This is the best gooey butter pecan cake! It's a brown butter cake with a layer of buttered pecans, gooey cream cheese topping and salted caramel sauce. Each gooey bite is full of buttery flavor and totally melts in your mouth!
This cake really is a show stopper and has the best flavor combination. Brown butter and buttered pecans add a delicious, nutty butter flavor, bourbon adds a hint of warmth, the cream cheese layer adds a creamy texture, and salted caramel sauce seals the deal with an extra bit of sweet and salty goodness. Each bite is moist and gooey with a slight crunch from the toasted pecans. The best way to enjoy it is at room temperature with a cup of coffee. This is the perfect cake to make for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other special occasions!
If you're looking for other Thanksgiving recipes, check out my pecan pie, pumpkin hand pies, pumpkin cheesecake cookies, chewy pumpkin cookies, mini apple pies, pecan pie cheesecake, Thanksgiving cracker toffee, chai cookies, apple pie cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, sticky buns or lattice crust apple pie!
Why You'll Love this Gooey Butter Pecan Cake Recipe
It has the best butter pecan flavor. Chopped pecans get toasted with butter and sprinkled over the cake batter for buttery goodness in each bite.
It's an extra moist cake. Brown butter and buttermilk work together to keep this cake super tender.
It has a gooey and sweet cream cheese layer. This layer of the cake is even better than cream cheese frosting. It adds creamy, delicious goodness to each bite.
It's topped with salted caramel sauce. To pull the whole dessert together, it's topped with homemade caramel sauce to really bring a WOW factor. This is the best cake you'll ever eat!
Simple Ingredients for Gooey Brown Butter Pecan Cake
- Unsalted Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Granulated White Sugar
- Buttermilk
- Bourbon
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Chopped Pecans
- Heavy Cream
Step by Step Instructions
STEP ONE: Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat the add in the chopped pecans. Toast the pecans for 3-4 minutes until fragrant, then remove from the heat and allow them to completely cool. Set aside ¼ cup of the pecans for topping the finished cake with later.
STEP TWO: Brown the butter and let it cool in the fridge until it is solid but still malleable.
STEP THREE: While the brown butter cools make the gooey cream cheese topping. Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add in the egg and egg yolk and mix on medium speed until combined. Then sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing on low then medium speed until all is combined. Set aside.
STEP FOUR: In a small bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then set aside the dry ingredients.
STEP FIVE: In a large bowl, cream sugar and the browned butter together with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. (You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment.)
STEP SIX: Then add in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and bourbon and mix on medium-high speed until smooth and pale in color, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
STEP SEVEN: Add in the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing on low speed until all is combined and the batter is smooth.
STEP EIGHT: Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch spring form baking pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over the the cake batter. Then pour the cream cheese mixture over top and spread it evenly with a mini offset spatula.
STEP NINE: Bake the cake then let it cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes. Then transfer the cake to the fridge to cool for 2 hours.
STEP TEN: While the cake cools make the salted caramel sauce. See my salted caramel blog post for an in depth breakdown on how to make perfect caramel sauce!
STEP ELEVEN: Once it has cooled for 2 hours, pour the salted caramel sauce on top of the cake. Sprinkle flaky sea salt and the set aside buttered pecans on top. Then serve!
(The cake is best served at room temperature, so if you're preparing the cake the day before and letting it chill in the fridge overnight, pull it out and let sit for a hour at room temperature, then pour the caramel over top and serve.)
FAQs
Can I use store bought caramel sauce? Yes, definitely.
How do I store this cake? Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Do I have to use a springform pan? Yes, I highly recommend using one because it makes getting the cake out so much easier as the sides are removable.
Pro Tips
Let the cake cool. Allow the cake to cool on the counter for 45 minutes after baking and then in the fridge for 2 hours so the cream cheese layer has enough time to set.
Don't over-bake the cake! The center should be shiny and have a jiggle still, and the edges should be a light golden brown color
If you make this cake please leave a star rating! Also, tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Delicious Cake Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Gooey Butter Pecan Cake
Ingredients
For the Buttered Pecans
- 2 tablespoon (28 g) salted butter
- 1 ¼ cups (140 g) roughly chopped pecans
For the Brown Butter
- ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter
For the Gooey Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (325 g) powdered sugar
For the Brown Butter Cake
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon (141 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
- brown butter from above
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon bourbon optional
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 5 tablespoon (70 g) salted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Buttered Pecans
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat the add in the chopped pecans.2 tablespoon (28 g) salted butter, 1 ¼ cups (140 g) roughly chopped pecans
- Toast the pecans for 3-4 minutes until fragrant, then remove from the heat and allow them to completely cool. Set aside ¼ cup of the pecans for topping the finished cake with later.
For the Brown Butter
- Add the butter to a pot and heat it over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and come to a simmer. Simmer until the butter is foamy, giving off a nutty scent and has browned. The whole process should take about 5-6 minutes. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a small bowl. Pop it in the fridge and allow it to cool completely until it is solid but still malleable.½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter
For the Gooey Cream Cheese Layer
- While the brown butter cools make the gooey cream cheese topping. Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- Add in the egg and egg yolk and mix on medium speed until combined.1 egg, at room temperature, 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- Then sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing on low then medium speed until all is combined. Set aside.2 ½ cups (325 g) powdered sugar
For the Brown Butter Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then set aside the dry ingredients.1 cup + 2 tablespoon (141 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled , ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, cream the sugar and the browned butter together with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. (You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment.)brown butter from above, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
- Then add in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and bourbon and mix on medium-high speed until smooth and pale in color, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.1 egg, at room temperature, 1 egg yolk, at room temperature, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon bourbon
- Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing on low speed until all is combined and the batter is smooth.½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over the the cake batter. Then pour the cream cheese mixture over top and spread it evenly with a mini offset spatula.
- Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is shiny, has a jiggle still, and the edges are a light golden brown color.
- Then let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 45 minutes. Then transfer the cake to the fridge to cool for 2 hours.
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- While the cake cools make the caramel sauce. Add the granulated white sugar to a large sauce pan and heat it over medium-low heat. As the sugar is heating it will crystalize and then eventually all melt down and turn golden in color. When most of the sugar has melted, but there are still a few crystalized clumps, turn the heat down to low so the melted sugar doesn't burn. (Melting all the sugar takes around 20 minutes.)1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- Once all the sugar has melted and turned golden in color, add in the butter right away. Stir quickly until the butter is incorporated.5 tablespoon (70 g) salted butter, at room temperature
- Then add in the heavy cream and stir quickly again to incorporate everything together. (At this point if you see the butter and cream start to separate from the sugar turn the heat up to medium low and stir vigorously to combine everything together. This can happen if your butter and cream aren't room temperature.)½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- Lastly, add in the sea salt and vanilla and stir to combine.1 teaspoon vanilla, ¼-1/2 teaspoon salt
- Let the caramel simmer on low for 2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat and allow to cool completely before using.
Assembling the Cake
- Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the springform pan and transfer it to a serving plate.
- Pour the caramel sauce over the top and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
- Sprinkle the set aside ¼ cup of toasted pecans over the top of the cake and serve!(The cake is best served at room temperature, so if you're preparing the cake the day before and letting it chill in the fridge overnight, pull it out and let sit for a hour at room temperature, then pour the caramel over top and serve.)
What a great recipe breakdown. Nicely written, easy to follow. Making it now as a surprise for my husband.
I'm not going to leave a star rating, because this could have been user error, but this cake came out completely under baked for me and that was with an additional 5 minutes in the oven. I'm not sure what happened but it seemed like the cream cheese mixture mixed into the batter and botched it's bake. This was with me following the instructions to a T. I can say that the top and sides of the cake are absolutely phenomenal though lol
This is delicious and easy dessert. I made the following changes for my own preferences:
I cut the powdered sugar down to 1½ cups (I like to taste the cream cheese).
Before adding the cream cheese mixture, I baked the cake for 20 minutes. After adding the cheesecake mixture, I continued baking for an additional 30 minutes. (ovens vary so check for doneness at 20 minutes).