Say hello to fall with this homemade Caramel Pecan Cake, topped with a smooth caramel glaze. Short like coffee cake but big on flavor, this cake has a buttery, nutty taste.
Enjoy Caramel Pecan Cake with Coffee
When it comes to indulgent desserts, few things can rival the rich, buttery goodness of a caramel pecan cake. This delectable treat is a symphony of flavors and textures, blending the sweetness of caramel with the nutty crunch of pecans in a moist, luscious cake. This dessert does not bake as tall as a pound cake; instead, it will be shorter, like a coffee cake. The texture is coarser than pound cake, and the batter is a buttery mix of pecans and brown sugar.
Pecans for Caramel Pecan Cake
Fresh Pecans
Use fresh pecans for the best flavor. After pecans sit for months in a cabinet, they lose their fresh, sweet, buttery flavor and can become tasteless like cardboard. Or, if stored at warm temperatures, they can oxidize and become rancid, developing a strong, unpleasant taste. Sometimes, when you buy pecans just before they are harvested in the fall, they are last year’s nuts, which means they are losing their fresh taste. If possible, test-taste them before buying. Be careful buying from large box stores just before a new crop is harvested, because they will be older nuts.
Frozen Pecans
When you buy fresh pecans, one way to keep them from losing their flavor is to store them in a sealed freezer bag. They will keep for a year (or more) when frozen. You can also help prolong their fresh taste by storing them in the refrigerator, where they will keep for months. If you store pecans (or other nuts) in a cabinet, always taste them before using them in a recipe. Because they have a lot of oil, nuts can become rancid in warm temperatures and when left out and exposed to light. Also, it is wise to taste more than one nut from an older bag, since they don’t all go rancid at the same time.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients in Caramel Pecan Cake
This recipe contains eggs, butter, and sour cream. Bring these ingredients to room temperature before using them for the best results.
How to Quickly Bring Eggs to Room Temperature
Place eggs in a bowl of warm water (not hot, or they might cook) for 10 minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature. However, if you plan to use egg whites or yolks, separate them while cold because room-temperature yolks break easily. Place the separated eggs into a sturdy, flat-bottomed bowl, such as a ramekin. Set the ramekin in a deep pan and pour hot water around it. The water will heat the ramekin and eggs inside it. However, if using one or two separate eggs, let them sit out while preparing the rest of the ingredients, as they will come to room temperature more quickly than whole eggs.
Pecan Layers in Caramel Pecan Cake
After preparing the cake batter, pour half into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle half of the prepared pecans over the batter. Then pour the remaining cake batter over this and sprinkle the remaining pecans on top.
Caramel Sauce
Make the caramel sauce while the cake bakes. Once the cake is baked and cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. You can stop here and have a pretty cake if you do not want the caramel sauce. However, the caramel sauce is what makes this cake special!
Salted Caramel
This caramel cooks in a skillet and is easy for beginners. Cook it on high heat to start the browning and caramelization. It will turn a light yellow color when it starts to caramelize. From this point, it can go from too dark to burnt quickly, so be careful not to let it cook too long, or it will take on a burnt taste. As soon as the caramel becomes the color of honey, turn off the heat and remove it from the hot burner. Caramel will continue to brown without heat if it remains on a hot stove burner.
Whisk in the whipping cream, butter, and salt. Stir until smooth. It is better to use room-temperature cream when making this caramel. Otherwise, cold cream can chill the caramel too quickly, producing candy pieces. Stir well until smooth. The amount of salt in this caramel recipe makes a salted caramel. However, you can use just a pinch of salt if you want a subtle salt flavor.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
Click on each name or photo to link to the recipe.
Caramel Pecan Cake
Equipment
- (1) 10-inch Bundt pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- shortening and flour to prepare pan
- powdered sugar for garnish
Caramel Glaze
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cake
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, and pecans. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a brush and shortening to carefully grease a Bundt pan. Then dust it with flour.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating until just combined.
- Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly around the pan.
- Sprinkle ½ of the prepared pecan mixture over the batter.
- Add the remaining batter to the pan. Then add the remaining pecan mixture.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn the cake out of the pan and let it cool completely.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake.
Caramel Glaze
- In a large skillet, add the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Heat over medium heat until the mixture turns honey brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, butter, and salt until smooth. Pour over the cake.