Peach Upside Down Cake
Fresh peaches are abundant in the summertime, and if you’re like me you’re trying to find ways to use them for appetizers, snacks, dinners, desserts, and more. What I love about this recipe for peach upside down cake is that it showcases fresh peaches in a beautiful way — tossed in brown sugar and gently baked on top of a cinnamony, light cake. This is the perfect dessert to end a bright summer day with fresh fruit in peak season and an airy, sweet cake underneath.
Can I use canned peaches to make an upside down cake? No, I don’t recommend using canned peaches for an upside down cake because they are too sweetened and too delicate to hold up to the baking process. If you’re making an upside down cake during a time when peaches aren’t in season, rather than using canned peaches I recommend switching to using a different fruit that is in season, such as apples in the fall and winter.
How to store peach upside down cake? To keep the peach upside down cake as fresh as possible, I recommend tightly covering the cake with plastic wrap and storing at either room temperature or in the fridge. If you want the cake to last longer than just a few days, store in the fridge to keep for up to 1 week.
Can a peach upside down cake be frozen? Yes, peach upside down cake can be frozen. To do so, tightly wrap the cake in plastic wrap and freeze. When you’re ready to defrost the cake, I recommend doing so in the fridge overnight to make sure the cake defrosts evenly and fully before serving.
Do you wait for an upside down cake to cool before flipping? No, you don’t wait for an upside down cake to cool before flipping because you want the sugars in the bottom of the pan to be warm and pliable so they release from the pan easily. If the cake is too cooled, the sugars can harden and stick to the bottom of the pan, giving you a lower chance of cleanly flipping the cake and having it release easily.
How do you invert an upside down cake? There are a few steps you can take to set yourself up for success when inverting an upside down cake, including:
Spray the baking pan liberally with cooking spray to ensure the cake doesn’t stick when being cooked.
If you want extra insurance that the cake won’t stick to the pan, you can line the pan with parchment paper before baking and simply lift the cake out when it’s ready.
Before flipping, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake to release any pieces of batter that may have stuck to the sides of the pan while baking.
Next, put a large platter face down on top of the cake in the pan, hold the two together tightly, and flip the cake over quickly until the pan is inverted on the platter. You may tap the bottom of the pan to ensure that the cake has completely removed itself from the bottom.
How long does it take to bake a peach upside down cake? The key to cook time with baking is ensuring that your oven is heating properly to the temperature each recipe calls for. I recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure that your oven is heating to the correct temperature, but usually a peach upside down cake takes around 40 minutes to cook at 350 degrees.
How to make peach upside down cake:
Peach Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
- 2 small peaches
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- Powdered sugar, for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray.
- Cut peaches into thin slices (about ¼ inch thick) and leave the skin on. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the brown sugar evenly around the bottom of the cake pan and arrange the peaches on top of the sugar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the butter and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar until light and airy. Add the eggs and milk and combine thoroughly with the whisk.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon until all ingredients are evenly distributed in the mixture.
- Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing thoroughly in between each addition, until you have a thick, cohesive batter.
- Pour the batter directly on top of the peaches and spread until it evenly coats the peaches and the bottom of the pan.
- Put the cake pan in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until you can insert a toothpick in the cake and it comes out clean. The top of the cake should look browned and it should feel light in weight.
- Let the cake cool slightly (for 1-2 minutes) and turn the cake over onto a platter. You may want to go around the sides of the cake with a knife before inverting and put the platter face down on the cake pan before flipping it.
- Cool the cake for an additional 20 minutes, sprinkle it with powdered sugar, and enjoy.
