Rich was in D.C. on bidness, and a HOOOGE honkin’ storm was on the way, so, he was trying to get back home before it hit. At first, it looked like he would have to tough it out there – not too, too terrible, since he could make his way to my sister’s place nearby and hunker down with some good company, fine food, and tasty wine for the duration, but… He really wanted to come home; and, with a little perseverance (and a nap after a couple of cocktails at dinner after work) he finally managed to secure a seat on one of the last flights outta town. Yay!
Here, between the lake and the edge o’ the praire (well, the prairie preserve), the weather was warm and pleasant, and I was out at the market looking for stuff for the weekend. He’d had a busy week at work, and then the stress of not knowing if he was gonna make it home; so, I thought: “why not make him a cake?”
Ermmm, did I mention that my market had a special on cake mixes?
Irregardless, I came across a butter pecan mix that I’d not seen before and thought about mixing it with 12 ounces of cream soda to make a kindofa butter pecan cream cake. Nice combination – you should try it!
INGREDIENTS
Cake Pan Treatment:
•1 tbsp flour
•1 tbsp solid shortening
•1 tbsp veggie oil
Cake:
•1 butter pecan cake mix
•12 oz cream soda
•Chopped pecans (for topping the cake)
Buttercream Frosting:
•1 cup butter, softened
•3 cups confectioners’ sugar
•1 tsp vanilla
•2 tbsp whipping cream
•1/8 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)
•1/8 tsp black pepper
Mix the flour together with the solid shortening and veggie oil in a small bowl with a fork, then paint the mixture over your chosen cake pan(s). Once baked, your cake will pop out of just about any pan (even fancy mold types) with no muss or fuss.
Pour the soda into the batter in a large mixing bowl and follow the instructions on the cake mix box for mixing. This cake mix 
said to mix at low for one minute, then at medium for two before turning into the cake pan(s) you’ve chosen. I went with a 13×9 metal pan, because it had a cover.
Bake according to instructions on the box, then remove from the oven and cool.
Beat the butter together with the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, salt, and pepper until creamy, then beat in the heavy cream until the frosting is the consistency you want (some like thicker, some a little less so).
Frost the cake, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top, and serve.