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This Peach Upside Down Cake is perfectly sweet, spongy, moist and light. Topped with a beautiful bourbon caramel, caramelized perfectly ripe cooked peaches, this is the summertime dessert of the century.
Peach Upside Down Cake
Here’s a little tidbit for you guys, peaches are my all time favorite fruit, especially when they’re in season. Does anyone else agree that they’re just completely magical to bake with? They become so soft and sweet, caramelizing a bit and creating this perfect little peach crust – yum!
I decided to create a beautiful little upside down cake today, the perfect dessert that is both impressive and tasty – best of all? It’s super easy as well! Each bite guarantees springy moist sponge cake plus sweet caramelized peach, the perfect summer time dessert.
What Is Upside Down Cake?
This cake is named very literally, so literally in fact that it’s baking instructions are right in the name! We’re going to bake this cake in a single pan with the toppings on the bottom. When it’s all done and ready to be served you flip it upside down onto a serving plate and serve it right side up.
Now what does this accomplish you might be wondering. Well cooking it using this method creates a perfectly browned caramelized crust atop our cake while ensuring the cake itself is as soft as possible. If this is your first time trying this style of cake, you’re in for quite a treat.
Ingredients In Peach Upside Down Cake
- Peaches – Fresh please, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch slices.
Caramel
- Butter – Unsalted as we want to control the sodium content of our dish.
- Bourbon – Any kind you have, we’re creating a caramel layer to place our peaches into and this bourbon will bring complexity and dimension to this layer.
- Brown sugar – Packed, we want dimension and notes of molasses in our caramel.
Cake
- Dry ingredients – All purpose flour, baking powder, salt.
- Wet ingredients – Milk, eggs, and vegetable oil.
How To Make Peach Upside Down Cake
- Make the caramel: Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter, brown sugar, and bourbon over medium heat. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil for 1 minute then turn off the heat.
- Arrange the peach slices: Carefully arrange the peach slices with one of the cut sides down in the hot caramel, keep in mind this will become the top of the cake so feel free to make it look as professional as you can manage.
- Incorporate the ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient bowl until just combined. Do not overmix. Pour this batter over the peach layer till it spreads evenly and covers the entire surface of the skillet.
- Bake the cake: Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until the top is brown. Insert a toothpick in the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is done! Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the skillet.
- Flip the cake: Carefully invert your cake onto a platter, cut into slices and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Delicious!
Want To Go Alcohol Free?
While most of the actual alcohol should cook off while making the caramel, it’s totally fine to leave out the bourbon! I added it today to give the caramel some depth and complexity but it is by no means a critical ingredient. Feel free to leave it out entirely if you’d prefer.
How Can I Tell When My Cake Is Done Baking?
Use a toothpick and insert it 3/4 of the way through the cake. Once it comes out clean, your cake is all done. The reason I recommend that you don’t insert the toothpick fully is because of that caramel topping. That will stick to the toothpick regardless of the doneness of the cake, and you could risk over-baking it.
What Else Can I Add To My Peach Upside Down Cake?
This cake would be amazing with mix-ins! You can try out some nuts like pecans, walnuts, or sliced almonds. Add some extra sweetness with chocolate/ white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, toffee bits, or a peanut butter chips. Dried fruit like raisins or cherries would be great as well.
Tips For Making The Best Peach Upside Down Cake
- Don’t over-mix! Only mix until you no longer see dry ingredients. Over-mixing will result in a dense cake.
- Peaches become over ripe quickly so be sure to incorporate them into this recipe while they’re still a bit firm.
- If you’d prefer to peel your peaches, just use a handy vegetable peeler to prevent yourself from taking off too much of the fruit.
How To Store Peach Upside Down Cake
Fridge
Transfer this cake to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 days. You can eat it cold, or microwave it for 30 seconds or until it heats up slightly.
Freezer
Store in an airtight container. You can store the pieces together or individually for easier thawing. Let the cake thaw fully in the fridge, and warm each slice up in the microwave before serving if you prefer the cake warm.
Craving More Peaches? Try These Delicious Dishes
- Peaches And Cream Strudel
- Peach And Blueberry Galette
- Italian Peach Cookies
- Peach Cobbler
- Peach Fritters
Other Delicious Cakes To Try:
Peach Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 4 large peaches pitted and cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Make the caramel: Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter, brown sugar, and bourbon over medium heat. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil for 1 minute then turn off the heat.
- Arrange the peach slices: Carefully arrange the peach slices with one of the cut sides down in the hot caramel, keep in mind this will become the top of the cake so feel free to make it look as professional as you can manage.
- Incorporate the ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient bowl until just combined.
- Do not overmix. Pour this batter over the peach layer till it spreads evenly and covers the entire surface of the skillet.
- Bake the cake: Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until the top is brown. Insert a toothpick in the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is done! Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the skillet.
- Flip the cake: Carefully invert your cake onto a platter, cut into slices and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Delicious!
