This Pecan Upside Down Cake is a light, fluffy vanilla cake with a pecan pie-like topping. It's made in just 2 bowls with a whisk and takes less than an hour from start to finish!
I'm allll about bundt cakes! This Marble Bundt Cake is one of the most popular recipes on my site for good reason since it's the perfect, impressive mix of chocolate and vanilla! This Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake is another favorite and perfect for a cozy fall!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- moist, light, and fluffy vanilla cake base
- easy-to-make with just two bowls and no mixer
- cozy flavor with caramel-like topping and yummy crunch
- impressive to serve at any gathering during any time of year
Cake Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar: Plain, white sugar creates moisture and sweetness in this cake.
- Eggs: Eggs add structure and impact texture. You'll need 3 at room temperature!
- Vegetable Oil: This cake is oil-based, making it a recipe that only requires a whisk and no mixer.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream creates a light, tender cake. You can substitute it with greek yogurt, but make sure whatever you use is at room temperature!
- Milk: Milk adds extra moisture and creates a lighter, fluffier cake.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla rounds out the flavor of the cake.
- All Purpose Flour: Flour that is properly measured creates a light and moist cake. Read "Expert Tips" below for more information.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Both of these leavening agents work together to give this cake some rise and its lovely texture.
- Salt: Salt brings out sweetness and enhances flavor.
Step by Step Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heavily spray a 10-inch bundt pan with cooking spray. This is essential for the bundt to come out cleanly.
STEP 2: Add light brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and salt to a medium bowl. Add pecans and stir to ensure they are fully coated in the mixture. Transfer the topping to the bottom of your prepared bundt pan.
STEP 3: In a large bowl, whisk granulated sugar, room temperature eggs, vegetable oil, room temperature sour cream, room temperature milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth.
STEP 4: Add all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the batter. Mix until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter. Mixing past this point could lead to dense cake.
STEP 5: Transfer the batter to your prepared pan. Bake the cake for 38-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown in color and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
STEP 6: Allow the cake to cool for at least 1 hour in the pan before removing to prevent the cake from breaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
I highly recommend waiting until the cake has fully cooled before flipping it. The cake will firm up as it cools and gain stability so that when you flip it, it will be less likely to stick to the pan and break. Wait at least one hour.
Store the cake tightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Allow the cake to cool completely before wrapping it in plastic wrap. Remove it from the freezer, and allow it to thaw at room temperature before serving.
Expert Tips
Measuring Flour: To avoid dry and dense cakee, measure flour with a kitchen scale to 385g exactly or use a spoon to transfer flour from your container to your measuring cups before using a knife to level.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Room temperature ingredients will allow the cake batter to come together more smoothly and result in a more even texture. If you forget to leave them out ahead of time, you can-
- leave eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes
- heat sour cream in the microwave for 10 seconds
- heat milk in the microwave for 10 seconds
Cooling Time: For best results, let the cake cool completely or for at least 1 hour in the pan before attempting to remove it. The cake is light and delicate and will likely break if you flip while it is still warm.
Related Recipes
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Pecan Upside Down Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 inch bundt 1x
- Category: Pecan, Fall, Cake
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Pecan Upside Down Cake is a light, fluffy vanilla cake with a pecan pie-like topping. It’s made in just 2 bowls with a whisk and takes less than an hour from start to finish!
Ingredients
For the Topping
- ½ cup (120g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (75g) corn syrup
- ½ cup (110g) melted butter
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup (110g) chopped pecans
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cup (315g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (150g), room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream or greek yogurt, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (160g) milk, room temperature
- ½ tablespoon (6g) vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cup (385g) all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon (6g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (7g) salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heavily spray a 10-inch bundt pan with cooking spray. If you skip spraying your pan, your cake will likely break as you remove it.
- In a medium bowl, add light brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and salt. Mix until smooth. Add pecans and stir to ensure they are fully coated in the mixture. Transfer the topping to the bottom of your prepared bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk granulated sugar, room temperature eggs, vegetable oil, room temperature sour cream, room temperature milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth.
- Add all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the batter. Mix only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter. Mixing past this point could lead to dense cake.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared pan on top of the pecan base. Bake the cake for 38-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown in color and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 1 hour in the pan before removing. Store tightly covered, in an airtight container, or wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
Measuring Flour: To avoid dry and dense cake, measure flour with a kitchen scale to 385g exactly or use a spoon to transfer flour from your container to your measuring cups before using a knife to level.
Cooling Time: For best results, let the cake cool completely or for at least 1 hour in the pan before attempting to remove it. The cake is light and delicate and will likely break if you flip while it is still warm.
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