This Classic Caramel Pecan Schmoo Torte is a delicious and classically Canadian layer cake with a pecan-flavoured Angel Food Cake base, fluffy whipped cream frosting, and homemade caramel sauce! It’s sweet and decadent and makes the perfect impressive dessert!
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*I received a free copy of “More Than Poutine: Favourite Foods from my Home and Native Land” by Marie Porter to review. All opinions are my own. If you’ve ever lived outside your home country you’ll understand the feelings of missing your favourite people, your favourite things, and your favourite foods. We’ve lived in Romania for over a year and a half now and as much as we love our new home, new country and new friends who have become like family, we do often miss our favourite Canadian foods!! We’re fortunate enough to live near a large city whose big box grocery stores stock almost everything we’re used to enjoying, but there are still so many things we miss! So when I was presented with the opportunity to review Marie Porter’s new book More Than Poutine: Favourite Foods from my Home and Native Land, I jumped at it! A book full of traditional Canadian recipes you can make from scratch no matter where you are in the world?? Sign me up!
Porter lives as a Canadian expat in the US and More Than Poutine was born out of her love for those Canadian foods that she just couldn’t seem to find in the States. The recipes in the book range from breads to Canadian back bacon, Montreal Smoked Meat, homemade liqueurs, sauces, and condiments, appetizers, cultural main dishes, and, of course, every Canadian’s favourite desserts like Nanaimo Bars, Homemade Maple Walnut Ice Cream, and this Classic Caramel Pecan Schmoo Torte. It’s a comprehensive collection of all the most popular, well-known Canadian dishes and it’s a book I’m certainly glad I have on my cookbook shelf as a Canadian expat!
My favourite recipe from the book is this Classic Caramel Pecan Schmoo Torte. It’s a totally classic Canadian dessert that originated in my home city of Winnipeg, Manitoba made from ground Pecans – it’s SO unbelievably delicious, light and fluffy, and if you like chiffon cakes or Angel Food Cakes, Schmoo Torte is right up your alley! I’d never made a Schmoo Torte in my own kitchen before receiving this book (I’d only enjoyed it at bakeries and cafes in my home city), so I knew it was the perfect recipe to share with you today! This Classic Caramel Pecan Schmoo Torte is such a classic Canadian recipe and I’m glad to have this book on my shelf for this recipe alone. But it’s not the only recipe I’ll be making regularly – the homemade Flapper Pie, the Perogies, the Montreal Steak Spice, and the Tourtiere are all recipes I’ll be adding to my regular recipe rotation.
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My only criticism of this book is that some of the more labour-intensive recipes don’t include special tips and tricks to ensure success, especially the dessert recipes. I’d never made a Schmoo Torte before receiving this book and my first try was an absolute flop, just because I made a few rookie mistakes when it comes to Angel Food-style cakes. But don’t worry! I’ve included all the tips you need in the recipe card below to make this Classic Caramel Pecan Schmoo Torte so yours turns out beautifully! Even though More Than Poutine skimps just a little bit on the cooking tips, the recipes in this book are stellar. If you’re a Canadian expat longing for all your favourite recipes that taste like home, grab yourself a copy!! You won’t regret it!
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I hope you enjoy this Classic Caramel Pecan Schmoo Torte recipe! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite recipe that reminds YOU of home? 
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KITCHEN TOOLS I RECOMMEND:
Looking for even more deliciously decadent desserts? Check out these beauties!!
- Best Ever Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Cake
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RECIPE VIDEO
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this elegant dessert recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Classic Caramel Pecan Schmoo Torte
Recipe: Ingredients
For the cake:
- 12 large egg whites, at room temperature
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/3 cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 cup pecan meal or pecan flour, sifted at least twice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the frosting:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the caramel sauce:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 24-36 pecans for garnish
Recipe: Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or, use a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl).
- Whip on low speed until combined and then turn the mixer to high and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Turn the mixer to medium and mix in the vanilla extract and sugar (adding only half the sugar at a time), just until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the pecan meal, cake flour and baking powder. It is very important to sift this mixture several times in order to prevent lumps and to remove any larger pieces of the pecans. This mixture should be powdery and light in order to ensure a light and airy cake. Larger chunks of the mixture will deflate the cake, causing it to be tough and dense.
- Fold in the pecan mixture very carefully with a rubber spatula in two or three additions (add a little of the pecan mixture, fold it in, and then add some more).
- Add the batter to an Angel Food Cake pan and bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool upside-down until completely cool, and slice into three layers with a serrated knife.
For the frosting:
- Whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Spread the frosting between the layers of the cake and after you stack the layers, spread the remainder of the frosting over the whole cake.
For the caramel sauce:
- Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar and heavy whipping cream, whisking over the heat until smooth and until the mixture reaches a boil.
- Boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
- Add the vanilla and remove from the heat, allowing it to cool completely before drizzling it over the top of the cake.
Assembly:
- Add pecans to the top of the cake in a circular design and drizzle the caramel sauce over the top of the cake.
- Slice and serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to a few hours before serving.
Recipe: Notes
Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I am looking at making this tort doubling the recipe. Has anybody done so? Does it all fit into a regular angel food cake pan. Baking time the same?
We’ve never tried that so we couldn’t tell you exactly. Our recipe, as written, fits into a regular angel food cake pan with not much extra space so we wouldn’t suggest using a standard pan for double the recipe.
Okay. I didn’t really think so. But in your recipe you can reduce the ingredients or double them up to serve as much as 20 people. But the size of the pan remains the same. Maybe that should be changed? ☺️
Hi. What size is the cake pan ? Is it 10 inches? Thank you 🙂
Yes, it’s a standard 10 inch pan.
I made this and it came out just perfect
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback!
What happens if you use only pecan flour and increase the baking powder?
I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell you as i have never tried it, but if you do, please let me know. Happy baking ☺️
this recipe fell and did not even begin to rise, i make many cakes, worst recipe ever, wasted a lot of ingredients
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Perhaps your pecan flour was too dense. This is usually the reason for this cake falling.
You gotta make super sure the whites and anything that’s gonna touch the whites is 100% free of any oil or grease ( run beaters, beater bowl under hot hot water for a minute) beat white extra stiff. And fold into batter very gently and don’t over mix.
Just a tip – because I know there will be leftover cake, I use stabilized whipped cream. Otherwise, the whipped cream will start to slide off the cake after about a day or two. When the cream is almost fully whipped I drizzle in dissolved unflavoured gelatin. I hope this tip is helpful – great recipe – one of my fave desserts here in the ‘Peg!
What a great tip! Thanks so much!
How much and where can you buy this? Thank you!
I agree. Add the gelatin to the whipped cream and you will have a stabilised product that won’t weep and drool. It will stay firm in the fridge for a couple of days.
Sounds great!
This cake is beautiful!
Thanks so much!