Possibly my favourite traybake ever!
I’m definitely a pecan person. I absolutely love them (especially at Christmas, covered in cinnamon sugar) but the kids don’t particularly rate them quite so highly…until this cake.
I have recently discovered Moose Maple butter (a blend of maple syrup, butter and pinch of salt) and I couldn’t wait to try it in cake form: so this Maple Butter Pecan Traybake was born!
The kids are now total pecan converts (yes I’m aware covering them in delicious cake and buttercream may have helped).
They both wanted huge slices and actually finished them, which was mildly upsetting as I was hoping to scoff their leftovers…
A soft, buttery sponge with maple buttercream and little chunks of roasted pecans throughout: actual heaven in traybake form!
You will need an 8″ square cake tin or equivalent deep baking tray, lined with baking paper.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 150g butter
- 100g caster sugar
- 50g soft brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 banana
- 100g chopped pecans
- 175g self raising flour
- Tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
For the topping
- 150g maple butter (if you cant get your hands on maple butter use 125g butter and 75ml maple syrup)
- 300g icing sugar
- Tablespoon boiling water
- 9- 12 half pecans (to decorate)
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Spread the chopped pecans over a baking tray and pop into the oven for 5 minutes until just starting to turn deeper brown in colour.
In a large, toddler safe bowl, mash the banana until pretty gooey.
Add in the butter and sugars (and maple syrup if using) and mix well until creamy.
Beat in the 3 eggs. My youngest loves cracking the eggs which means I either have to spend 5 minutes fishing out bits of rouge shell or accept this particular cake may have more ‘texture’ than initially intended.
Add in the flour and chopped pecans and mix well to form a thick batter.
Pour into the prepared cake tin and place in the middle shelf of the oven.
Cook for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before decorating.
To make the buttercream
Using an electric whisk or shed loads of toddler-stamina, beat the maple butter (or butter and maple syrup) until soft, then gradually add half the icing sugar.
Add the hot water and the rest of the icing sugar whilst beating until you have a smooth and fluffy buttercream.
Spread evenly over the cake and top with the pecan halves.
Depending on your preference you could have 9 massive slices, 12 normal slices or 16 small slices (but then you’d end up eating 3 so you may as well go big or go home 🤣).
Baking With Kids 