Pecan Pie Cake

If you love classic pecan pie and a soft vanilla cake, this Pecan Pie Cake gives you the best of both worlds in one unbelievably delicious dessert.

It’s baked in an 8×8 pan and starts with a simple homemade vanilla cake batter.

You’ll bake the cake for a few minutes, then pour a gooey pecan pie filling over the top, and it works its way through the cake as it bakes.

The result? A layer of sweet, buttery pecan pie at the bottom, a soft cake in the middle, and those caramelized crunchy pecan bits baked right on top.

Every bite is gooey, nutty, and melt-in-your-mouth good. This is one of the most comforting fall and holiday desserts, and the texture is incredible.

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup melted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Pecan Pie Filling

1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
2 eggs
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Make the vanilla cake

Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8 baking pan.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the milk, melted butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.
This helps the cake structure set before adding the pecan pie layer.

2. Make the pecan pie filling

In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and salt.
Stir in the chopped pecans.

3. Pour and bake

After the cake has baked for 10 minutes, remove it from the oven and gently pour the pecan filling evenly over the top.

Bake for 30–35 more minutes, or until the center is set and the edges are golden and bubbly.

Cool slightly before slicing.

4. Serve

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, or let it cool completely for neat squares.
The bottom becomes gooey like pecan pie, while the top gets crunchy and caramelized — it’s unbelievably good.

Jennie’s Thoughts

I absolutely loved how this one turned out. The gooey pecan filling sinks down just enough to create that perfect buttery bottom layer, but it still leaves behind crunchy caramelized pecans on top.

The cake stays so moist from the filling, and every bite tastes like pecan pie and warm vanilla cake had a baby. It’s the perfect cozy dessert for fall, Thanksgiving, or honestly any time you want something simple but impressive.