This Pecan Upside Down Cake is made from a sweet, caramelized pecan pie filling layer on top of a moist, dense and wonderfully buttery vanilla cake layer. This pecan topped bundt cake is like a delicious cross between cake and pecan pie. Make this pecan bundt cake the next time you need a beautiful, unique and cozy dessert.
Jump to:
Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have a few bundt cake recipes on the blog. I especially love my Lemonade Bundt Cake. I know you’ll love this buttery, sweet and pecan pie topped vanilla bundt cake too!
- It has the perfect moist, dense and tender texture. This pecan upside down bundt cake has the perfect buttery, pound cake like crumb with tons of vanilla flavor.
- Layers of textures and flavor. The top layer is a nutty, sticky, caramelized crunchy pecan topping. If you love pecan pie, you’ll love this topping. The bottom layer is a moist, dense and buttery vanilla cake.
- Easy to make with simple ingredients. This from scratch pecan upside down cake is made with simple ingredients and comes together quickly and easily making it the perfect cozy cake for every occasion.
Ingredients
This caramel pecan cake requires only a handful of ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your house!
For the Pecan Pie Topping
Gather light brown sugar, honey, melted butter, cinnamon, salt and chopped pecans.
For the Vanilla Cake
Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, oil, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk and vanilla extract
Substitutions
This pecan pie bundt cake recipe is meant to be so easy, you can make it as a casual cake to enjoy anytime. Here are my recommended substitutions to make this homemade cake as easy as possible using what you have.
- Vanilla Cake Layer: Substitute all the ingredients listed in the Vanilla Cake with a vanilla box cake mix (along with any needed ingredients listed on the box).
- Unsalted Butter: Use salted butter if needed. Just make sure to omit the added teaspoon of salt listed in the recipe. Vegan or dairy free butter can also be used if needed.
- Sugars: This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other recipes.
- Sour Cream: If needed, omit the sour cream and add an additional egg for a total of 3 large (US) eggs.
- Milk: Any type of milk will work well in this moist bundt cake.
- Oil: I like to bake with canola oil. However, any neutral baking oil will work well in this bundt cake recipe.
- Buttermilk: Make a DIY version by mixing 1 ½ tsp lemon juice with enough milk to reach ½ cup (118 ml) milk. You can also use the same amount of sour cream or full fat greek yogurt.
- Honey: I prefer to use this when I’m making pecan pie. The easiest substitute is light corn syrup.
- Pecans: Walnuts would be a close substitute for the taste and texture of pecans.
How To Make
This moist upside down bundt cake recipe is super easy to make. So grab your ingredients and let’s get baking!
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Generously grease a 9.5 or 10- inch (10-12 cup capacity bundt pan). In a large bowl whisk the melted butter, honey, light brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together until well combined. Stir in the chopped pecans. Set aside.
- In another bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and oil on medium until smooth and well combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour the granulated and light brown sugars into the butter and oil mixture. Increase the speed to medium for about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract one at a time.
- By hand or on the lowest setting of your mixer, mix in the dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the buttermilk. If you are familiar with vanilla pound cake, this cake batter will look very similar.
- Evenly pour the pecan pie topping into the prepared bundt cake pan. Top the pecan pie filling with the vanilla cake. Evenly spread the cake around the bundt pan.
- Bake the upside down pecan cake for about 30 - 40 minutes. The edges of the cake will pull slightly from the sides of the pan. Remove the bundt cake from the oven to cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.
- To remove: Place a serving plate or even another cooling rack on top of the bundt pan. Invert the pan so the top of the bundt cake is now on the bottom (on the serving plate or second cooling rack). Gently lift up the pan. Allow the cake to cool before enjoying.
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
Store
Store at room temperature: Wrap the moist pecan pie bundt cake in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. After 3 days, place the cake slices in an airtight container to the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze and Thaw
Freeze the pecan pie cake: Slice the bundt cake into your preferred size and number of pieces. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place the pieces in a freezer safe, airtight container. Cake slices keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw the pecan upside down bundt cake: Remove the desired amount of cake slices out of the freezer. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring the cake slices to room temperature before enjoying.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use a non-stick spray to generously grease the bundt pan. If needed, take a pastry brush or even a clean hands and work the spray into all the grooves of the pan. The topping caramelizes and this means a greater chance of sticking once it cools. It’s so important to generously grease the pan.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly.
- Measure the flour properly: I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured dry ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the vanilla cake batter: Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Cool the cake in the pan for no longer than 10 minutes. If you try to remove the cake before 10 minutes, the cake may still be too hot to remove without falling apart. Removing the cake after 10 minutes may cause the cake to stick to the pan more easily. After turning the cake out of the pan, leave it to cool.
FAQ's
Yes! If needed, you can use this pecan pie bundt cake batter in a 9 inch springform pan or 9 inch round cake pan for about 35 - 40 minutes. Another option is to evenly divide the topping and cake batter between (2) 9x5 loaf pans. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Whatever pan you use, make sure it isn’t filled more than ¾ full.
Stick a toothpick in the center of the bundt cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. You can also gently press down on the center of the cake. If it quickly bounces back up, the cake is done. The edges of the cake should also gently pull away from the sides of the bundt pan.
Other Pecan Recipes to Try
If you try this Pecan Upside Down Cake Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Pecan Upside Down Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 10-12 cup capacity bundt cake (see notes for other pan sizes)
- 1 stand mixer with whisk attachment or hand mixer with beaters
- several mixing bowls
- 1 spatula or spoon
Ingredients
Pecan Pie Topping
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) melted butter
- ¼ cup (59 ml) honey
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1½ cups (95 g) pecans, chopped
Vanilla Cake
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) canola oil
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (US), room temperature
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream, room temperature
- ½ cup (118 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Generously grease a 9.5 or 10- inch (10-12 cup capacity bundt pan).
- In a large bowl whisk the melted butter, honey, light brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together until well combined. Stir in the chopped pecans. Set aside.
- In another bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and oil on medium until smooth and well combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour the granulated and light brown sugars into the butter and oil mixture. Increase the speed to medium for about 3 minutes or until the butter and sugar are fluffy and light in color. On the lowest speed, mix in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract one at a time. Wait for each ingredient to be fully incorporated before adding the next. The mixture may look slightly curdled. Don’t worry, this is exactly how it should look at this stage.
- By hand or on the lowest setting of your mixer, mix in the dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the buttermilk. This will be done in three rounds- dry, buttermilk, dry, buttermilk, dry. If you are familiar with vanilla pound cake, this cake batter will look very similar.
- Evenly pour the pecan pie topping into the prepared bundt cake pan. If the topping has started to solidify, heat the microwave safe bowl for about 20 seconds. Top the pecan pie filling with the vanilla cake. Evenly spread the cake around the bundt pan.
- Bake the upside down pecan cake for about 30 - 40 minutes. The edges of the cake will pull slightly from the sides of the pan. The cake will bounce back quickly when gently pressed into the center of the cake. Remove the bundt cake from the oven to cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.
- To remove: Place a serving plate or even another cooling rack on top of the bundt pan. Invert the pan so the top of the bundt cake is now on the bottom (on the serving plate or second cooling rack). Gently tap all around the pan to help loosen any pieces of cake that may be stuck. Gently lift up the pan. If some pieces of pecan filling remain stuck to the pan, simply scoop them out and top the cake. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before enjoying.
Notes
- 2 1/4 cup (270 g) all purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (170 g) butter
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup (90 g) sour cream
- 3/4 cup (177 ml) buttermilk
Wasn’t sure what to buy, low or full fat buttermilk. Can you let me know?
Hi Michelle, I prefer using full fat. Hope this helps!
Hello! Thank you for this lovely recipe! I would love to make this. Is there a gluten-free version or flour you would recommend or does it not hold up well as gluten-free?
Hi! You can use a GF cake mix if you like. As far as a GF flour substitute, I would go with a 1-1 cup replacement flour from Bobs Red Mill or King Arthur Flour.
I just made this exactly as described and the cake did not rise as high as pictured. The entire cake is covered in pecans and syrup. It's delicious but disappointed with how it looks. Is there something I can do to fix that?
Michelle in Detroit
Hi Michelle, sorry to read that. The cake recipe is more the consistency of a pound cake so it's not going to rise in the same way as a standard vanilla cake. My straight forward suggestion is to make more cake. Please find my suggested measurements below and let me know how it works out for you:
2 1/4 cup (270 g) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup (170 g) butter
3 tbsp (45 ml) oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup (90 g) sour cream
3/4 cup (177 ml) buttermilk
Hello! So excited to bake this along side some of your other dishes for Christmas! I was wondering if I could bake and freeze this ahead of time? I’m travelling home for the holidays and worried I won’t have time to bake this once I’m there.
Hi Michelle, I have frozen slices of this cake with no issue. However, I have not frozen this as an entire cake. I imagine it will work. I would allow several hours at room temperature for the cake to fully defrost.
When making this cake withmix, do I just use the recipe for the pecan filling?
Hi Rena, that is correct. Follow the mixing instructions and ingredients for the cake mix according to the box directions. Use the recipe I wrote for the pecan pie filling preparation and for baking. Hope this helps!
Could this be made as cupcakes? Also, since the cake recipe is supposed to be more like pound cake, if substituting box mix, should I use pound cake mix?
Hi Karen, I haven't tried this recipe using a pound cake mix. I think a regular vanilla mix (following the ingredients and instructions on the box) would work well. As far as making this as a cupcake, I would try making them as mini bundt cakes.