How To Make Texas Praline Cake

Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar, not packed

10 pecan halves (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease just the bottom of a 10 inch tube pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 cup brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Dissolve the coffee crystals in water, and stir into the creamed mixture until blended. Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter until just incorporated. Fold in pecans. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake for about 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack.

In a chilled bowl, stir together the heavy cream, salt, vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar so that the sugar is dissolved. Whip using chilled beaters until stiff. Run a knife around the outer edge of the cake in the pan, and tap it out onto a serving plate. Make sure cake is completely cool before frosting. Decorate with pecan halves if you like.