This sweet Caramel Pecan Coffee Cake is made with extra brown sugar, spicy cinnamon, and crunchy pecans. All topped off with a homemade caramel. Perfect for your next gathering with friends or family!

Caramel Pecan Coffee Cake
It’s officially fall! And this Caramel Pecan Coffee Cake is exactly what you need to ring in the start of the holiday season – yes, holiday season! With its crunchy, caramel-y crumb topping and ribbon of cinnamon sugar throughout the center, this cake will definitely satisfy your urge for fall baking, and tasting. Slice it up warm and add a touch of butter if you’re really going for it (the only way I ever want to eat this cake). Most importantly, take your time while baking, enjoy the process, and then enjoy your delightfully autumnal coffee cake 🙂
Why You’ll Love This Cake
- Crunchy caramel topping adds lovely texture
- Tons of cinnamon and brown sugar flavor
- Scrumptious presentation
- Cozy, fall flavors will satisfy your urge for fall baking 😉
- Your home will smell AMAZING while this bakes

The 4 Components of Caramel Pecan Coffee Cake
- Cinnamon Sugar Filling: This simple filling is made by combining brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. You’ll layer it between equal amounts of cake batter before baking the cake. As the cake bakes, the brown sugar in the filing melts to create a sweet and spicy stripe of goodness in the middle of the cake.
- Pecan Crumb Topping: An easy streusel topping made up of brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, chopped pecans, and cold butter. When gently mixed together and then baked on top of the cake, this delicious crumb adds a sweet crunch in every bite.
- Coffee Cake: Of course it wouldn’t be a cake without the cake batter! This homemade cake butter is made up of pantry staples and comes together quickly. Made with only brown sugar, the cake itself is flavorful and delicious.
- Caramel Sauce: I like to make my own caramel sauce for drizzling on top of the cooled cake. The caramel goes right on top of the pecan crumb, settling into the nooks and crannies of sugar lumps and pecans. It holds its shape and doesn’t disappear into the cake. Once set, the caramel stays on top of the cake and makes slicing easy. If you’re looking to cut back on time, feel free to use your favorite store-bought caramel!

More Caramel Recipes
Caramel Linzer Cookies
Caramel Turtle Brownies
Vegan Blondies with Salted Caramel
Double Chocolate Mini Muffins with Caramel

Caramel Pecan Coffee Cake

A sweet brown sugar coffee cake topped with a pecan crumb and homemade caramel. Perfect for your next fall or winter gathering!
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (225g) white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) water, lukewarm
- 1/2 cup (113g) oat milk (or 1/2 cup heavy cream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon filling
- 3/4 cup (120g) light brown sugar, loosely packed
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour
Crumb topping
- 3/4 cup (120g) light brown sugar, loosely packed
- 3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (65g) chopped pecan pieces
- 6 Tbsp (85g) plant-based butter, cold & cubed (or regular butter)
Cake
- 1 3/4 cups (228g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (32g) corn starch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) plant-based butter, softened (or regular butter)
- 3/4 cup (180g) light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (169g) oat milk, lukewarm (or 3/4 cup regular milk)
Instructions
Make the Caramel (skip if using store-bought)
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the white granulated sugar and water, swirling gently to make sure the sugar is coated. Add the pan to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, set up a hot pad holder or folded towel next to your stove. Get a wooden/bamboo utensil (like a large spoon or long chopstick) ready. Combine the oat milk and vanilla extract and set the mixture near the hot pad holder.
- Once the sugar water begins to boil, keep an eye on it until it reaches a dark amber color. It will take a while for the sugar to turn from clear to amber, but once it begins to color, it can burn quickly - so keep an eye on it!
- When the sugar turns a dark amber color, immediately remove it from the heat and place on your hot pad holder. While stirring gently, slowly pour the cream mixture into the hot sugar. BE CAREFUL with this step as the hot sugar will bubble up, doubling or tripling in size, and splatter.
- Once the cream is added and the caramel mixture has calmed down, place it back over medium heat and bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to cook the caramel until it reaches soft ball stage - 235°F to 245°F. I like to take mine off the heat at 240°F. This ensures your caramel will have the perfect texture to set properly atop the cake.
- Transfer the hot caramel to a heatproof bowl (like a metal mixing bowl) to cool. Once it has cooled a bit, you can go ahead and transfer it to a smaller jar or glass to easily pour later.
Make the Filling & Crumb Topping
- For the filling, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a small bowl; whisk until combined & set aside.
- For the crumb topping, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and chopped pecan pieces. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a fork (or your hands) to gently mash the butter into the mixture. You should end up with a crumb-like mix with some bigger chunks of butter. Set the crumb topping in the refrigerator (to keep the butter cold).
Make the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a 9" springform pan (or 8x8" baking pan) by spraying it with nonstick spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, and then beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat. Add 1/2 of the milk and beat. Repeat. Finally, add the last 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
- Pour half of the cake batter into your prepared pan, smoothing out the top. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling over the batter. Scoop the remaining cake batter over the top of the filling, gently leveling and smoothing out the top - be careful not to mix the filling and batter.
- Finally, sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. Bake the cake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with a few crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the springform pan for 10 minutes before releasing and allowing to cool completely - I let mine cool on the bottom of the pan. If using an 8x8" pan, allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
- Once cooled, remove the cake from the pan and drizzle the caramel over the top of the cake. Some may drip down the side of the cake, so you may want to do this on a surface that can easily be cleaned. If the caramel is too thick to pour, heat it in the microwave in 10 second intervals until it's just thin enough to pour.
- Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature. Re-heat leftover cake and top with butter for an extra delicious slice.
Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!
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