. The caramel sort of soaks into the cake making it super moist and delicious. This is a really great recipe - one I’m glad I found and that I’ll make for years to come.
Recipe Notes
If you cant find spice cake mix, or if you just want to make a cake NOW and don’t have spice cake mix, you can make it on your own by adding the following to a box of yellow cake mix.
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Ingredient List
- Spice cake mix
- Instant butterscotch pudding
- Eggs
- Water
- Vegetable Oil
- Caramels
- Pecans (or walnuts)
Recipe Highlights
- Easy to make
- Great for sharing
- Full of autumn flavors
- Can be dressed up or down
- Delicious caramel topping
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t overmix the cake. I always say this in homemade baked goods, and it stands here as well. The more you mix, the tougher the cake will be. Only mix until you can no longer see streaks of flour remaining.
- Make sure you grease the pan well. I just Baker’s Joy which you can find in the baking aisle of your grocery store, and is non-stick spray already mixed with flour. It’s a lifesaver. When it comes to Bundt cakes that you can’t line the pan for, using extra grease on the pan is essential.
- Start checking your cake about 5 minutes before the timer goes off. All ovens are different and yours might bake at a faster rate than mine does.
- You can wait until the cake is completely cool to add the caramel, but if you add it while the cake is still a bit warm it will soak into the cake itself for an extra delicious caramel flavor.
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Why use a box mix?
While I believe that all frosting should be homemade, I’m a fan of box cake mixes. They’re easy and delicious and while I’ve definitely had issues with homemade cakes coming out too dry or too dense or not dense enough or not rich enough or whatever the case may be, boxed cake mix turns out pretty much perfect every time.
Why so many eggs?
This is a large cake, so three eggs will do if that’s all you have, but that extra eggs just provides for a little more density and richness to the finished cake. It’s a game changer.
Can I use butter instead of vegetable oil?
I haven't tested the recipe with butter, so I can't speak to that for sure.
How do I store the cake?
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 5 days.
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Caramel Nut Spice Cake
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 ounce package spice cake mix
- 1 3.5 ounce package instant butterscotch pudding
- 4 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 24 soft caramels or you can use this recipe for salted caramel
- 3 tablespoons of water
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Combine the cake mix, pudding, eggs, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl and beat until just combined.
- Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan, and pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake for 43-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn over and finish cooling on a serving plate.
- In a medium microwave safe bowl, add the caramels and the water, and microwave on 80% power for 3 minutes (stir after each minute) or until the caramels are melted. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Drizzle the caramel over the cake while it's still warm and then allow the cake to cool completely.
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