This high altitude pecan upside down cake is a pecan lover’s dream that tastes like pecan pie, but with a layer of cake underneath. This recipe features a moist, one layer pecan cake made with ground pecans, topped with sweet and crunchy caramelized pecans.
You might also love these recipes for butter pecan bundt cake, homemade pecan sandies, and pecan pie brownies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Perfect for the Holidays. If you love pecan pie for Thanksgiving but also want to make a cake for dessert, this decadent pecan dessert gives you the best of both pie and cake.
Moist and Buttery. With brown butter, whole milk and sour cream, this pecan upside down cake is dense, rich, very moist, tender and buttery.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. To add the most incredible flavor to this cake, don’t skip the step of browning the butter first.
- Sugar. You’ll need granulated sugar for the cake, as well as brown sugar and light corn syrup for the pecan topping.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the pecans.
- Pecans. Use unsalted pecans for both the cake and the topping.
- Eggs. Gives the cake structure and helps the batter to hold together.
- Whole Milk + Sour Cream. Adds fat and moisture for a moist, tender cake.
- Flour. All-purpose flour gives the cake structure and strength.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent, so the cake rises when it bakes.
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper, and spray the paper as well.
Topping
- In a saucepan, warm the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt over medium heat, stirring just until the butter is melted, the brown sugar is dissolved, and the mixture is just beginning to bubble. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the pecans until they’re evenly coated in the syrup, then pour the pecan topping into the prepared cake pan.
- Set the pan in the freezer to let the syrup firm up while you make the cake batter. The reason you need to do this is so that the cake batter doesn’t displace the pecans and syrup when you spread it into the pan.
Cake
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter until nutty, golden brown milk solids form at the bottom of the pan. This process might take about 5-10 minutes. First the butter will hiss and splatter as the water evaporates, then as it quiets down, a layer of foam will form on top of the butter. This means the butter is done. Immediately remove from the heat, and scrape the butter, including the brown milk solids, into a large bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter with the granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and sour cream, until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, chopped pecans, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking just until moistened.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan, over the pecan topping. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it. The syrup at the bottom of the pan will have bubbled up around the edges, so the edges of the cake may look a little different from what you’re used to seeing.
- Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Invert the cake onto a plate or cake pedestal, and peel the parchment paper off. If any pecans fall off, just place them back onto the cake.
- If you like, decorate the top of the cake with a few more pecan halves, and serve the cake warm.
- Baker’s Note: The pecan layer is sticky, crunchy and caramelized, and makes it difficult to cut clean, neat slices of cake that don’t crumble apart. Don’t let this worry you. Just scoop it into a bowl and serve with ice cream. You can also see the recipe variations section below for other methods to making this cake that make it easier to cut.
Recipe Variations
Pecans Baked on Top
Since a pecan upside down cake has a layer of pecans cooked in sugar and butter underneath the cake batter, the pecans become very sticky, crunchy, chewy and caramelized, like pecan candy, when the cake cools. Because of this, the cake can be tricky to cut, and is almost certain to crumble apart due to the different textures of the cake and topping.
An alternative to this is simply to bake the pecans on top of the cake batter, without extra sugar. This will let the pecans toast in the oven for a lovely flavor and crunch, but allows you to easily cut the cake. This was my favorite version of today’s recipe, since it had all the pecan flavor I wanted, without the excessive sweetness or stick-to-your-teeth texture of the candied pecans.
- Make the cake batter and spread it into your prepared cake pan.
- Arrange pecan halves over the cake batter, or just sprinkle 1 – 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans over the batter.
- Bake the cake as instructed. Let cool in the pan for 45 minutes, then turn it out of the pan and set it right side up on a serving plate or cake pedestal.
- For a glossy shine and sweet, buttery finish, melt 2 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp caramel sauce and brush it over the pecans. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Pecan Cake with Pecan Sauce
Another option that will taste very similar to a pecan upside down cake is to make a pecan sauce separately. The sauce can be served on the side or poured over the cake. The pecan sauce I made for my pecan pie cheesecake is ideal for this version. It’s sweet, gooey and caramel like, and full of crunchy pecans, but you’ll still be able to cut the cake without any trouble.
- Make the cake batter and spread it into your prepared cake pan.
- Bake the cake as instructed. Let cool in the pan for 45 minutes, then turn it out of the pan and set it right side up on a serving plate or cake pedestal.
- Meanwhile, make the pecan sauce. You can let the sauce thicken and cool completely if you want to spread it on top of the cake like frosting. Or pour it over the cake while it’s slightly warm and pourable, just before serving, for a decadent pecan dessert.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
I haven’t tested any substitutions, but it’s possible you could use honey or pure maple syrup instead of the light corn syrup.
You Might Also Like
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High Altitude Pecan Upside Down Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Ingredients
Topping
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- â…“ cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ cups pecans, roughly chopped
Cake
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- â…” cup whole milk, room temperature
- â…“ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup pecans, very finely chopped
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper, and spray the paper as well.
Topping
- In a saucepan, warm the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt over medium heat, stirring just until the butter is melted, the brown sugar is dissolved, and the mixture is just beginning to bubble. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the pecans until they're evenly coated in the syrup, then pour the pecan topping into the prepared cake pan.
- Set the pan in the freezer to let the syrup firm up while you make the cake batter. The reason you need to do this is so that the cake batter doesn't displace the pecans and syrup when you spread it into the pan.
Cake
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter until nutty, golden brown milk solids form at the bottom of the pan. This process might take about 5-10 minutes. First the butter will hiss and splatter as the water evaporates, then as it quiets down, a layer of foam will form on top of the butter. This means the butter is done. Immediately remove from the heat, and scrape the butter, including the brown milk solids, into a large bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter with the granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and sour cream, until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, chopped pecans, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking just until moistened.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan, over the pecan topping. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it. The syrup at the bottom of the pan will have bubbled up around the edges, so the edges of the cake may look a little different from what you're used to seeing.
- Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Invert the cake onto a plate or cake pedestal, and peel the parchment paper off. If any pecans fall off, just place them back onto the cake.
- If you like, decorate the top of the cake with a few more pecan halves, and serve the cake warm.
- Baker's Note: The pecan layer is sticky, crunchy and caramelized, and makes it difficult to cut clean, neat slices of cake that don't crumble apart. Don't let this worry you. Just scoop it into a bowl and serve with ice cream. You can also see the recipe variations section for other methods to making this cake that are easier to cut.
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