This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
This Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake might just be one of the easiest and most delicious cakes you'll ever make! The cake mixes up in less than 10 minutes and the fabulous pecan caramel topping won't even take that long!
If you need an easy and impressive dessert in a hurry, you've definitely clicked yourself over to the right place. This fabulous Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake is one of those dessert you'll find yourself making again and again.
I served this cake this past week for our daughter-in-law's birthday. It was an adaptation from our French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake and our French Almond Cake so I knew it was a reliable recipe. The caramel pecan topping was an experiment, but I couldn't be happier with the results. After birthday singing and candles we sliced the cake and served it with a dollop of whipped cream. "Oh my!", "Amazing", "So good!" were some of the comments and the grandchildren gave it a huge thumbs up. I knew you would love it too, so here we go!
Easy, Ridiculously Easy!
When I put together the birthday cake with my grandchildren, I knew it would have to go into our  Café Ridiculously Easy collection of recipes. The children did most of the work and the cake came together so quickly.
For those of you who are new to The Café, Ridiculously Easy is actually a category of recipes. We have quite a few of them (you can see many of them in the little images that scroll across the top of this page) but a recipe has to have certain criteria to fall into this select league. If you're interested, you can read more about our Ridiculously Easy recipes in this post.
The way I explain our Ridiculously Easy recipes, in a nutshell, is "recipes that make you look like a culinary rock star with minimal effort". This Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake, checks that box!
One-Bowl, No-Mixer
You'll just need one-bowl for this delicious, tender-crumbed cake, as well as a whisk or wooden spoon. There's no heavy or long mixing involved. This is how it works:
- Combine sugar, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla in a medium-size bowl.
- Add the baking powder and salt and give things a good stir.
- Add the flours (2 types) and stir, just until incorporated.
- Pour in the oil and stir one more time.
- Transfer to a pan and bake.
- Then wait for the wonderful aromas to waft through your kitchen, permeate the house, float out the windows, hover over neighborhood and result in a lineup of pitifully longing faces at your front door, waiting, (drooling all over your sidewalk) for a piece of this amazing cake.
- Side note: You might want to firmly shut the windows before you start baking.
A delicious 5-minute topping
The topping on this Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake truly is the crowning glory yet it's also SO easy to make.
How does it work? When the cake is finished, leave the oven on to toast the pecans for a few minutes. When they're nice and crunchy, pull them out to cool while you prepare the caramel sauce.
Isn't making caramel fussy and time-consuming? Nope! Simply combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook for 1 minute, then give it a good stir. Another minute in the microwave and you're almost done. Just add a splash of cream (or milk) and stir until smooth. Add the pecans and you're all set to adorn the cake.
This Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake would make a lovely dessert for a special occasion or holiday dinner, although it's also easy enough to whip up for a weeknight treat. I have a feeling that once you try it, you'll be making it again and again. I know I will, for sure (in fact I'm making it again today for a get together this evening with friends)!
Café Tips for making this Ridiculously Easy Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake
- You'll need a 9-inch cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches tall. Most cake pans that are made in recent years have the higher sides. If your cake pans are older, they may not have the taller sides. I love these OXO cake pans and use mine all the time for cakes, desserts, pizza, focaccia, etc. They're heavy-gauge, nonstick and hold up well with repeated use. If you have any bakers on your gift list, these pans would make an amazing gift!
- A whisk is an essential kitchen tool. It's the perfect way to mix up a cake like this Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake. I really like this simple, inexpensive but sturdy whisk.
- No buttermilk? No problem! You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a measuring cup. Fill the cup to the ¾ cup line with milk and give it a stir. Wait 5 minutes and you're good to go. You'll notice that the milk has thickened up a bit and there may be a little curdling. That's the way it should be.
- You could also use Greek yogurt, regular yogurt or sour cream in lieu of the buttermilk.
- I'm a big fan of butter in cake recipes. This cake calls for oil (no butter) and I was a bit skeptical until I actually tasted the cake. Don't be tempted to substitute butter, as the oil keeps the cake light and moist with an incredibly tender crumb.. And the flavor is wonderful!
- Any type of neutral-flavored oil works well in this recipe. I have made it with sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil and avocado oil. They all work well.
- This recipe calls for almond flour. Almond flour is simply blanched almonds (no skin) that have been finely ground. Don't try to use almond meal which is skin-on almonds that are ground. Almond meal is too coarse for this tender crumbed cake.
- Almond flour gives this cake a really nice (I call it "fine") flavor. However, if you don't have almond flour and don't want to buy it, you can substitute additional all-purpose flour for the almond flour.
- I've found that almond flour can be quite pricey at many grocery stores. It's much less expensive to purchase it online. Sam's and Costco also have it for a more reasonable price.
- I like to bake cakes like this on a sheet pan that's covered with foil. If it's taking a while for the cake to get done, I can bring up the foil around the sides of the pan so they don't get too brown. I also will tent the top after 30-35 minutes if it's getting too brown and the cake is not quite done inside.
Thought for the day:
Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it:
'Love your neighbor as yourself.
All the Law and the Prophets
hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:36-40
What we're listening to for inspiration:
Four Myths American Believe About Politics (J.D.Greear)
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear other's results and ideas for variations.
Scroll Down for the Recipe - or Save It to Your Inbox
We’ll email you the recipe so it’s easy to save, print, or share.
Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- Âľ cup buttermilk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Âľ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1Âľ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour, not almond meal
- Âľ cup sunflower oil, or neutral flavored oil
For the topping:
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup brown sugar, (packed) I like to use dark brown sugar, but light will also work
- 2 tablespoons clear corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons half and half or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ËšF (175ËšC). Spray a 9-inch round cake pan (with at least 2-inch tall sides) with baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray parchment paper lightly. Set aside.
- In a medium-large bowl whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the baking powder and salt and stir until well incorporated and no lumps of baking powder remain. Add the all-purpose flour and almond flour. Stir just until the flour disappears.
- Add the oil and stir well. At first, it will seem to separate, but keep stirring till smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch in the center and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. You can also use an instant thermometer to determine if the cake is done. The temperature when done should be 205-210ËšF (96-98.8C). Check the cake after 30 minutes and tent it with foil if the top is getting brown but the cake is not quite done. Leave the oven on.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a cooling rack. The bottom will be the top that you add the caramel topping to. Set a timer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the topping.
For the caramel pecan topping:
- Place the pecans in a medium-size baking pan (I use another cake pan) and toast in the oven for 6 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. The oven can be turned off now.
- While the pecans are toasting, make the caramel sauce. Combine the butter, brown sugar and syrup in a medium-size bowl. Microwave on high power for one minute until the butter is melted. Remove from microwave, stir well then return to microwave for another minute.
- Add the half and half and vanilla. Stir until smooth then microwave for another 30 seconds. Add the pecans, stir and set aside. The mixture will be quite loose at first, but it will thicken as it cools.
- After a total of 30 minutes, cooling time, add the caramel pecan topping to the cake. Leave the cake turned upside down. Start with about three-quarters of it in the center of the cake and spread right to the edges. Use the remainder of the topping to cover any bare spots. (If the caramel topping seems too thick to spread, just pop it back in the microwave for 20 seconds.)
- Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt, if desired. Allow the cake to cool completely (if you have the will power) then slice and enjoy!I
Notes
Nutrition
Shop Our Café Loves
We’ve gathered our favorite kitchen tools, tableware, and entertaining treasures in one place, the Café Loves store. It’s a wonderful spot to find something special for yourself or the cooks and hosts you love!
Hi! Would like to make this cake this weekend. Questions:
1. Is the metric conversion accurate? I like to weigh my ingredients
2. Is non fat greek yogurt ok?
Thank you so much! Hope to hear from you soon!
Hi SA, the measurements should be accurate. I ran them through my conversion app one more time, to make sure.
Regarding the yogurt, I prefer whole milk yogurt but non fat will also work!
Thank you ! Can I make this a day ahead? Or how far in advance can you make this cake?
Yes, that will work! Enjoy, SA!
Holy Samoleans! This is such an amazingly delicious, complete, fancy cake for so little work! Grandling #2 insisted on adding some Lorann butter-rum extract (her reasoning: "Cuz those little square bottles are so cute, Grumpy!") and the 1/4 tsp. limit I insisted on actually turned out to be a fine addition. Thanks for yet another winner, Chris!
Haha, John! You always make me laugh! And I think you are probably the BEST Grumpy, EVER!!
Aren't you so kind! And check it out: Grandling #1 wondered if you (meaning we) could put the pecan-caramel on a banana, "You know, Grumpy, like a candied apple but completely different?" I'm not smart enough to figure that out, but I did suggest we add some very ripe banana to the the same cake (with some adjustments here and there to make up for the extra sugar in the banana and some other things), make a double dose of the pecan caramel, swirl half into the cake and put the rest on top where it belongs, and I got 4 thumbs up. Banana-Enhanced Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake, attempt #1, happens next Tuesday (instead of chess club which they hate.)
I have a quick question about your metric conversion button. In this recipe, your conversion for flour seems to be 1 cup = 125 grams. In another one of your great caramel recipes I just looked at, the conversion for flour appears to be 1 cup = 130 grams. Is that just me not doing the math right?
Hi John, I use a recipe plug-in called WP Recipe Maker, which integrates with the Spoonacular Food API to provide its unit and metric conversion features. It's highly regarded in the industry, but I've noticed that there can be inconsistencies.
I know different experts have different opinions on the gram/cup conversion. King Arthur says 1 cup of flour is 120 grams, All-Recipes states it's 125 grams and America's Test Kitchen says it's 143 grams. Currently, my plug-in is using 125g for a cup of all-purpose flour. Not sure if they changed that recently??
I'm sure it will be delicious like all your recipes I've tried so far! But I have a question: I don't have corn syrup, may I substitute with maple syrup (read somewhere that I should add a 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar)?
Thanks
Hi Albert, I tried this recipe with maple syrup but it crystallized so I don’t recommend it. I didn’t use cream of tartar so I can’t say for sure how that would work.
I am planning to make this for Christmas — noticed you said it could be made in advance and frozen. To serve, should the cake be warmed in the oven or will it still be fine to service once thawed? Thank you!
Hi Karen, room temp is great!
This is a follow up to my question about making mini cupcakes. The mini cupcakes were great & everyone at bunco loved them. After filling my 24-mini cupcake pan (I baked at 350 for 15 minutes) I had enough batter leftover for 10 regular size cupcakes (20 minute bake time). I used a measuring teaspoonful slightly mounded of caramel pecan topping on each mini cupcake and only had enough topping left to top 2 of the regular cupcakes. Luckily I had a tub of your peanut butter frosting in the freezer and used the thawed frosting to top the remaining 8 regular cupcakes. The texture of the frosting didn’t look very appealing but the taste was incredible. I highly recommend the buttermilk cake recipe anytime you want to make full size cake or regular / mini cupcakes. The cake is so moist and light and anything you frost or top it with will be wonderful!
Great! Thanks for letting us know, Linda!
I’ve made this cake 4 times exactly as directed and it is the best cake ever! All of the people I’ve served it to have raved about it and want the recipe. I made it again for New Year’s Day dinner party at a friend’s house and she only had a spring form pan. It came out perfect.
Question: I’m hosting my bunco group next week and would like to bring these as mini cupcakes instead of a whole cake. It would be much easier to serve than trying to cut 16 servings. Do you think the cake batter would do well in a mini cupcake pan?
So glad you're enjoying this recipe, Linda! We haven't tested this as cupcakes but it should work well.
This sounds amazing. Can it be made in a bundt pan placing the pecan caramel topping in the bottom of the pan before baking to make and upside down cake?
Excellent Recipe. Cake was super moist and tasty and the caramel topping was super simple. (I used 10" cake pan)
Great! Thanks for letting us know, Lori!
forgot to give you a 5 star rating!!
Thank you! đź’•
I made this cake today and it turned out beautifully and was a big hit! I sent a piece home for all my friends husbands too and then shared a couple more pieces with my next door neighbors! It was just too good not to share! I will be making it again for Christmas. I did purchase the pan you suggested and love it! Thank you for another delicious recipe! Have a wonderful Christmas!!
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know, Diana!
This cake is a keeper. I actually forgot the oil the first time I made this cake. The texture seemed a bit dense and then I realized what I had missed. After frosting and put in the fridge, it became very moist for days. Absolutely delicious. I made it again and turned out just as good. This time serving nuts on the side because of allergies. The caramel topping is addictive.
Thanks for letting us know, Susan!
Thank you, Chris, for the wonderful recipe! Every one of your recipes I try is easy and delicious!! Your directions and clear and simple and when I need a new recipe, your blog is my go-to! This cake could not have been easier. The texture is perfect and the flavor is delightfully unique and delicious! My family loved it, and I'm eager to try it using gf flour along with the almond flour, as one reviewer attested to, so my DIL can enjoy it too. The microwave caramel sauce is an added bonus for the future! Perfect!! Thanks again!
Awesome! Thanks so much for letting us know, Vonda!
The first time I baked this cake it was perfect. Subsequently, the outside became crusty inside soft. Why does that happen?
Love the flavour though. Thank you for sharing
Hmmm... it's hard to say without being right there in the kitchen with you. You might be baking it a little too long. You could test for doneness with an instant thermometer to get it just right. The internal temperature should be 200-205ËšF.
Hello, I would love to try this cake but I have no access to corn sryup. Do you have an alternative?
You could try a squeeze of lemon juice. The acid should work to prevent crystallization.
Hi Andrea, the corn syrup is used to prevent crystallization. Do you have access to Lyle's Golden Syrup? That will work. If you can't get that, you could try a squeeze of lemon juice. I haven't personally tried that but the acid is supposed to help with crystallization.
This is a wonderful cake. I made it the night before serving and found the topping to get a bit sugary. Can I make the cake the night before and not do the topping until the next morning?
Hi Connie, you could definitely do that!
The cake looks amazing I plan on trying it. Just FYI your thought for the day is from Matthew 22 not 28.
Thanks đź’•
Enjoy the cake!
Hello!
I normally hate making cakes because of the all the time put into it. I just discovered your blog and Im obsessed. Truly want to thank you for sharing your recipes<3 te ones that I have tried are absolutly amazing and so simple to make.
Made this cake with cajeta topping and its sooooo gooood!!!!
Greetings from MĂ©xico!
Aranza
Thanks so much, Aranza!
I made this today for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I haven't eaten it yet, but it looks delicious!! I can't believe how easy it was to make; the microwaveable caramel sauce is brilliant!! I used a 9-inch square springform pan; it worked beautifully! I'll let you know how it tastes!
Thanks for sharing your results, Wendy! Happy Thanksgiving!
I just made the cake and topping; can’t wait to try it tonight.
It smells delicious.
I did use a 9” x2” deep cake pan, but it didn’t rise as high as
you’ve picture ; yours looks higher than 2”? Just wondering!
Thanks.
Hope you enjoy it, Faye. I did use a 2-inch deep pan.
Chris: I made this cake and had some problems with it. First, I overbaked it. I kept testing with a toothpick and waiting for it to come out clean, which took another 10-15 minutes over your time specified. Result was a thick, tough crust. Should a pick be moist when the cake is done? Also it domed way high and even turned over it wouldn't sit flat. I kind of pressed it down and that helped some.
The other issue was the beautiful pecan topping hardened into a praline-like consistency. In other words--hard. It tasted good, but kind of separated from the cake as it hardened. I followed your directions on this exactly. I was wondering if I should add more corn syrup or butter??
I want to try this again but hope you can help. Thank you!
Hi Patricia, I'm sorry you didn't have good results. It does sound like you over baked the cake. With the toothpick test it can have crumbs on it but it shouldn't have batter when you pull it out. The very best and safest way to test is with an instant thermometer which should read 205-210ËšF. I have had such great success with this that I don't use a toothpick anymore. But I know not everyone has an instant thermometer.
Regarding the topping, it's hard to say why it got grainy. I did make it quite a few times with good success. It may be a difference in the brown sugar. I would suggest using a little less if you decide to try this again.
lowfat buttermilk?
Hi Maria, although I prefer the richness of whole milk buttermilk, low fat will definitely work!
can I use lowfat milk?
bought wrong mistake
can I substitute walnuts for pecans?
That would be delicious!
In England we don’t have corn syrup, can I use golden or maple?
Hi Jen, I wanted to use maple syrup and tried it but it doesn't prevent the crystallization of the sugar like corn syrup does. The texture of the finished caramel was a little grainy. But I think you could use maple syrup for golden syrup and add a few drops of lemon juice. You won't taste it but it will act like corn syrup does to "invert" the sugar and therefore prevent crystallization. A little cream of tartar works also.
The cake is baked and as normal is higher in the center. Did you flip it over or cut the top off to achieve the flat top before you spread the caramel pecan topping?
Hi Tom, I'm sorry if that wasn't clear. Yes, you leave the cake upside down after it's turned out of the pan. I've clarified that in the recipe now. Thanks for asking that question.
Hi, I am new to your blog and I absolutely love your one bowl recipes. I have a question regarding the flour you use though. I live in Australia and we have self raising flour which is all purpose flour with the baking powder already added. I cannot see any reason why this wouldn't work but just wondered if the question had already been asked. Cheers Deb
Hi Deb, greetings all the way to Australia!
Regarding your question, self raising flour is tricky because it has a set amount of baking powder which may not be the same as that which is called for in a particular recipe. If you’re not using the exact amount called for, you risk having inferior results. Do you have flour over there without baking powder?
OMG this is fabulous! I am torn between sharing and eating it all by myself. It is even better with a glass of maple whiskey.
Haha! I get it, Jacqueline! The maple whisky sounds like a lovely pairing!
My second of this recipe is baking now...I’ve made both completely GF using GF flour alongside the almond flour. The result is a divine confection, reminiscent of Paris patisserie’s, and I think my French great grandfather would be proud! The base is versatile, this time I subbed orange extract and added a few ingredients reminiscent of a fruitcake. You’ve again delivered an endearing recipe, one I’ll be serving for years to come! Merci!
Thanks so much for sharing your review Krista. I love that it reminds you of a Parisian patisserie!
...🥺 MUST I SHARE THIS DELICIOUS PIECE OF HEAVEN???
Booge
That was supposed to be a 5 star!!
(Still not sharing—- too good)
Booge
Thanks, Booge 🥰
Haha! I know what you mean!
Hi Chris,
This cake looks delicious! I have made your Farmhouse Buttermilk Cake and my family loved it.
How close is the Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake to that one?
Thank you.
Hi Julie, I actually tried this topping on the farmhouse cake but it didn't work very well. This recipe is a little different in its proportion but has a similar tender crumb and the topping holds up very well on it. I think you'll enjoy this one too!
Hi Chris, This Cake looks delicious! I have made your Easy Formhouse Buttermilk Cake and my family loved it. How close is the Caramel Pecan Buttermilk Cake to that one. Thank you.
Made this today for a party tomorrow.Looks and smells amazing! I’m sure it will be a hit
Thanks, Denise! Hope everyone enjoys it!
Is it necessary to use almond flour? I ask because even with all of my baking I would not be able to use the remainder of the flour. Thank you
Almond flour does add wonderful flavor and it freezes well but it is absolutely not necessary. The cake will be delicious using 100% all-purpose flour. Just sub the same amount.
Thank you Chris for answering me. Could I add almond extract for that flavor?
Almond extract would be delicious!
The cake was wonderful made for a dinner gathering. First site the comment was, “oh my that’s beautiful” it was picture perfect and easy to make. I used a springform pan thank you for the recipe.
Have a great Sunday,
Barb
Yay! Thanks so much, Barb! I'm so happy you and your guests enjoyed it and really appreciate you sharing your results đź’•!
Thanks so much, Barb! I really appreciate you sharing your results. That was a great idea to use a springform pan!
Hi Chris, can I ask how long this cake is good for please? Is it fine to make the day before? It looks lovely,will be on the to do list! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Karen, this cake is good at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can freeze it for longer storage.
This looks delicious, can it be made as a two layer cake, and if so, can you recommend a filling?
If I was going to double the recipe and make a filling, I would use the same filling as the topping. Another option would be to use something like this banana jam as a filling: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/caramelized-banana-jam/
While the cake was baking, the smells reminded me of my childhood when my mom would take us to ice cream shoppes. The scent of freshly baked cones would be more inviting than the actual ice cream. It was so nostalgic and I couldn't help smiling. The caramel sauce is indeed easy and so flavorful, I can see me using it on sundaes. All in all, it's a great recipe and I will definitely bake this cake again!
I love that, Kevin! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.