Say hello to fall by trying 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 but instead will be shorter, like a coffee cake. The texture is coarser than pound cake and has a buttery mix of pecans and brown sugar layered in the batter.
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 a warm temperature, they can oxidize and become rancid with 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 sealed in the freezer. 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 in an older bag because they don’t all become rancid at the same time.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients in Caramel Pecan Cake
This recipe has eggs, butter, and sour cream in it. Bring these ingredients to room temperature before using them for the best results with this recipe.
How to Quickly Bring Eggs to Room Temperature
Place eggs in a bowl of warm water (not hot, or you might cook them) 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 separated eggs into a sturdy flat-bottomed bowl like 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 separated eggs, just let them sit out while preparing the rest of the ingredients because they will come to room temperature quicker than whole eggs.
Pecans 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 rest of the cake batter over this and sprinkle the rest of the 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 become too dark quickly, so be careful about letting 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 and produce candy pieces in it. Stir well to make a smooth caramel. 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.
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 degrees 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 and beat well after each one. 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 these dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat 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 rest of the batter to the pan. Then add the rest of the pecan mixture.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn the cake out of the pan and let 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 burner and whisk in the cream, butter, and salt until the mixture is smooth. Pour over the cake.