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French Cream Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and Cinnamon Pecans

A simple, elegant French Cream Cake that you can make deliciously gluten free if desired.
Course Dessert
Keyword cream cake, dessert, Gluten free cake, holiday cake
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

The Cake

  • 2 cups flour ( all purpose, Einkorn or Gluten free)
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup room temp butter
  • ½ cup coconut oil (or your favorite baking oil)
  • 1 ½ cups granulated organic sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
  • 4 eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temp
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Frosting

  • ½ cup room temp butter
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla pasta or extract
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 ½ -3 cups powdered sugar

Cinnamon Pecans:

  • 1 cup pecan pieces
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • pinch sea salt

Decorations: add fresh or artificial flowers, leaves, cinnamon sticks to top of cake if desired (if using fresh, make sure they are non toxic)

Instructions

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in center position
  • Use a paper towel to wipe the bottom and sides of non stick pans with softened butter. Lightly coat with flour. Set aside.
  • Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt, set aside
  • Place butter, coconut oil (or other baking oil), sugar and vanilla in mixer and mix until well combined
  • Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions
  • Alternate adding flour mixture with buttermilk until well combined, mix for one more minute
  • Add cream, mix well
  • Pour equal amounts of batter into prepared pans, tap pans firmly on counter to take out any bubbles
  • Bake for 20-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool. While cooling make Frosting and pecans

The Frosting:

  • Place soft butter, cream cheese, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla into a bowl and mix well. Add powdered sugar, starting with 2 1/2 cups and adding more if necessary. When frosting is preferred consistency and very smooth, stop mixing and set aside

Pecans:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place parchment paper on rimmed cookie sheet and set aside.
  • Place pecans, melted butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and a generous pinch of sea salt into a small bowl and mix well
  • Spread nuts out on parchment covered cookie sheet in a single layer, place in oven and bake for six minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool

Put it all together:

  • Carefully remove first cake from pan and place on cake plate
  • Frost the top of cake, then add second cake, frost, then add third layer
  • Frost the sides of cake, then add pecans by the handful, pressing them gently into the soft frosting, spinning the cake as needed. Top with flowers, leaves, cinnamon sticks if desired