Louisiana Stranger Cake may be new to your recipe collection, but it’s the best quick cake to make when the company arrives. A cake mix, its ingredients, and some canned frosting are all you need to achieve dessert perfection using a unique but delicious approach. The origins of Louisiana Stranger Cake are as enigmatic as its name, although we can only assume that the pecan cake base is Louisiana-inspired.
While Texas is well-known for pecans, Louisiana has a rich history with this delicious tree nut. When 18th-century French settlers successfully planted pecan trees in Louisiana, the pecan became a popular ingredient in many low-country delicacies. This shortcut to dessert success involves mixing the frosting — yes, the frosting — into the cake batter. It sounds bizarre but trust the process.
Your ingredient list is simple: butter pecan cake mix, oil, water, eggs, and icing. This recipe calls for a butter pecan cake mix, but if you can’t locate it, you can use a yellow cake mix with 1/3 cup chopped pecans incorporated into the batter. This cake is simple to make; simply whisk together the cake mix, oil, water, and eggs until blended. The trickiest (but not difficult) part comes next: whisking in the icing.
Yes, you read that correctly: a can of coconut pecan frosting is mixed straight into the dough. Why? The better question is, “Why not?” A can of coconut pecan frosting will provide moisture to the cake batter while maintaining its texture. You could also mix in more pecans, but that would negate the aim of this quick and inexpensive cake.
Traditional versions of Louisiana Stranger Cake require you to make a bundt cake, which is detrimental to the dessert-in-a-hurry notion. Cooking a bundt cake properly, regardless of batter density, takes at least fifty minutes, which is inconvenient when you need dessert right away. I chose a 9-x-13 pan since it has enough surface area for the cake to bake quickly.
Once baked, this cake will cool quickly, just in time to spread the second can of coconut frosting on top. While the icing on top differs from traditional variations, it is an inexpensive method to transform this cake into a true cake (sorry, powdered sugar does not suffice as a cake topper!). One slice of Louisiana Stranger Cake will make you realize the cake’s mystique.
The icing in the cake batter gives the cake crumb a delightful, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture that you won’t get in other cake mix recipes.The texture from the coconut and pecans in the batter is enough to pique your interest, but it doesn’t keep you from taking another bite. Finally, the icing on top combines with the cake’s gold buttery flavors, emphasizing the coconut pecan delight from top to bottom.