Treat of the Week: Pecan Maple Penuche Cake

Here’s a dessert fit for royalty. A moist, spicy cake has been iced with a rich, thick maple penuche and topped with pecans.

Now, what’s a penuche? A penuche is a fudge-like confection made of brown sugar, cream and butter. Maple syrup is very often added to this popular candy, so much so that, in many regions penuche always has a maple flavor. In many ways, a penuche is like a praline.

Due to its consistency, penuche can be spread onto a cake as an icing. As it cools, it hardens. The texture of the penuche—thick, sugary , soft and fudgy is a perfect counterpoint to a moist cake. My mother, here, has created a beautiful maple penuche and used it as an icing. It is truly decadent and wonderful.

Try looking for penuche recipes to find one that you like. Use the warm penuche mixture as an icing with your favorite cake and see what you think.