Pecan Upside Down Cake
This easy pecan upside down cake combines a buttery spice cake with a gooey pecan pie topping for the ultimate fall dessert. Made with a boxed cake mix and a homemade caramel pecan layer, it's a simple recipe that tastes completely homemade.
Ingredients
For the Pecan Pie Topping
- 1 stick salted butter
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup dark corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans
For the Spice Cake
- 15.25 oz boxed spice cake mix
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 stick butter (room temperature)
Instructions
- Place a 9" round cake pan over medium/low heat. (Be careful, as it gets hot quickly.) Add 1 stick of butter and stir until melted.
- Add brown sugar, dark corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon; stir well, until sugar is melted and blended. Reserve ½ cup of this mixture in a separate bowl; set aside. Add pecans to the 9" pan and stir; remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, blend spice cake mix, eggs, milk, and 1 stick of butter. Pour half of this cake batter over the pecan pie topping in the 9" pan. Drizzle brown sugar mixture over the cake batter and gently swirl with a knife. If needed, add enough cake batter to fill the pan with 1" empty space at the top of the pan. (No problem if you don't use all of the batter.)
- Bake at 350℉ 30-35 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn cake onto a cake plate. Slice and serve warm.
Notes
- Cooling Time: Cool the baked cake in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before flipping - inverting too soon causes runny caramel, while waiting too long makes it stick.
- Pan Size & Filling: Use a 9-inch round cake pan with walls at least 2 inches deep. Leave 1 inch of space at the top of the pan to prevent overflow (it is okay to have a little leftover batter!).
- Skip Springform Pans: Do not use a springform pan, as the liquid brown sugar and butter glaze will leak out and burn in your oven.
- Foil Baking Sheet: Slide a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack below your cake pan while baking to catch any accidental caramel bubbles.
- Easy Pecan Fix: If any pecans stick to the bottom of the pan after inverting, simply scoop them out with a spatula and press them gently back onto the warm, gooey cake top.
- Mix Variations: If you don't have spice cake mix, use a Yellow, Butter Yellow, or Butter Pecan cake mix and add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice to the dry mix.
- Storage & Reheating: Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days (or fridge up to 5 days). Microwave individual slices for 10–15 seconds to make the caramel gooey again!
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 490kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 5gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 516mgPotassium: 241mgFiber: 2gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 589IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 2mg
