Toffee Pecan Upside-Down Cake — The Ultimate Festive Holiday Bake

Happy holidays, guys! 🎄December is hands down my favourite month — there’s just something magical in the air. I know we’re already towards the end, but I’m only just feeling festive after spending the first two weeks of December in sunny Agadir. Yes, I know… I went away again. Please don’t holiday-shame me — it was only my ninth trip of the year 😅

You may not have been able to join me, but honestly, I think I’ve got something even better: one of the best holiday cakes I’ve ever made.

Now, in the spirit of full transparency — I don’t actually love baking. I hate science, I cook intuitively, and baking feels far too precise for my liking. One tiny mistake and suddenly everything changes, which genuinely stresses me out. I know my orange bundt cake did surprisingly well (and somehow became my signature), but that was a complete accident — not confidence.

That said… this cake? A total win.

My First Time Making Toffee (And a Small Disaster)

I made toffee from scratch for the first time, and I won’t lie — it turned out beautifully. Well… the second time did. I tested two versions and quickly realised that baking the toffee with the cake (upside-down style) made it way too hard. Cutting it felt like a full-on hazard, and don’t even get me started on the clean-up — it almost cost me one of my favourite baking plates.

Lesson learned: pour the toffee on after baking. Trust me.

Zanzibar Vanilla = Elite Cake Status

One of my friends recently went to Zanzibar and brought me back the most incredible vanilla pods. The smell alone was unreal. We call these “elite cake” vanilla pods — the ones you save for something special.

I use vanilla all the time (banana bread is basically on rotation), but you don’t really see the vanilla in that. This cake though? Full Mary Berry energy. Those tiny black specks running through the sponge? Elite.

Yes, vanilla pods are pricey — but if you’re going to splurge, do it here. Use one thick pod, or two thinner ones. I’ve only got one Zanzibar pod left and I’m guarding it with my life.

Toffee Pecan Upside-Down Cake Recipe

Toffee Pecan Topping

• 115g butter

  
  

• 115g light brown sugar

  
  

• 85g golden syrup

  
  

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

  
  

• 130g chopped pecans

  
  

Cake

• 250g butter

  
  

• 250g caster sugar

  
  

• 250g self-raising flour

  
  

• 250g eggs (weighed in shells)

  
  

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1–2 vanilla pods (depending on thickness)

  
  

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

  
  

• ¼ tsp ginger

  
  

• ¼ tsp mixed spice (optional)

  
  

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line with flour the base of an bundt cake tin.

   
   

2. In a small saucepan, add all the toffee pecan ingredients and gently melt until the sugar dissolves. Keep stirring until desired consistency Set aside.

   
   

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

   
   

4. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

   
   

5. Sift in the flour and spices, then gently fold until just combined.

   
   

6. Pour the cake batter into the tin and smooth the top.

   
   

7. Bake for around 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or the sponge springs back when pressed.

   
   

8. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate.

   
   

9. Immediately pour the warm toffee pecan sauce over the cake and leave to set slightly.

   
   

✨ Best served warm, straight from the oven, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Absolutely divine.

Enjoy — and if you make it, please tell me how it goes 🤍