Pecan Upside Down Cake
This pecan upside down cake is made with a soft cinnamon cake topped with a caramel pecan topping and has all the pecan pie flavors.
Ingredients
For the pecan caramel topping
- ¼ cup Honey
- ½ cup Butter unsalted
- 1 tablespoon Corn syrup
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup Pecans toasted and roughly chopped
For the cinnamon cake
- ½ cup Butter unsalted, room temp
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar light or dark brown sugar will work
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 2 cup Flour AP
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and line a 9-inch pan with parchment paper. Butter the cake pan with room-temperature butter to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
- Start by making the caramel for the pecan topping. Into a saucepan, over medium low heat, add the brown sugar, kosher salt, butter, honey and corn syrup.
- Cook the mixture, stirring frequently using a wooden spoon, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.
- Pour the hot caramel into a lined baking pan, and scatter the chopped pecans on top of the caramel on an even layer. Set it aside while you make the cake batter.
- Make the cinnamon cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, and mix with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, ½ of the flour, and ½ of the buttermilk into the mixture and mix with an electric hand mixer until just combined.
- Add the remaining flour and the buttermilk and mix until just combined.
- Carefully pour the cake batter over the pecan caramel topping and smooth it out with a spatula until smooth.
- Bake in a preheated 180c (350f) oven for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes. Flip it upside down onto a cake, wait for it to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh pecans. Start with fresh, high-quality pecans to ensure a rich and nutty flavor. Stale nuts can diminish the taste of your cake.
- Prepare your pan properly. Line your pan with parchment paper and generously butter it to prevent sticking, making sure your caramel topping comes out cleanly.
- Before starting the cake batter, ensure that your pecans are toasted to enhance their flavor. Toasting them in a dry skillet or oven brings out their natural oils and adds a rich, nutty taste to your cake.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cake will release easily from the pan.
- Test for doneness carefully. Insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached when done.
- Once you've removed the cake from the oven, allow it to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before attempting to flip it over onto a serving plate. This helps prevent any breakage or sticking.
- Serve warm or room temperature. This cake is delightful both warm, allowing the caramel topping to be gooey, or at room temperature where flavors meld beautifully over time.
Nutrition
Calories: 506kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 6gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 506mgPotassium: 153mgFiber: 2gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 661IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 2mg
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