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Pecan Pie Upside-Down Cake

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Pie or cake? Have both! This Pecan Pie Upside-Down Cake recipe is the best of a light and tender cake and deliciously sweet pecan pie filling.Slice of Pecan Pie Upside-Down Cake on a wooden plate with a bite missing

I am a cake-lover in a family of pie-lovers.

When Thanksgiving rolls around, everyone else is looking forward to pumpkin pie, apple pie, and even mincemeat pie. But not me. I’m all about the cake.

Slice of Pecan Pie Upside-Down Cake on two stacked wooden plates

I actually love pie fillings. It’s just a crust thing. I can’t get into a plain pie crust.

So, I swapped out the crust for light and tender vanilla cake and kept my favorite part of my favorite pie.

This Pecan Pie Upside-Down Cake really is fantastic. The topping alone is worth making the cake for. It’s sweet and perfectly sticky like pecan pie filling.

It will be right at home on your Thanksgiving table and is the perfect dessert option to end any pie vs. cake issues!

Pecan Pie Upside-Down Cake

This Pecan Pie Upside-Down Cake recipe is a light and tender cake and delicious sweet pecan pie filling.

Author: I Heart Eating
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pecan pie cake, pecan pie upside down cake, Thanksgiving cake recipe
Servings: 8 servings
Pecan Pie Upside-Down Cake
5 from 2 votes
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Ingredients

Cake

  • 1/2 c . butter softened
  • 3/4 c . granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2/3 c . buttermilk
  • 1 tsp . vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 c . cake flour
  • 1 tsp . baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp . salt

Topping

  • 2 T. butter melted
  • 3/4 c . brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 c . dark corn syrup
  • 2 T. heavy whipping cream.
  • 1 c . pecans I use a mix of halves and pieces

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

  2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until well-combined.
  3. Scrape down sides, and add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla.
  5. Add flour, baking powder, and salt.
  6. Stir until just combined. Set aside.
  7. To make the topping, stir together butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and whipping cream until well-combined.
  8. Pour into pan.
  9. Top with pecans.
  10. Gently spoon batter over pecans. If you pour it in, it may push the pecans in the middle aside, so gently add the batter on top of the pecans.
  11. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet.
  12. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any cake crumbs.
  13. Run a knife around the edge, and then invert cake onto plate.

Recipe Notes

*Nutrition facts are estimates.

Nutrition facts per serving (1g)

Calories: 494kcal
Fat: 23g
Saturated fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 94mg
Sodium: 316mg
Potassium: 219mg
Carbohydrates: 67g
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 48g
Protein: 6g
Vitamin A: 9.7%
Vitamin C: 0.2%
Calcium: 9.4%
Iron: 5.8%

 

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  1. I’d like to make this for thanksgiving. Should it be served immediately or can I make it earlier in the day? Thanks!

    Reply

    • My preference is to have it while it’s still a little warm. However, I’ve served it at room temperature, too, and it tasted just fine. I think you’d be ok to make it earlier in the day. Happy Thanksgiving! =)

      Reply

    • I haven’t tried it in a 9-inch springform pan. A 9-inch springform is a larger pan than a 9-inch cake pan, though, so you would need to adjust the baking time. Good luck!

      Reply

      • Was I supposed to let it cool before taking it out of the pan? I didn’t see that in the instructions, but when I inverted it onto my place the liquid in the topping all ran off. From your picture it doesn’t look like your did that?

        Reply

        • I’m sorry to hear that! I don’t let it cool because it sticks to the pan as it cools. I just let it sit long enough to run the knife around the edge. I have had to replace a few pecans that stick, but I’ve never had the topping run off. How thick was the topping when it was in the pan (before baking)?


    • It thickened quite bit as it cooled, but it was too late because the topping had run all off because I removed it from the pan approx. 5 minutes after taking it out. It was runny enough that it spread around the pan when I first put it into it before baking. Maybe it wasn’t thick enough? The pecans were fine on top.

      It tasted delicious though! I just wish the topping hadn’t run off.

      Reply

    • I haven’t tried to make it in a 9×13, so I’m not sure how it would work or how long you’d need to bake it for. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it comes out!

      Reply


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