This amazing Thanksgiving Piecaken Recipe features layers of pecan pie, pumpkin pie, spice cake, and a cinnamon cream cheese frosting, and is topped with apple pie filling. If you are serving just one dessert for turkey day this should be it.
When I saw this piecaken featured on Gold Belly I just had to make one. Had to. What a challenge for any baker to make the most showstopping Thanksgiving dessert out there! Layers of two pie favorites plus spice cake and apple pie filling? Sign me up.
You do not need to be a pastry chef to accomplish this. There are a lot of ingredients because it has a lot of layers but if you've ever made a pie, a cake, and icing separately you can stack them up to make this over-the-top masterpiece. With a little planning ahead this doesn't even take that much time.
For more great Thanksgiving desserts try my Apple Crumble Tart and Cinnamon Pie Recipe.
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Ingredients
Pie Crusts - No need for fancy here. The edges of the crust will be cut off. For this reason, I skip the homemade pie crusts and just use refrigerated crusts that are rolled out.
Pumpkin Pie - The pumpkin layer consists of a pie crust, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, heavy cream, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice.
Pecan Pie - For the pecan layer you need the aforementioned pie crust plus pecans, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, salted butter, and flour.
Spice Cake - A boxed cake mix works fine for the spice cake layer. Just prepare according to the package instructions using vegetable oil, water, and eggs, and bake.
Apple Filling - Fresh apples, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice combine to make a delicious pie filling.
Frosting - When I saw the original piecaken the one thing I thought it was missing was cheesecake. For this reason, I decided to use a cream cheese frosting in place of a cinnamon buttercream frosting. Buttercream can also be cloyingly sweet at times and I think the addition of cream cheese balances that nicely.
How to Make a Thanksgiving Piecaken
This Thanksgiving piecaken recipe works best when you make it over a couple of days. I suggest making the pies, cake, and apple filling on day one. On day two you can make the cinnamon frosting, layer, and decorate the piecaken. If you want to make it all on one day start in the morning so all the cooked components have time to cool before assembly begins.
Step One: Make the pumpkin pie. This is a classic pumpkin pie that only takes a few minutes to mix up. Simply stir together the ingredients, pour into your choice of crust, and bake.
I chose to simplify the pumpkin layer by not pre-baking the crust. Instead, I just cook the pie on the lowest oven rack so the bottom crust cooks properly.
Step Two: Make the pecan pie. Also, a simple recipe. Mix up the filling ingredients, add to a crust, and bake.
Step Three: Make the spice cake layer. I use a box mix and cook according to the instructions on the package. You will end up with an extra layer to snack on. Alternatively, you can weight out the mix and only use half of it.
Step Four: While those are in the oven make the apple layer by adding the apples and sugars to a skillet. Cook on low until apples are softened. You can add a tablespoon of water if the apples are not releasing natural juices. Add the flour to thicken the sauce. Flavor with the lemon juice and cinnamon.
Step Five: Let all the components cool. It is best to make them ahead and chill them.
Step Six: Make the icing. Cream together the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer. Both should be at room temperature. Gradually add the powdered sugar, alternating with the milk. Mix in the vanilla and cinnamon.
How to Assemble a Piecaken
Step One: I chose to purchase and use an 8-inch cake ring to simplify this process. Cut the spice cake and pies with the cake rings. You can discard (or eat) any scraps.
Top Tip
Alternatively, you can bake all the layers in the same size cake pan, or springform pan, lined with parchment paper. Yes, this included the pies. They need to be the exact same size for this to work.
Step Two: Set the cake ring on the serving platter of your choice. Put the cut pecan pie into the cake ring to form the bottom layer. Top with a thin layer of frosting. For these layers warm up the frosting a bit to be able to spread it easily.
Add the pumpkin pie. Top with another thin layer of frosting.
Finish with the spice cake.
Step Three: Chill the piecaken. At this point, it is helpful to refrigerate the piecaken for an hour to help it set. You can tightly cover the buttercream frosting and leave it at room temperature during this time.
Step Four: Frost the pie cake. It helps to do a thin layer, commonly known as a crumb coat, before frosting the sides of the cake more heavily.
Step Five: For the final touch add the apple filling to the top of the cake as the very top layer.
Step Six: Pipe around the edges of the bottom and top.
Storage: Store the piecaken in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. It can be made ahead of time and frozen. If you would like to do this place it in the freezer unwrapped for a few hours to set the frosting. Then wrap in plastic wrap.
Variations
Change up the layers - Try swapping out layers. How about a cherry pie and chocolate cake in addition to the pecan pie? A cherry chocolate pecan piecaken sounds great to me. Try one pie layer plus two cake layers. Just make sure the heaviest layer is on the bottom.
Common Questions
Can I just layer store bought pies?
Absolutely. If you want to save time go ahead and buy pre-made pies and use those.
Can I use canned apple pie filling?
You can sub in apple pie filling if you prefer. Just know that it is much sweeter than my homemade apple filling layer.
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📖 Recipe
Thanksgiving Piecaken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Pecan Pie Layer
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup salted butter melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
Pumpkin Pie Layer
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Spice Cake Layer
- 1 spice cake mix
- 1 cup water
- â…“ cup oil
- 3 eggs
Apple Pie Filling
- 1 lb apples peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- ½ tablespoon flour
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cinnamon Buttercream
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature (one package)
- 4 oz salted butter room temperature (one stick)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon whole milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Pecan Pie Layer
- Put the pie crust in the bottom of 9-inch pie plate lined with parchment paper.
- Put the pecans in the pie crust.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie shell over the pecans.
- Bake until the filling is set about 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely.
Pumpkin Pie Layer
- Put the pie crust in the bottom of 9-inch pie plate lined with parchment paper.
- Combine the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the filling into the crust.
- Bake on the bottom rack until the filling is set about 45-50 minutes. Let cool completely.
Spice Cake Layer
- This will make 2 cakes. You only need one for the piecaken. You can half the ingredients to just bake one if you prefer.
- Line two 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare batter as directed on box.
- Add to prepared pans.
- Bake as directed. Let cool completely.
Apple Pie Filling
- While the pies and cake are baking put the apples and sugar in a frying pan. Cook over low until softened.
- Stir in the flour. Cook until the juices thicken. Stir in the lemon juice and cinnamon. Let cool completely.
Cinnamon Buttercream
- Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the sugar.
- Add the cinnamon, one tablespoon of milk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
- Add more milk, if needed, to reach a pipeable consistency.
Assembly
- It is best to make the pies, cake, and apple filling the day before. Chill in the refrigerator overnight for best results.
- Transfer the pies and cake to a large cutting board.
- Use the 8-inch cake ring to cut an 8-inch circle in each layer.
- Gently place the pecan pie in the bottom of the cake ring. Top with a thin layer of buttercream.
- Next, place the pumpkin pie in the cake ring. Top with a thin layer of icing.
- Finally, place the spice cake in the cake ring. (If possible, pause here and refrigerate the piecaken for one hour to set the layers).
- Remove the cake ring. Cover with a thin layer of frosting.
- Put the apple filling in the center of the top of the cake. Pipe rosettes around the filling and along the bottom edge.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Once the frosting has hardened you can wrap in plastic wrap.
- If making ahead of time I recommend adding a few long wooden skewers so the layers don't shift. Remove them right before serving. The apple filling will hide the holes.
Chris Raftery says
The cake was delicious and a big hit with my family at our Gratitude Saturday family dinner. I made it as described with the exception of the "buttercream/cream cheese" frosting. While I like sweet, 4 cups of powdered sugar seemed too much. I started tasting for sweetness at 2 cups and ended up using just under three cups of powdered sugar. The frosting was wonderful without being over the top sweet. I also made a whipped cream frosting to decorate the edge of the cake and rig the apple filling on top.
Really good. Big hit for the holiday dinner!
Taryn says
I'm so glad you liked it!
John says
My rating is on the novelty of the idea - haven't tried it yet. May I ask, from the pictures, it looks as though you must have found 8-inch pie and cake pans to work well with your 8-inch cake ring. Is that the case? Or did you actually just cut off a lot of pie? Thanks for the help and the phenomenal idea!
Taryn says
You really only end up cutting off the crust the way a pie dish angles out. If you scroll up and look at my photos you can see what was cut off. You probably can just stuff the cake layer into the pie ring without cutting it at all since it is more flexible.
John says
Thank you! That helps so much. Now, if you'd be so kind, I have another question. In your recipe's written directions, Step 4 says, "Line the 8-inch cake ring with a cake collar." I couldn't find this "collar" mentioned in the detailed explanation above. Could you tell me what the collar is, and how it differs from the 8-inch cake ring Amazon is sending me any day now?
Taryn says
Hi John, we ended up not using the cake collars. I will edit the recipe to clarify. You are fine with just a ring. Cake collars are commonly used for 'naked' cakes when the sides are not iced. It's just a stiff piece of plastic you wrap around the cake. You can see that style here: https://bakingmehungry.com/cappuccino-cake-recipe/
aviantogel says
Thank you for the information
Indeed, the recipes that have been arranged are perfect
The taste and aroma alone make me impatient to enjoy it
Nikesha Russell says
Very interesting and unique recipe, had to try it.
Valerie says
Sounds yummy and easy!
*suggested edit* indies not say to cream the butter and cream cheese together for the frosting.