Butter Pecan Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel drizzled over the top is perfect for Fall! I love a bundt cake for its simplicity. No layers to stack. No complicated fillings to build in. Nothing fancy in the decoration or presentation. A bundt cake is all about the flavor. And this bundt cake is all kinds of cozy!
Now, just because a bundt cake is simple does not mean it is boring. The flavor and texture of this cake really shine. Adding that caramel drizzle with a sprinkling of sea salt makes it shine literally as well. This cake is made for easy entertaining, or for enjoying with your favorite hot beverage while you curl up with a good book.
Here’s what you will need:
The ingredients for this cake are simple pantry staples. You may be surprised at what a spectacular cake you can make with so few ingredients. You will also need a well prepared bundt pan. I recommend Nordic Ware, and the link is for the pan that is next on my wish list.
Pro Tips:
Use a bundt pan with at least a 10 cup capacity, and prepare it well. It is heartbreaking to turn out a bundt pan only to find some of the cake has stuck to the pan. There are a number of recommended methods for pan prep, but I have the most success using cooking spray. Lots and lots of cooking spray, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies.
This cake is baked low and slow at 325 instead of the usual 350.
Finding out that your bundt cake is raw and doughy in the middle is a huge disappointment. While I use my fingertips to check for a bit of springiness with a layer cake, the bundt can fool you by looking done on the outside. Definitely pull out that toothpick or cake tester to test for doneness in the center of your bundt. Since we all have different ovens and pans, bake times will vary. My cake was done at 75 minutes, but it could take up to 85 minutes or more to bake through.
Don’t rush yourself. Once the cake is removed from the oven, let it rest for at least 15 minutes before turning it out. If the cake doesn’t release immediately, don’t force it- just leave it upside down on the rack for a few more minutes. Most likely, it will come out nicely when it is ready. Use patience again if you are making the caramel sauce from scratch. The caramel will need to cool for at least 20 minutes before you pour it on the cake. If you rush it, the caramel will still be very runny.
I have made a lot of caramel sauce in my time, and for the most part, I have it down. On occasion, however, something goes amiss and the caramel turns gritty. This can be intimidating for a lot of people. If you are short on time, or worry about how well your caramel sauce will turn out, just buy a jar of commercial caramel sauce and pour that over the bundt cake. Sprinkle on a bit of flaky salt to finish, and nobody will even question whether or not the sauce was made from scratch.
There is a lot of advice out there about how to make caramel sauce. Some people say you should leave the sugar undisturbed in the pan until it caramelizes. I’ve tried that, and I don’t like it. I stir my sugar gently as it cooks, breaking up clumps of sugar and making sure the color develops evenly. I use a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals that build up on the sides of the pan as the sugar cooks. I add my butter when the sugar has become a very light golden color because I don’t like my caramel to be dark or bitter. I have also dumped out a batch of caramel and started again if it didn’t turn out the way I wanted. Not to be wasteful, but it’s a cup of sugar and practice makes perfect.
Butter Pecan Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel
Butter pecan bundt cake covered in salted caramel makes for a lovely Fall dessert.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 95 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: cake
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: dessert
Ingredients
For the cake:
1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup sugar
5 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk at room temperature
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
For the caramel sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
flaky sea salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 and prepare a 10+ cup capacity bundt pan.
For the Cake: With a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, blend butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder and kosher salt. Add the milk. Finally, fold in the chopped pecans. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 75 minutes. Once the cake has baked through, remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before turning out of the pan. Allow the cake to cool before adding the caramel drizzle.
For the caramel: Add the sugar to a medium saucepan and cook over medium high heat. Stir the sugar gently, avoiding pushing the sugar up against the sides of the pan. As the sugar heats it will start to become liquid, and it will turn amber in color. Once the sugar has become a golden liquid, reduce the heat to low, add the butter and stir to melt. Once the butter has melted, carefully add the cream. Stir to combine all the ingredients and then cook over low heat for an additional 2 minutes. Add a sprinkling of sea salt. Allow the caramel to cool for 20 minutes before pouring over the cake.
Notes
Use a generous amount of cooking spray to prepare the bundt pan
Oven temperatures and bake times vary. Use a toothpick to check for doneness before removing the cake from the oven.
Keywords: bundt, cake, pecan, butter, caramel
More:
Do you love the simplicity of a bundt cake? Try my Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake, and find more information about bundt cakes in my post, Bright Orange Bundt Cake.
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