Maple-Pecan Cake from Betty Crocker

It was "appreciate the staff" day at daycare recently so I needed a really quick recipe and went with this one. I didn't have time to make the frosting so I warmed up Betty Crocker's cream cheese frosting and used that instead.

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix 
• 2/3 cup water 
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 
• 3 eggs 
• 1/2 cup maple-flavored syrup 
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted 

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened 
• 1 1/2 oz cream cheese (half of 3-oz package), softened 
• 3 to 4 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Generously grease and lightly flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, or spray with baking spray with flour. 
2. In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan. 
3. Bake 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. 
4. Cool completely, about 2 hours. 
5.  In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, the cream cheese and 3 tablespoons of the syrup with electric mixer on low speed. 
6. Beat in enough of the remaining syrup to make a smooth, soft frosting that will flow down side of cake. Spread frosting over cake. Store loosely covered in refrigerator. 

Just out of the oven and it stuck to the pan in spite of greasing and flouring it.