Pecan Upside Down Marble Cake

This Pecan Upside Down Marble Cake takes your classic marble cake to the absolute next level without much effort! The tender, moist and light cake with layers of vanilla and chocolate topped off with a crunchy, caramelized pecan topping will have you reaching back for more and more.

WHY I LOVE THIS CAKE

I think you will love this recipe because...

• It is DELICIOUS. This is one of those cakes which tastes WAY better than it sounds - seriously, everyone who taste tested this for me was "pleasantly surprised" and couldn't believe how much they loved it. I personally would take this over pecan pie any day!
• It is EASY. It might look complicated, but it is very straightforward. You don't even need a mixer
• It is QUICK. This cake takes only 15-20 minutes of active time, and comes together in just over an hour. If that's not quick, I'm not sure what is!
• So if you're on the search for a yummy dessert for your tea parties, look no further.

I recommend using a good quality nonstick pan for this cake, as the caramel pecan topping can be quite sticky. I used my beautiful 9" cake pan from Caraway, and highly recommend it! Caraway is offering a 10% off sitewide discount for you guys for a limited time - use this link and the discount will be applied automatically in your cart (note: I am an affiliate with Caraway).

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED

Here's what you will need to make this cake (exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below):

Pecan topping:

• Brown sugar
• Corn syrup or honey
• Unsalted butter
• Cinnamon - this is optional, if you don't like the flavor of cinnamon, simply skip it
• Salt
• Pecan pieces and halves - you can use just halves or pieces, but I like a mixture of the two for the best texture! Make sure you toast your pecans before using them, otherwise they will have a raw flavor and texture

Marble Cake:

• Sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Oil
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Cake flour - if you don't have cake flour, you can make it yourself with all purpose flour and cornstarch
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Sour cream - if you don't have access to sour cream, I suggest making your own! Read the FAQ below for the recipe
• Cocoa powder - you can use either natural cocoa powder (100% unsweetened) or Dutch processed cocoa powder, both will work great

HOW TO MAKE THIS PECAN UPSIDE DOWN MARBLE CAKE

Let's walk through the steps now, shall we? First, check out this video:

1. Make the caramel pecan topping

Before starting, pre-heat your oven to 350F and line a 9" cake pan with butter and parchment paper.

Place the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup / honey, salt, and cinnamon in a nonstick saucepan. Stir and cook on low heat for a few minutes until the butter melts and a caramel colored sauce is formed (you don't actually need to form caramel or cook this down, as it will cook further during baking).

Remove from the heat and add the toasted pecan pieces and halves (I toast mine by placing them in the oven at 350F for 5 minutes until fragrant). Stir to combine.

Pour the caramel pecan topping into the cake pan, and spread it evenly on the bottom.

Now, here's a little trick! When adding cake batter on top of the pecan topping, it can easily slide up the sides of the cake pan instead of staying on the bottom (this happened to me, too). I personally think it makes for a unique look, but if you want the pecans to stay on the bottom, place the cake pan in the freezer while you prepare the cake batter. This way, when you pour the cake batter, the pecan topping will be a bit more set and less likely to move around.

2. Prepare the cake batter

Now let's make the cake batter! Add the sugar, melted butter, oil and vanilla to a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes (you can do this by hand). Add the eggs and egg white, and whisk again for 1-2 minutes until the mixture looks aerated.

Next, sift in all the dry ingredients, and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. This will be a thick batter. Lastly, add the sour cream and fold it in gently. This will lighten the batter a bit more and make it easier to move around.

3. Assemble the cake

Now for the fun part! Divide the cake batter between two bowls (you can eyeball this), and sift cocoa powder into one of them. Fold until combined.

Remove the cake pan with the pecan filling from the freezer. Add one large scoop of the vanilla cake batter in the center of the pan. Then add a large scoop of the chocolate batter right on top. You can use a large spoon or a cookie scoop. Keep repeating until the entire batter is used up. Then, if you want, you can take a skewer and lightly run it through the cake to create more striation.

3 tips as you assemble a marble cake:

• Place the batter into the pan gently, so you don't move everything around (including the pecan filling)
• Try not to make the quantities so small that the layers become hard to see!
• If running a skewer through at the end, don't mix too much as that will also mix up the batters and reduce the contrast. Personally, I skip the skewer altogether and go for a 'zebra' striped effect

4. Bake and serve!

Bake the cake for 30 minutes at 350F and then turn down the temperature to 330F and bake for another ~15 or so minutes until the cake is done baking.

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan before carefully turning it out onto your serving stand. And then it's time to enjoy!!!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

RELATED RECIPES

If you like this recipe, also check out my incredible simple chocolate cake which comes together in just 1 hour, and my delicious lemon blueberry muffins!

Also, don't forget to leave your rating and review below!

PECAN UPSIDE DOWN MARBLE CAKE RECIPE

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★★★★★

4.5 from 8 reviews

• Author: Zoha
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12-14

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Description

A soft and tender marble cake with a caramelized, crunchy pecan topping

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Ingredients

Caramel pecan topping:

• 1 ¼  cup pecan pieces and halves, toasted for 5 minutes at 350F
• 3 tbsp corn syrup or honey
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar (110g)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt

Marble Cake:

• 1 cup sugar (220g)
• ⅓ cup melted butter (75g)
• ¼ cup oil (50g)
• 2 eggs + 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 ¾ cup cake flour (225g, you can also use 200g all purpose flour and 25g cornstarch)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¾ cup sour cream (180g)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

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Instructions

Pecan topping:

• Preheat oven to 350F (conventional) and prepare a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and butter
• Mix the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a nonstick saucepan and cook and stir on low heat until the butter melts and a smooth sauce has formed. No need to cook it further
• Remove from heat and add the toasted pecans. Mix to combine, and pour into the prepared cake pan. Spread evenly on the bottom, and place the pan in the freezer

Cake batter:

• Add the sugar, melted butter, oil and vanilla to a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Add the egg and egg whites and whisk for another 1-2 minutes
• Then, sift in all the dry ingredients (except the cocoa powder) and gently fold until combined
• Lastly, fold in the sour cream until a light cake batter forms. Do not over mix

Assembly:

• Divide the cake batter evenly between 2 bowls. To one half, sift in 2 tablespoon cocoa powder and fold until combined
• Remove the cake pan from the freezer
• Use a large spoon or scoop to add a large scoop of the vanilla cake batter to the center of the pan. On top of that, add a large scoop of the chocolate cake batter. Repeat until both batters are used up. Do not shake the pan and handle gently
• You can leave the cake as it is to get zebra stripes, or run a skewer through it to create more of a marbled effect. If using a skewer, take care not to stir the pecan filling at the bottom

Bake:

• Bake the cake for 30 minutes at 350F, followed by ~15 minutes at 330F. Make sure it is fully baked by inserting a toothpick in the middle
• Let the cake cool down in the pan for 20-30 minutes to allow the pecan topping to set. Then carefully flip it over onto a serving stand
• Serve and enjoy!

• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 45 min
• Category: Desserts
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Pecan upside down marble cake