Pecan Upside Down Cake

5 from 1 vote

Pecan Upside Down Cake is a delicious homemade cake recipe featuring a sweet and crunchy pecan topping. It’s both an easy and impressive, indulgent dessert.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Servings:

Calories: 699kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

Topping

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar packed
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups pecan halves or chopped, depending on preference. I like a bit of both

Cake

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk or regular milk with a splash of lemon juice
¼ cup sour cream

Instructions

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Stir in the brown sugar and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the pecans over the syrup, evenly covering the base of the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the buttermilk and sour cream. Start and finish with the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Gently pour the batter over the pecan topping in the pan, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula or butter knife. Place cake pan on a cookie sheet in case any of the syrup bubbles over when baking.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Start checking at 30 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully inverting onto a serving plate.
Let the cake cool slightly before slicing. The caramelized pecans will be beautifully sticky, and the cake will be soft and moist.

Notes

You can store this pecan cake at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 1 week.
Don’t boil the sugar, or it will crystallize and give your pecan topping a grainy texture.
Be careful not to overmix your cake batter so it doesn’t come out dense after you bake it.

Nutrition