I could eat bags of toasted pecans. If a baked good or cookie gives me the choice between pecans and walnuts, I’ll almost always choose the pecans. They aren’t cheap, especially in my part of the world, but I think they’re worth it.
And I can’t talk about pecans without mentioning pecan pie. There is something about pecan pie that feels like autumn, right alongside pumpkin pie. Even though we are heading into spring here, it’s the relevant time of year for pecan pie to make its annual resurgence in my house. This year, though, I wanted to try something a little different. Don’t worry, I’ll still be making a pecan pie.
This cake takes those pecan pie flavours but dials down the sticky caramel element, reserving it for the top. Pecans cover the cake, while another handful is toasted, ground and added to the batter so the pecan flavour runs all the way through rather than sitting only on the sticky layer. Brown butter deepens the nutty flavour. A little dark rum in the batter and a rum syrup spooned over after baking round it all out.
The final inspiration came from cinnamon ice cream. I finally broke down and bought myself a proper ice cream machine, and it has been a bit of an ice cream factory around here lately. Cinnamon ice cream was the latest addition and, as it turns out, it’s the perfect accompaniment to this sticky pecan cake.
You certainly don’t need to make cinnamon ice cream just to serve alongside it. Vanilla or rum and raisin ice cream would be great, as would a simple pour of cream. Or forget the extras altogether. This cake is absolutely worth making – and sharing – all on its own.
Worth Making?
- Yes: If you love pecans as much as I do — they’re in the cake and packed across the sticky top for full pecan flavour.
- Yes: If you want a moist, buttery cake that doesn’t need frosting or a glass of milk to make it edible.
- Skip it: If you prefer light, fluffy cakes — this one is moist, rich, nutty and on the denser side.
- Skip it: If you want a heavy, caramel-soaked cake — this one is sticky and buttery on top, but the cake isn’t saturated with caramel.
Sticky Brown Butter Pecan Cake
Ingredients
- Sticky pecan layer
- 70 g unsalted butter
- 100 g dark brown sugar
- 30 g maple syrup or golden syrup
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 160 g pecan halves lightly toasted
- 1 tbsp dark rum
- Brown Butter Pecan Cake
- 180 g unsalted butter
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 50 g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 50 ml dark or aged rum
- 200 g plain flour
- 70 g finely ground toasted pecans
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 120 g sour cream
- Rum syrup
- 35 g dark brown sugar
- 30 ml water
- 30 ml dark rum
Instructions
Sticky Pecan Layer
- Grease a 22cm cake tin and line with baking paper. Pre-heat oven to 170°C conventional / 155°C fan.
- For the topping, melt the butter with the brown sugar, syrup and salt. Simmer gently for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum.
- Pour into the base of the lined baking tin. Arrange the pecans over the caramel. You don’t need perfect concentric circles, simply cover the base with pecans.
Brown Butter Pecan Cake
- Brown the cake butter. Cook the 180 g butter until deep golden and nutty. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for about 10–15 minutes.
- Whisk the brown and caster sugars into the butter. Beat in the eggs individually, followed by vanilla and rum.
- Combine flour, ground pecans, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream. Don’t overmix.
- Carefully spoon the batter over the pecan layer and level it without disturbing the nuts.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, until a skewer inserted through the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Rum Syrup
- Heat the brown sugar and water just until dissolved. Remove from the heat, cool for a couple of minutes and stir in the rum and salt.
- When the cake comes out, poke it several times with a fine skewer and spoon over the rum syrup.
- Leave it for 10–15 minutes only, then run a knife around the edge and invert onto a serving plate. Peel away the baking paper.
Make it your own way
- More rum: Increase the rum in the syrup to 50 ml for a more pronounced rum flavour.
- No rum: Replace the rum in the cake and syrup with milk and vanilla.
- Add salt: A little flaky sea salt over the warm sticky pecan top of course works very well.
- Serve it warm: Add vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream, although it’s moist enough to serve on its own. Or cinnamon ice cream.
