Using A Can Of This Soda Delivers A Perfectly Moist Butter Pecan Cake Every Time

If you haven't tried butter pecan cake, it's time to whip out your mixing bowl and get into the kitchen. Typically made with moist vanilla layers speckled with pecans which have been toasted in butter, it's as delicious as it sounds. The cake also has an undeniably airy, tender, and moist crumb thanks to the use of leavening agents like baking soda and powder, usually along with buttermilk. However, if you don't have buttermilk on hand — or simply want to try a new take on this classic cake — there's a specific can of soda that works wonders to give a butter pecan cake recipe a lift, whether you make it from scratch or from a box. It's cream soda. 

Just like making pound cake with a can of lemony soda works to leaven the dessert, cream soda gives rise to the butter pecan cake due to the soda's carbonation. Those air bubbles remain intact in the batter and give the cake its structure and lift when baked in the oven. The creamy essence of the the beloved fizzy beverage made with vanilla syrup also imparts a smooth mouthfeel and extra moist touch to the cake's crumb. Further, it also adds a depth of nostalgic and syrupy flavor that pairs perfectly with the rich and decadent buttered-toasted pecans. 

Making butter pecan cake with cream soda is just about as easy as it is tasty. If you are making a butter pecan cake from scratch, simply use the soda in place of any milk or water and leavening agents in the recipe. If you go this route, you may want to cut back slightly on the amount of sugar in the recipe, since some cream sodas can contain close to 50 grams of sugar per can. However, if you welcome the extra sweetness, go ahead and add the can right in without sugar adjustments. 

It's equally (if not more) common to add a sweet, bubbly beverage to boxed cake mix. So whip up a two-ingredient butter soda cake by mixing a can of cream soda into butter pecan cake mix. Then just bake the cake in the oven as directed and watch that baby rise. Whatever cake recipe or boxed mix you use, just fold the batter together gently. Since the bubbles from the carbonation are key to helping the cake rise, don't break their structure by over-mixing. Sugar in soda also encourages color development and caramelization, so check the cake as you might need to adjust the bake time. The result should be an effortlessly moist and rich butter pecan cake ready to top with classic cream cheese frosting.