Southern Living
Pecans, sweet potato, and bacon—oh my! This sheet cake really does have a little bit of everything. It expertly navigates sweet, salty, and savory notes to create an utterly unique dessert that’ll grace your fall parties for years to come. This sheet cake is a great way to feed a crowd—just keep the cake in its baking tin and slice it into squares right at the table. Not to mention, it’s oh-so-easy to prepare. Lean on the help of a few baking shortcuts—like using boxed cake mix—to whip up this dessert in a breeze. With the rich ingredient pairing of bacon and sweet potato, your guests will never guess that this cake started with a boxed mix. We also add in a sprinkle of apple pie spice to really accentuate the cake’s sweetness and bring out the festive fall flavor. This sheet cake was simply made for autumn celebrations.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening.
Step 2
Beat cake mix and next 5 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Step 3
Bake at 350°F for 34 to 38 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
Step 4
Make the Bacon-Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat 1 (8-oz.) package softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Beat in 21/2 cups powdered sugar, 2⁄3 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir in 7 cooked and crumbled bacon slices.
Step 5
Spread top of cake with frosting; sprinkle with toasted pecans. Store covered in refrigerator.
Chef's Notes
This recipe would also make wonderfully decadent cupcakes. Just follow baking directions on cake mix package for cupcakes.
