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Pecan Upside Down Cake Recipe

Megan
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 later. This pecan topped bundt cake is like a delicious cross between cake and pecan pie.
4.54 from 99 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Celebrations, Dessert, Holiday
Cuisine American
Servings 12 slices

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

For more cake follow these measurements: 
  • 2 ¼ cup (270 g) all purpose flour
  • 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (170 g) butter
  • 3 tablespoon (45 ml) oil
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅓ cup (90 g) sour cream
  • ¾ cup (177 ml) buttermilk
Please note that the baking time will increase to 50 - 60 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 and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake will come out with a few moist crumbs. 
Use a non-stick spray to generously grease the bundt pan. If needed, take a pastry brush or even clean hands and work the spray into all the grooves of the pan. The topping is meant to caramelize and this means a greater chance of sticking once it cools. It’s so important to generously grease the pan.
To store leftover caramel pecan cake pieces: Wrap the moist pecan pie bundt cake in plastic wrap, keep it under a cake dome or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Transfer the cake slices in an airtight container to the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make this pecan upside down bundt cake recipe in a different pan. 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. You can also 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 to the top of the pan. Generously grease the pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
 
Keyword Pecan Pie Cake, Pecan Upside Down Bundt Cake, Pecan Upside Down Cake
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