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.
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 information is provided as an estimate only and will vary based on exact ingredients used and serving size.