Pecan Upside Down Cake

Name: Pecan Upside Down Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 350 grams of cake flour or all purpose flour (about 2 2/3 cups); 1 tablespoon of baking powder; 1 teaspoon of baking soda; 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon of cloves; 1/2 teaspoon of salt; 3/4 cup of brown sugar, packed; 1/3 cup of plain greek yogurt; 1/4 cup of olive oil; 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened almond milk; 1 teapsoon of vanilla extract; 1/2 cup of butter; 2/3 cup of brown sugar, packed; 1/4 cup of maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon of salt; 1 cup of pecans, chopped

November 20, 2023

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I have never been a huge fan of pecan pie. Yes, I have a recipe for it here on Espresso & Lime, but if you want to stay anywhere close to the OG recipes, you are going to be using a lot of sugar and corn syrup. While I do love indulging in decadent desserts, cloyingly sweet pies just aren’t my thing, so I decided to replace the pecan pie on this years holiday dessert spread with something a little… better…

This pecan upside down cake is great. While it does contain brown sugar, it is not obnoxiously sweet at all. There is no need to make pie dough, no eggs or corn syrup required and this cake is easily made vegan, so everyone can enjoy it!

It’s moist, caramel-y and perfectly sweet and while it is a wonderful dessert, it also makes a great pairing for your morning cup of coffee.

Let’s get started…

Begin by whisking 3/4 cup of brown sugar with 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 1/2 cups of almond milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a large bowl.

If you are making this cake vegan, be sure to use your favorite vegan greek yogurt like Silk’s plant based great yogurts.

In a separate bowl, whisk 350 grams of cake flour (all purpose flour will also work, but will create a slightly more dense cake), 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until fully combined and then set both the wet and dry ingredients aside until our pecan topping is prepared.

Note: If you are not a fan of nutmeg and/or cloves, feel free to leave them out. I rarely add cinnamon alone, because I love the way that nutmeg and cloves pair with it, but you can easily leave these spices out and still have wonderful flavor.

To make the pecan topping, place 1/2 cup of butter, 2/3 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture up to a bubble.

Note: If you are making this cake vegan, be sure to use plant based butter and while most pure maple syrups are vegan friendly, be sure to check that this is true. If you prefer, the maple syrup can be swapped for agave.

Stir to mixture around to ensure that all of the brown sugar has been brought off of the bottom of the saucepan and once the mixture begins to foam, reduce the heat to low and whisk in 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let the mixture foam up for a minute or so and once it has thickened a bit, transfer the saucepan off of the heat.

Add 1 cup of chopped pecans a mix to combine.

This pie needs to be baked in a 9″ cake pan. If you are using a standard deep baking dish, spray the dish with non-stick baking spray and cut a sheet of parchment paper to line the bottom.

If you are using a 9″ springform pan, remove the springform sides and place a sheet over the base of the pan. Place the sides back over top and close the springform. This will not only line the base of the pan with parchment paper, but will also help to seal up any gaps where the 2 pieces come together.

Spray the sides of the pan with non-stick baking spray and evenly spread the pecan mixture throughout the base of the pan.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and pour the batter over the pecan mixture.

Bake the cake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake and pull it out of the oven as soon as a toothpick will come out of the center clean. This cake will be beautifully moist if you pull it out of the oven as soon as it is baked, but due to the lack of eggs in this batter, it can become dry if it is over baked.

When you pull the cake out of the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes and then carefully place a plate or cutting board larger than the base of the cake over the baking dish and flip the cake over.

You want to flip the cake out of the pan before the pecan topping begins to harden too much, because it if it hardens too much, it can sort of glue it into the dish. When you first flip the cake out of the dish, it the pecan mixture is still really soft, it may slide off of the edges a bit. Do not worry about this! Simply use a fork to transfer the candied pecans back into any blank areas on the top of the cake. Easy peasy.

I love adding just a light dusting of confectioners sugar over the top of those candied pecans… purely for aesthetics and whipping up a batch of my brown sugar whipped cream to serve with it.

This pecan upside down cake is dense, moist and beautifully balanced in flavor. The crumb is subtly sweet with hints of brown sugar, maple syrup and warm spices. The olive oil and greek yogurt add a great texture that is tender, but dense similar to a butter cake or pound cake. I love it.

The pecan topping adds a crunchy, sweet layer that brings it all together in the perfect way. Planning out your bites to include both layers is the best way to enjoy this cake and if you are left with a little sliver of both the crumb and the pecan topping at the end, you did it right…

Whether you are looking for a cake celebrating pecans, want a less sweet version of traditional pecan pie or want to wow your vegan guests with a fabulous dessert, I would love for you to give this pecan upside down cake a try.

You are going to love it.

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