Combine two favorite fall flavors to make the ultimate fall dessert: Praline Upside Down Pumpkin Cake with a Bourbon Caramel Sauce! This festive cake, topped with pecan praline goodness and bourbon caramel sauce, is perfect for sharing. Makes a 9″ round cake, about 8-10 servings.

Love a festive dessert? Don’t miss Upside Down Cranberry Cake, Mini Apple Spice Rum Cakes and Creamy Cranberry Tart!

My Memother was a firm believer in eating dessert first. (I’m talkin’ order dessert at a restaurant before the main course dessert first thinking, y’all.)

To this day, my dad and I will occasionally order dessert first in her honor. I’m sure you can imagine the looks we get.

So today, I’m talkin’ dessert first instead of the more traditional Thanksgiving meal, and I think my Memother would approve!

In celebration of the upcoming food lovers’ holiday, I’ve teamed up with friends to create recipes for Cake ‘n Knife and Feast + West‘s third annual Blogsgiving dinner!

Blogsgiving is like an old-fashioned potluck dinner party. Every blogger brings a dish, and our posts will provide links to everyone else’s recipes. You can see the entire menu below. 😀

Why I love this recipe:

Last year, I wondered if I could combine the things I love about Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars with a pumpkin dessert and quickly realized that yes, I could, in the form of a seasonal upside down cake.

Honestly, this recipe was an experiment that I threw together while making all the Thanksgiving dishes… and it baked up so beautifully that I couldn’t not share it!

The pumpkin flavor is lovely; the texture is light and fluffy, and that drizzle on top? Heavenly!

Other festive desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas: Cranberry Crumb Bars | Spiced Apple Upside Down Cake with Bourbon Caramel Glaze |

Looking for another dessert, but can’t put your finger on it? Head on over to my Dessert Recipe Index for inspiration!

What you need to make a Praline Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

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• Glass bowls
• Liquid measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Whisk
• Saucepan
• Rubber spatula
• Round Cake Pan
• Parchment paper or 9” parchment paper round (to keep your topping from sticking to the pan!)
• Decorative and heat-safe cake plate

In addition to these tools, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this upside down cake, too!

• Unsalted butter—you’ll need 16 tablespoons, or two sticks, for everything in this recipe. Please don’t try to replace this with something healthier.
• Dark brown sugar—if you’re in a pinch, use light brown sugar. I like the caramel flavor the dark brown sugar adds here, though.
• Bourbon—please use a drinkable kind that’s also not super fancy
• Pecan halves—I love the look of this cake with the halves, though the recipe would work with pecan pieces. It would just look a little messier. Alternately, you could swap the pecans for the same amount of another nut, like walnuts, if you prefer that.
• Pumpkin puree—not pre-sweetened and spiced pumpkin pie filling
• Granulated sugar—also known as white sugar, there is no substitute for this
• Eggs—these are going to help provide structure to our cake batter, as well as help it rise and give a little flavor, too.
• Vanilla extract—if you can, please, please, please use the real deal vanilla extract. It adds such lovely flavor.
• All-purpose flour—I always keep unbleached flour on hand, but the regular stuff works A-OK!
• Baking powder and baking soda—these are our leaveners are are going to give our cake a nice lift, as well as lovely texture
• Kosher salt—I use a fine-grain kosher salt for this recipe. You may use a similarly sized sea salt, if you have that on hand.
• Spices—this recipe calls for ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground allspice. You could use pumpkin pie spice, too. If you like nutmeg, feel free to throw in a pinch of that, too! I leave it out of my pumpkin recipes because I do not like it.

How to make an Upside Down Pumpkin Cake

First and foremost, grease and flour a 9” round cake pan. Line the bottom with a 9”parchment paper round and then spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Why do we do this? We don’t want our praline topping to stick to the pan, and this parchment layer will help us keep it intact when we flip the upside down pumpkin cake!

Make the Pecan Praline Topping

In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When it’s melted, sprinkle in the brown sugar. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix the two.

As the brown sugar begins to bubble, pour in the bourbon.

Stir constantly as the mixture bubbles vigorously, until it begins to slow down and the bourbon has burned off, and then remove it from the heat.

In the bottom of the prepared cake pan, arrange the pecan halves in the pattern you’d like for the top of the cake. You should arrange the pecan pieces in the pan upside down so they are facing the right direction when the cake is turned out.

Pour the praline topping over the pecans, and set the cake pan aside.

Make the Upside Down Pumpkin Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

First, melt the butter in the microwave, then pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the batter attachment. (You can also do this in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a whisk.)

Measure in the pumpkin mixture and the sugar. Turn on the stand mixer, and blend until smooth and combined. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

In another glass bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. Whisk them together so they’re evenly dispersed.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing in the stand mixer until smooth and combined. The batter will be thick, so be careful not to overmix at this point.

When the batter has come together, dollop it onto the prepared topping in the cake pan. Do this part gently because you could dislodge the pecans if you’re not careful.

Smooth out the batter with a butter knife or an offset spatula until it’s evenly distributed in the pan.

Transfer the cake pan to the oven, and bake. When it’s done, after about 40-45 minutes, the cake will be a dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Please note that baking times may vary depending on where you live, as well as your oven’s calibration.

Remove the cake from the oven, and let it sit for 5 minutes before running a knife along the edges of the cake.

Place a heatproof cake plate on top of the cake pan and carefully flip the cake to remove it from the pan. Pull away the parchment paper liner and rearrange any pecans that might have gone astray in the process.

Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Make the Bourbon Caramel Glaze

In a small skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter, then add the brown sugar. Stir as it heats, and once it’s bubbling, pour in the bourbon.

The mixture will bubble and pop, so continue stirring vigorously before you remove it from the heat.

Immediately drizzle on top of the cake.

Slice and enjoy!

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

If there ever were a perfect non-traditional dessert to serve for the holidays, this Upside Down Pumpkin Cake is it!

It’s decadent and delicious and it feeds a crowd. I can easily see this being centerstage for a holiday, especially if you want to make something different than a pie.

Here are some ideas for making this cake for an entertaining event:

• Bake the cake the day before! There’s no reason to stress yourself out when hosting friends or family. Having a cake that’s already made when your guests arrive is a good way to do just this!
• Make the bourbon caramel sauce right before you serve the cake. While you could easily make this in advance, too, I really love the flavor of it coming hot from the pan and drizzling down the upside down pumpkin cake.
• Make it more decadent with whipped cream! Homemade or the pre-made stuff from the store are both acceptable here.
• Use a fancy cake plate. Did you receive one of these as a wedding gift and never use it? Add to the “fancy” level by pulling it out and using it to display this stunning cake.
• Let the cake be a centerpiece, too. While we will store it in the fridge, you want it to come to room temperature before you slice into it. Take it out of the refrigerator in advance and let it warm up while guests and family members swoon over it.

Frequently Asked Questions

More tips and tricks for the best Upside Down Pumpkin Cake

• Pumpkin puree works best here! Skip the premade, spiced and sweetened pumpkin pie filling.
• The parchment paper round is going to prevent your cake from sticking! Take the extra time to make this (or purchase some rounds.)
• Store the cake on its decorative plate, gently draped with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. Let come to room temperature before serving.
• Make it more decadent with whipped cream! As if the bourbon caramel sauce wasn’t enough…

Now who’s ready to see all the dishes made for Blogsgiving?!?

Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers

• Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Dip by Living Well Kitchen
• Sun Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Spread by Life’s Ambrosia
• Cranberry Goat Cheese Tarts by Cake ‘n Knife

Delicious Thanksgiving Soups and Salads

• Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Ginger Soup by The Secret Ingredient Is
• Brussels Sprout Salad with Farro and Walnuts by Sugar Dish Me
• Sheet Pan Carrot Soup by Macheesmo

Flavorful Thanksgiving Side Dishes

• Twice Baked Parmesan Butternut Squash by A Mind Full Mom
• Twice The Onion Green Bean Casserole by Melanie Makes
• Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole by Dash of Herbs
• Easy Corn Casserole by Love Bakes Good Cakes
• Cranberry Honey Butter by Little Dairy on the Prairie

Thanksgiving Entrees and Mains

• Butternut Squash Lasagna by Hello Little Home
• Beer-Brined Stuffed Turkey Loin by Beer Girl Cooks
• Roasted Mushroom Pot Pie by The Cookie Writer

Fun Thanksgiving Cocktails and Drinks

• Ginger Pumpkin Beer Shandy by Feast + West
• Glühwein/Mulled Wine by Tag&Tibby
• White Chocolate Pumpkin Martini by The Culinary Compass
• Apple Ginger Punch by The Little Epicurean

Thanksgiving Desserts and Sweets

• Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge by Around My Family Table
• Carrot Cake by bell’alimento
• Roasted Banana Pecan Cheesecake by Lady Behind The Curtain
• Chai-Spiced Apple Crumble Blondies by The Crumby Kitchen
• Pecan Pie Crumble Bars by A Joyfully Mad Kitchen
• Pecan Pie Milkshake by Let’s Ketch-up with Linda

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Now… are y’all ready to bake?

Here’s how you make this gorgeous Pumpkin Pecan Praline Cake…