This pecan upside down cake is made with sweet and sticky pecan caramel and light yellow cake. If you’re looking for an impressive dessert to make at home, you’ve found it!
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I’m always on the lookout for a new dessert to try. Between the holidays, Sunday night dinners, and birthday parties…there always seems to be a reason to celebrate!
I’m not complaining — I love gathering with friends and family around the table.
I do have a few go-to’s that I like to bring: 3-ingredient no-bake cheesecake, banana pudding with sour cream, and my famous cinnamon roll apple pie.
You may notice a theme here. I love desserts that are easy to make and produce super impressive results. It’s why I love today’s dish, my easy pecan upside down cake!
I’ll let you in on a little secret: this dessert is fancy enough for a holiday dinner, but easy enough to whip up for a weekend treat!
Made with chopped pecans, caramel sauce, and yellow cake mix, it comes together easily — you’ll just have to have a bit of patience while it bakes.
Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post:
- The ingredients you’ll need to make my easy pecan upside down cake at home.
- My shortcut for making this recipe even easier. Hint: I use store-bought yellow cake mix!
- Answers to some FAQs you may have when making pecan upside down cake yourselves.
Struggling to figure out what to bring to an upcoming party? Never fear, my easy pecan upside down cake is here! All jokes aside, this dish is a major crowd-pleaser!
How to Make Pecan Upside Down Cake
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. It’s important that you be thorough — you don’t want the pecan and caramel mixture to stick when you flip it upside down!
STEP TWO: Add the pecans, warm caramel sauce, and salt to a medium bowl and mix. Then, pour the mixture into the bottom of the greased bundt pan.
STEP THREE: Add the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs to another bowl and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Pour the cake batter over the pecan and caramel mixture and spread it into an even layer.
STEP FOUR: Bake for 40 minutes, or use the toothpick trick to determine whether it’s done or not. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, you can take it out of the oven.
STEP FIVE: Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, place your serving dish of choice upside down on top of the bundt pan and carefully flip it over. Tap the pan a few times to release the cake, then carefully lift the pan straight up.
STEP SIX: If there are any stray pecans stuck to the pan, simply use a spoon to remove them, then place them on top of your cake. Allow it to cool completely before slicing, and enjoy!
How Do You Turn a Cake Upside Down?
As you want your pecan upside down cake to have the sweet and sticky pecan caramel layer on top, make sure to put it in the bottom of the pan.
Then, add the cake layer. Here’s where a bit of technique comes in.
- When the cake is done baking, place a serving plate upside down on top of the baking pan.
- Carefully flip the pan over, holding onto the plate.
- Gently tap so that the cake slides out of the pan and voila.
How Do I Make Sure My Pecan Upside Down Cake Doesn’t Stick?
Make sure to use a good amount of nonstick cooking spray, and apply it thoroughly. If you don’t, the flipping method described above and on the recipe card won’t work.
I’ve made this recipe enough times to know just how important that nonstick spray is!
What’s The Origin Of An Upside Down Cake?
Chefs have been making upside down cakes for decades! In the past, before there were ovens, most people did their cooking in cast iron skillets over an open fire.
The original recipe for upside down cakes involved lining the skillet with fruit and then pouring the cake batter over it.
How Long Should You Wait to Invert a Cake?
It’s important to let the cake rest in the bundt pan for at least 10 minutes before flipping it over — also called inverting.
If you try to flip it as soon as it comes out of the oven, the cake may fall apart or stick to the pan.
Other Dessert Recipes You’ll Love:
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Crushed Pineapple
- Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
- Turtle Cookies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Fudge
- Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup
- Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
- Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake
Pecan Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups raw pecans
- 1 cup warm caramel sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan very well with nonstick baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the pecans, warm caramel sauce, and salt. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the greased bundt pan.
- In another bowl, add the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Mix with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the cake mix over the pecans and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake the cake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Then place your serving plate on top of the bundt pan and carefully flip it over. Tap the bundt pan a few times to release the cake, and then gently lift the bundt pan straight up.
- If any stray pecans are stuck to the pan, just use a spoon to place them back on top of the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing.
