Brown Sugar Meringue Spiced Picnic Cake

The warm weather is upon us, and with it comes picnics and potlucks. Picnic cakes are the quick and easy solution if you are tasked with bringing a dessert: they are portable, store well at room temperature, and are typically baked in a 9 inch by 13 inch pan. I’m working on posting my top 10 picnic cakes, and this one ranks high with my kids.

The spice cake contains sour cream mixed with a little baking soda to give it extra richness as well as lightness. The brown sugar meringue topping has chopped pecans folded inside, and it bakes up to a lovely, toasty color when the cake is finished.

Enjoy it with your favorite iced coffee or sweet tea.

Brown Sugar Meringue Spiced Picnic Cake

Renee Shelton

Delicious brown sugar and pecan meringue tops a spice cake.

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Ingredients

  

• 2 1/3 all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs separated
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

 

• Grease a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the flour in a small mixing bowl. Stir in the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
• Stir the sour cream with the baking soda and milk until smooth. Set aside.
• Cream the butter with the granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar until blended well. Add in the egg yolks and the vanilla extract, and mix thoroughly.
• Mix in the sour cream mixture, and blend well.
• Add in the flour mixture, and mix until smooth.
• Transfer cake batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly.
• In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form and add in the brown sugar gradually. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in the chopped pecans. Spread this over the top of the cake batter.
• Bake in preheated oven for about an hour, until the topping is golden brown and the cake tests done.
• Cool, and cut into serving size squares.