Fireball Cake is an easy poke cake that’s packed with flavor! Moist butter pecan cake is infused with a sweet cinnamon whiskey glaze and topped with candied pecans.
Fireball Poke Cake
Fireball cake is a cinnamon cake…with a kick!
First, we started with a sweet butter pecan cake mix, then infused it with Fireball cinnamon whisky. For even more cinnamon flavor, we soaked the cake in a sweet and spicy cinnamon glaze. Then, for a bit of crunch, we topped the cake with candied nuts.
This lightly boozy cake is the perfect unique dessert for fall or holiday baking! And I do want to point out that even though the instructions look a bit long, this recipe is actually not very challenging or time consuming. If you want to save even more time, you can buy candied pecans or walnuts instead of making your own.
Try this Fireball Cake with one of our favorite fall cocktails:
Ingredients
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For the Cake:
- 1 box butter pecan cake mix
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup water, room temp
- 1/2 cup Fireball Whisky (or similar cinnamon whiskey)
For the Fireball Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cups cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 1 TB Fireball whiskey
For the Whiskey Candied Pecans:
- 7 oz pecan halves or walnut halves
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons whiskey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Kitchen Tools Used
- Large mixing bowl and medium bowl
- Cookie sheet
- Wire rack
- Non-stick silicone baking mats
- Saucepan
- Wire whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
Instructions
To Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a round baking pan with non-stick baking spray.
For the Cake:
- Whisk together cake mix and ground cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Add vegetable oil, eggs, water and whiskey and beat using an electric mixer until well combined.
- Pour cake batter into your prepared pan. Bake the cake according to package directions, then allow to cool while you prepare the frosting.
To Make the Candied Pecans
- Add walnuts, sugar, and whiskey to a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
- Stir frequently as the mixture cooks, until it begins to bubble. When this happens, stir rapidly until the sugar crystalizes. The nuts and sugar should look dry and almost “sandy” in texture.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue to heat, stirring constantly with a spatula to keep the nuts from scorching on the bottom of the pan. Over the next 5 minutes, the sugar will re-melt and turn a golden brown color. It will look like the nuts are coated in caramel. (It’s ok if there is still a bit of sugar dust).
- Add salt and spices to the pan and quickly stir to evenly coat the nuts.
- Scoop the nuts out into a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Allow to dry.
To Make the Glaze:
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat all of the frosting ingredients together until combined and smooth. If needed, you can add a little more milk if the mixture is too thick to pour over the cake. You want to to be thin enough to pour, but thick enough that not all of the frosting will soak into the cake.
To Complete the Cake:
- Poke holes throughout the cake with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Pour half of the glaze on top of the cake while it’s in the pan, into the holes you poked.
- Once the glaze soaks in, flip the cake onto a cake plate and slowly pour the remaining glaze on top, starting in the center of the cake. Spread with spatula as needed to cover the surface.
- Top with candied nuts while the glaze is still soft, so the nuts will stick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Whiskey Cook Out Of The Cake?
While it’s true that baking will cook most of the alcohol out of the cake, it is nearly impossible to get ALL of the alcohol out. The percentage remaining will be low, but it won’t be zero. Also, there is a shot of Fireball in the frosting, which is not cooked at all.
For those reasons, this is a cake that should be served to grown-ups only.
Can I Use A Different Type Of Whiskey?
Fireball is a cinnamon flavored whisky, which makes it ideal for baking as it adds complimentary flavors to our cake. However, you’re welcome to substitute with a different brand of cinnamon whiskey. You could also use regular whisky; the cake won’t have quite the same flavor but it will still be delicious! I think an apple infused whiskey would taste fabulous too!
Does This Cake Need To Be Refrigerated?
Normally I store baked goods at room temperature. However, since the frosting for our Fireball cake is made with cream cheese, it will need to be refrigerated. Store leftovers in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Fireball Cake Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
If you tried this recipe and loved it too, please rate it!
Fireball Poke Cake
Equipment
- Round Cake Pan
- Electric mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Medium Saucepan
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 box butter pecan cake mix
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup water room temp
- 1/2 cup Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey or similar
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cups cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 TB milk
- 1 TB Fireball Whisky
For the Whiskey Candied Pecans:
- 7 oz pecan halves or walnut halves
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons whiskey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- To Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a round baking pan with non-stick baking spray.
For the Cake:
- Whisk together cake mix and ground cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
- Add vegetable oil, eggs, water and whiskey and beat using an electric mixer until well combined.
- Bake the cake according to package directions, then allow to cool while you prepare the frosting.
To Make the Candied Pecans
- Add walnuts, sugar, and whiskey to a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
- Stir frequently as the mixture cooks, until it begins to bubble. When this happens, stir rapidly until the sugar crystalizes. The nuts and sugar should look dry and almost "sandy" in texture.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue to heat, stirring constantly with a spatula to keep the nuts from scorching on the bottom of the pan. Over the next 5 minutes, the sugar will re-melt and turn a golden brown color. It will look like the nuts are coated in caramel. (It's ok if there is still a bit of sugar dust).
- Add salt and spices to the pan and quickly stir to evenly coat the nuts.
- Scoop the nuts out into a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Allow to dry.
To Make the Glaze:
- Using an electric mixer, beat all of the frosting ingredients together until combined and smooth. If needed, you can add a little more milk if the mixture is too thick to pour over the cake. You want to to be thin enough to pour, but thick enough that not all of the frosting will soak into the cake.
To Complete the Cake:
- Poke holes throughout the cake with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Pour the glaze on top of the cake, filling in the holes. Then flip the cake onto a cake pan and coat with remaining frosting.
- Top with candied nuts while the glaze is still wet, so the nuts will stick.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our Easy Fireball Cake on Pinterest:
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Paige Westley says
This looks so good! Man looking at this makes working hard! I am over here drooling! I cant wait to make this!
Barry Stromatos says
There is a slight difference with the ingredient list for the frosting/glaze with regards to the whiskey. How much should be used?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Good catch! It should be 1 TB each of milk and Fireball in the glaze. I just updated the recipe card!
Julie says
Recipe calls for round cake pan. Do you use just one? My cake mix box only has bake times for two 8” rounds or two 9” rounds. What size should I use and how long should I bake it?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I would use your larger round pan – you only need one. I would follow the directions for the larger pan, but keep an eye on it as it cooks.