Equipment Needed
- 9×13 inch baking dish (glass or ceramic is ideal)
- Mixing spoon or spatula
- Measuring cups
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Take your 9×13 inch dish—no need to grease it—and simply dump in the entire can of pecan pie filling. Use your spoon to spread it into a fairly even layer. This is your luscious, sticky-sweet foundation. I like to take my cup of extra pecans and scatter most of them over this layer, gently pressing some in. This ensures you get pecans in every single bite, not just on top. It feels almost too simple at this stage, but trust the process.
Next, open your box of cake mix. Here’s the key step: you are going to sprinkle the dry cake mix directly over the pecan pie layer. Do not stir it in, and do not prepare the mix according to the box directions. Just take handfuls of the powdery mix and sprinkle it as evenly as you can over the entire surface. I move my hand back and forth like I’m seeding a lawn. This dry layer will seem strange and thick, but it’s about to become something wonderful. Try to cover the filling completely; this creates a barrier that puffs up into the topping.
Now, for the magic ingredient. Take your thinly sliced sticks of cold butter. You need to distribute the slices evenly over the entire surface of the dry cake mix. I lay them out in a grid pattern, aiming for a slice about every inch or so. This is crucial. As the cake bakes, the butter melts down through the cake mix, hydrating it and frying it into the most delicious, crumbly, golden-brown topping imaginable. Don’t skimp here—this butter is what creates the texture.(See the next page below to continue…)