Caramel Pecan Cake
This moist Caramel Pecan Cake is bursting with flavor! If you love caramel desserts, you are going to fall in love with this soft, flavorful cake.
For this recipe, we made three 8 inch cake layers which are flavored with brown sugar and pecans, and filled & frosted with a delicious caramel frosting.
Table of Contents
How to Make a Caramel Pecan Cake
This delicious cake comes together very easily. I love the fine crumb and wonderful flavor combination of caramel and pecans.
The caramel cake is based in part on our go-to Caramel Cake recipe, which has inspired several other caramel dessert recipes including Caramel Vanilla Latte Cake and Toffee Pecan Caramel Cake.
You can find the full, printable recipe card further down in this post- but here is a quick rundown of our steps!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 if using dark pans). Grease and flour three 8 x2 inch round pans.
- Flour Mixture: In a separate bowl combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk at least 30 seconds to blend. Set aside.
- Sour Cream Mixture: In another bowl combine the sour cream, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and milk. Stir and set aside.
- Butter: In the bowl of your mixer add the softened butter. Beat on low to medium speed until smooth and light, one to two minutes.
- Sugar: Turn the mixer to medium speed and gradually add the white and light brown sugar, mixing until the butter & sugar mixture is lighter in color and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes (longer using a hand mixer).
- Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yolk is blended.
- Dry and Wet Ingredients: With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. We do three additions of dry ingredients, two of wet. Mix just until blended.
- Fold in the chopped pecans
- Time to Bake!: Pour the cake batter into 3 prepared 8 inch cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- The bake time may vary. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center pulls out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, or when the center springs back after lightly touching.
- Allow the caramel pecan cakes to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out.
For the Caramel Frosting
We frosted the cake with a delicious caramel frosting! You can find the full, printable recipe further down in this post- but here is a quick look at our steps!
- To make this caramel frosting, we heated the brown sugar, light corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan over medium high heat (stirring constantly), until it began to boil. (The corn syrup is added to help prevent grittiness.)
- We continued cooking for a few more minutes, stirring constantly before adding the heavy cream and salt. Heat again to boiling and then remove from heat, adding vanilla. Allow to cool.
- Next, add the confectioners sugar to the mixture bit by bit, mixing at medium speed with a hand mixer until smooth.
- If the frosting becomes too thick or firms up too much in the bowl, just add hot water in small amounts as you mix with a hand mixer to desired consistency.
Assembling the Cake
- To assemble the caramel pecan cake, start by placing the first cake layer (it should not be warm) on a cake plate or pedestal.
- Spread with caramel frosting, and top with the second caramel pecan layer. Add the top cake layer and frost the cake.
Decorating the Cake
If you'd like your caramel frosting to have an extra smooth finish, freeze the freshly frosted cake for about 10-15 minutes before going over the top and sides of the cake with a hot metal offset spatula bench scraper.
To heat the spatula or bench scraper, simply run under very hot water. (This is known as the hot knife method of smoothing.)
- Another decorating option is to go back over the frosted cake with an offset spatula and add ridges or swirls, etc. for a textured look.
- I chose a textured look for the top of my cake, adding additional frosting and swirling it with my offset spatula. Make sure to check out our other quick and easy frosting techniques!
- I also added a chopped pecan border around the top edge.
Top view!
More Caramel Cakes!
If you love caramel cake recipes, we have a few more favorites for you to try! Some of our most popular are our Snickerdoodle Cake, easy Chocolate Caramel Cake, homemade Caramel Cake, and Toffee Pecan Caramel Cake.
For the pecan lovers, make sure to check out our praline pound cake and German Chocolate Cake!
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Caramel Pecan Cake
This moist Caramel Pecan Cake recipe is SO flavorful! Three caramel pecan cake layers are filled and frosted with a delicious homemade caramel frosting.
Ingredients
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 if using dark pans). Grease and flour three 8 x2 inch round pans.
- 1 ½ sticks (12 T) (170g) unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch slices, softened
- 1 cup (200g) white sugar
- 1 cup (217g) light brown sugar (packed)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups (342g) cake flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup and leveled (see Notes below for substitution)
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 1 cup (242g) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla flavoring
- ½ cup (121g) milk (we used whole milk)
- ⅓ cup (72g) vegetable oil
- ¾ cup (92 g) chopped pecans
Caramel Frosting
- 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups (326g) firmly backed light brown sugar
- 1 (18g) tablespoon light corn syrup
- ⅓ cup (72g) whipping cream (half and half or whole milk)
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 4 cups (460g) confectioners sugar (measure then sift)
Instructions
For the Cake
- In a separate bowl combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk at least 30 seconds to blend. Set aside.
- In another bowl combine the sour cream, vanilla, oil, and milk. Stir and set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer add the softened butter. Beat on low to medium speed until smooth and light
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and gradually add the white and brown sugar, mixing until the butter & sugar mixture is lighter in color and fluffy, approximately 3 to 5 minutes (longer using a hand mixer).
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yolk has blended in.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl down as needed. We do three additions of dry ingredients, two of wet. After the last addition, mix just until the batter is blended and smooth
- Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Pour the cake batter into 3 prepared 8 inch cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center pulls out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. The cake also springs back when lightly touched.
- This recipe makes 8 cups of batter
For the Caramel Frosting
- In a rather deep saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue cooking for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Try to keep mixture off sides of pan.
- Add the cream and salt and continue stirring until it begins to boil. Remove from heat, add the vanilla, and cool for 15 minutes or so. Pour into the bowl of your mixer if it is metal or a heat proof bowl. You can also use a hand mixer. Pour carefully as this is very hot.
- Add the confectioners sugar to the hot mixture bit by bit, mixing at medium speed until smooth.
- The mixture will thicken as the powdered sugar is added. Add a small amount of very hot water (Tablespoon or teaspoon) as needed until the frosting reaches a good consistency for spreading.
Notes
- This caramel frosting will firm up a bit as it cools. If it firms up in the bowl before you have a chance to use it, simply small amount of very hot water bit by bit and mix with the hand mixer to reach desired consistency.
- For a smoother finish, you can freeze the frosted cake for 10-15 minutes to firm up the frosting, and then go over it with a hot metal bench scraper or spatula (we heat the spatula under very hot water).
- Substitution for Cake Flour: Measure out 3 cups of all purpose flour (plain in the UK) . Remove 6 Tablespoons of the flour and replace with 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch (corn flour in the UK). Whisk to blend.
Sounds delish! Definitely going to try that :-)
Thanks Teri! xo
Is there anyway I can make this into a nine inch three layer?
My frosting got firm very fast. I timed the cooking. It was darker in color than yours. Any pointers on what I did wrong would be appreciated.
The cake is moist, tasty and fluffy. I can eat alone.
I actually prefer the darker icing…reminds me of the more traditional old fashioned caramel icing…how did it taste?
Hi Pat, Melissa and I found the frosting to be a soft delicious caramel flavor.
I think I over cooked the frosting.
It was very good. I could eat jus the cake lone.
Hi Lawana, Thank you for your review of the recipe, happy you enjoyed the cake.
will the recipe work in high altitude areas without changing any ingredients, thank you
can the nuts be substituted with walnuts
Hi Pam, Yes, you could substitute walnuts. Hope you will love the cake.
Hello Melissa,
First, thank you for all the wonderful cake recipes, your awesome!
I have a question, where can I buy cake flour? The only one I have ever seen was in a grocery store, I believe “Silk?” Is this a cheap brand of cake flour?
Thank you for your time and great recipes.
Hi Tammy, Thank you for your nice comment about the recipes. We buy cake flour in the grocery store. We use Swans Down Cake Flour, I am not familiar with the brand Silk. There is a Pillsbury brand that is named Softasilk that would be fine to use. You would also have success with the recipe using the substitution for cake flour, which is -- instead of cake flour, measure out 3 cups of all-purpose flour, remove 6 Tablespoon of the all purpose flour and replace with 6 Tablespoons cornstarch. (corn flour in the UK) then whisk to blend and proceed with the recipe. I hope you will enjoy the cake.
I'm not sure where I went wrong but I tried this on the weekend and my cake came out very dry. Not fatally so -it was definitely delicious, but mine was in no way moist, which surprised me, given the amount of fat with the butter, oil, and sour cream.
The frosting is heaven, dense, fudgy, and very caramel-y. To thin it I kept a small saucepan of warn heavy cream on the stove and added a little here and there. I also reserved a couple of tablespoons of the caramel before I added the icing sugar and used this to drizzle on the top. Overall a make-again, if I can troubleshoot the dryness problem.