I know this time of year is all about cookies, but this cake is too good not to share. It’s impossibly light and fluffy, covered with a delicious caramel-y pecan topping. The idea came from a recipe card included in a Christmas gift we received, but I decided to make cake from scratch instead of just using a cake mix.

You can use a cake mix if you prefer, or your own yellow cake recipe. But this one is pretty killer.

After you bake the cake and let it cool, you combine a few delicious items (like brown sugar and butter) in a saucepan, then pour them over the top of the cake and pop it in the oven for a few more minutes. That’s it. The result is tender and delicious, and everyone who tastes it will be asking for the recipe. You’ve got to try it.

Pecan praline cake (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and a recipe card included with a gift from Sunnyland Pecan Farm, makes one 9×13-inch cake)
Cake
3 cups plus 3 tablespoons sifted cake flour (sift it before you measure it. Don’t use self-rising flour)
1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1  1/2 stick (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1  1/2 cup sugar
1  1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
1  1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Topping
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F and make sure the rack is in the middle. Grease a 9×13-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper (I like to put one piece lengthwise and another width-wise, with an inch overhang on all sides, so it’s easy to get out of the pan), then grease the parchment paper.

Sift the (already sifted) flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer), beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat, then add the eggs one at a time, beating after adding each. Add the buttermilk and beat on low speed just until combined (don’t worry if the mixture looks gross and curdled). Add one third of the flour mixture, mix on low speed until just combined, then add another third, mix that until just combined, and add the rest. Mix just until combined.

Pour the batter into the cake pan, then spread out the top and smack the pan on the counter a few times. Bake the cake for about 35 or 40 minutes, until the center of the cake bounces back when you poke it with your finger. Let the cake cool completely.

After the cake has cooled, preheat the oven to 350F again. Stir the brown sugar, flour, butter and egg together in a small saucepan over low heat. Continue stirring until everything is melted and well combined. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the pecan pieces and vanilla, then pour the mixture all over the top of the cake. Pop the cake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, then allow cake to cool for a few minutes before serving.