Broiled nut icingis a super simple, caramel-like nutty topping for cakes of all types and flavors!

Let’s talk about thisultra-easy, four-ingredient cake icingtoday! Have you ever heard of broiled nut icing? It looks (and tastes) a lot like caramel, but it has nuts. The broiling element makes it extra fun when preppingyour baked goodies.

Heat some milk and butter on the stove, add some brown sugar, melt it all together, and add some pecans or walnuts (or both for a real party!). Pour the mixture over the top of a cake, and then stick the whole thing in the oven under the broiler for a couple of minutes. The result?It is a gooey, caramel-y, sweet, and nutty topping that is lovely on cakes of all kinds.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe is from my great-grandmother and isone of the easiest and most decadent cake icings I’ve encountered.I absolutely love it onany kind of spice cake.
It’sa good recipe to whip out for rollsto make them into morning sticky buns
This super easy broiled nut icing isa caramelized, rich, and nutty topping. Youwill lovehow simple it is for such a decadent end result!

Recipe Ingredients

Butter
Milk
Brown sugar
Nuts –Pecans or Walnuts

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

pin image featuring icing with nuts over a cake.

How to Make Boiled Nut Icing

Combine butter and milk until the butter melts.
Add brown sugar, then add nuts.
Pour the sugar mixture over the warm cake.
Broil the cake and cool before serving

Recipe FAQs

What’s in broiled nut icing?

This icing recipe is super-duper-simple. It has four ingredients: butter and milk to make it creamy and rich, brown sugar for the deep golden color and warm sweetness, and nuts for a bit of crunch.

What does broiled nut icing taste like?

Broiled nut icing is absolutely heavenly. It tastes like a caramel topping that seeps into the cake and makes the top layer extra moist from the broiling part of prepping it. Thanks to the pecans and/or walnuts, it’s crunchy and nutty, and it’s warmly sweet but not over the top.

Do you need to broil broiled nut icing?

Broiling it over a cake really takes it to the next level. It allows it to thicken and soak into the cake so that it’s infused into the top part of the dessert!

Expert Tips

You could experimentusing brown coconut sugar for a similar effect, but I wouldn’t recommend using any white or granulated sugars.
This icing goes great withOld-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake,a rich and rustic dessert full of sweet and warming flavors. They are both winning recipes, especiallywhen you need a tasty dessert without a ton of time and effort.
Some people also use coconut flakes, which would be great! Justadd the flakes when you add the nuts.