Caramelized Apple-Pecan Cake Recipe (2024)

There was a correction to the recipe in the newspaper article that does not show up in this posted recipe. It should include vanilla extract. Read the linked article first before making this cake.

Ir you add 1 tbsp of butter to your caramel before pouring it to the apples, it will never stick into your plate or pan.

Had the problem previously described of the sugar sticking to the pie plate when I inverted it after cooling. It's really delicious, though, so I think I'll try it again with parchment paper on the bottom of the pie plate.

I usually invert "upside down cakes" after about 5 minutes of cooling so the toppings are very soft still. Would that have solved the problem, do you think?

After baking this cake, I understand why it was photographed upside-down. Once cooled, the caramelized sugar stuck to my pie plate. I managed to get the cake out with most of it's top intact, and reheated the pie plate to melt the remainder of the topping which I quickly scooped onto my cake. I'm hoping that warming it in the oven before serving will even out the surface.

Be sure to adjust cooking time for size of apple wedges. Inadequate cooking leads to excess syrup and soft cake that cannot hold its shape.

To prevent the sticking issue, I sprayed the pan with cooking spray, lined the tin bottom with a parchment circle, and then sprayed again. After it came out, I ran a knife along the edge. My cake came out perfectly, no sticking at all. The pecan design is hidden and moved about by the caramel, so don't fuss.

We had a gluten free guest and wanted something she could enjoy, so we substituted almond meal for all the flour. It was fabulous.

This is spectacular! We browned the butter (one stick for the batter plus an extra two or three tablespoons for the topping), and added extra spices. We didn't caramelize the sugar because we were using alternative sweeteners; we mixed two tablespoons of maple syrup in with cinnamon and browned butter, then poured it over the apples and pecans. We used a third of a cup of lacanto sweetener for the batter. We can't believe how delicious it is!

I think letting the caramel get deep brown would indeed have reduced the sweetness.

This was fantastic! I mixed a sliced pear with the apples and baked for additional 15 minutes. I flipped the cake to a plate right out of the oven which made it well carmelized and scrumptious.

I had a few technical difficulties: the sugar never quite turned amber, not even close, I took it off the stove when it appeared to be headed toward extremely hard crack stage, added a pat of butter per earlier comment, and barely managed to pour it over the apples; also, the cake refused to leave the pan when flipped over, it wouldn't budge, so we just served it straight from the pan. Neither problem mattered because this was the best, the most delicious apple cake I have ever made!

Made this last night but didn't read the comments beforehand as I usually do. Fantastic cake for a pecan-loving man on Father's Day! I buttered the pie pan well, especially up the sides, and let it cool for 25 minutes before inverting (ran a knife around first) at a tilt to release one side first. No problems at all. I'll make it again.

We’ve been making this cake for years after we first saw it in print. We never invert it. It still looks nice and we just bake and serve it in our favorite cake dish. It’s a magically delicious cake and everyone always loves it.

Added a tbsp of butter to the amber sugar, instant caramel, poured over apple/pecan mixture. Baked in individual springform pans for 20-25 minutes. Beautiful and delicious. Thank you Florence!

We’ve been making this amazing cake for thanksgiving and Christmas for years. It’s amazing. The flavors meld so perfectly. We don’t bother flipping it, we serve it in the pan we bake it in. It’s loved by everyone. The pecans are magical with the caramel and apples.

I agree, and see why the cake was photographed upside down. I was quite disappointed when I flipped it over. The caramel had not finished cooking in the center (on what is now the top - was the bottom) and it hardly makes a beautiful photograph.Hopefully it will taste much better than it looks.....

Made this for Christmas dessert. It was fantastic! I added some cinnamon on top of the apples before pouring on the sugar mixture. I buttered the dish and used parchment with a bit more butter - waited 5 mins or so before inverting - no sticking - perfection!

Addendum to my previous note: I’ve realized that my understanding of the color amber was mistaken. Next time I’ll cook the syrupy nut mixture until it is golden. Amber: like the gem.

I cooked the sugar until it was “amber” but it turned out burnt tasting, rather than caramel. The cake part was still good, but the pecan part didn’t taste right.

Delicious. Easy. I used Gluten-free white flour. Wonder if would have risen more if used regular flour. Also added a bit of butter as suggested in one of the notes, and no sticking. I removed from baking dish after 15 min and no problem.

it released from pan but was just ok - better apple desserts from this site to make.

We used Granny Smith apples which we did not peel. Also used walnuts instead of pecans because it was what we had. We cut the sugar over all to a total of a cup and it was still way too sweet. We couldn’t eat the “Carmel” chunks. We also had the issue of it sticking to the pan. We would make it again without the carmel. Instead we we put butter and some brown sugar down before adding apples. Then proceed with the recipe. Admittedly we are not sugar people but this was SUPER sweet.

It stuck to the pie plate! It was only slightly warm when I attempted to flip it out, so maybe it really needed to be completely cool. I prefer the “Easy as Pie “ apple cake to this.

Fun idea, but was much too sickly sweet. I wish i had thought to add in some spices to round out the flavor a bit more.

Very tasty recipe. Surprisingly, not too sweet tasting. I added a teaspoon of powdered instant coffee (decaf) to the caramel syrup to make it a bit more complex. Try it!

Flipped it while still warm so no sticking. Next time would go with a light amber as the syrup continues to deepen when cooking. Very rich and toffee like. Skipped the ice cream and used unsweetened lightly whipped cream.

I made a double recipe: one in a glass pie pan(buttered and with parchment on the bottom) and one in a non-stick round cake pan (no parchment, just buttered). I would definitely do the parchment on the bottom next time as I had to chisel pecans off the bottom of the other pan and some were too cemented to salvage. I would also err on the side of thicker slices for the apples as they shrink a lot while cooking. Finally, put a pan under the cake in the oven! Mine bubbled over!