Peach Upside Down Cake
The Peach Upside Down Cake is a classic dessert that is perfect for any occasion. Made with fresh peaches, a sweet brown sugar topping, and a fluffy vanilla cake.
The Peach Upside Down Cake is a classic dessert that is perfect for any occasion. Made with fresh peaches, a sweet brown sugar topping, and a fluffy vanilla cake.
- Carbohydrate 27.8596553898014 g
- Cholesterol 42.7300926324418 mg
- Fat 16.126204908583 g
- Fiber 0.481953712131096 g
- Protein 2.91901310691023 g
- Saturated Fat 10.1072467902727 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (81g)
- Sodium 355.557142806063 mg
- Sugar 27.3777016776703 g
- Trans Fat 1.19221146839481 g
- Calories 265 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine in an 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and nutmeg. Arrange peach halves, cut side down, in pan.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Spread batter over peaches.
- Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove cake from oven, and let stand in pan for 5 minutes; invert onto serving platter.
Fresh peaches do the heaviest lifting in this dessert, dictating both moisture and structure as they caramelize against the base of the pan. Without proper handling, those fruit halves adhere permanently to the metal rather than releasing onto the platter.
The physical layout of the pan dictates the final result. Butter melted directly in the 8-inch square pan combines with brown sugar and nutmeg to form the fruit glaze. Arranging the peach halves cut side down maximizes surface contact with this sugar mixture. As the cake bakes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 minutes, the fruit releases natural juices that merge with the melting butter and sugar. The starches in the all-purpose flour absorb rising moisture from the fruit while the chemical leavening agents create a light crumb overhead.
Inversion timing requires precision. Letting the baked cake stand in the pan for exactly 5 minutes allows the caramelized sugar fringe to set slightly so it does not run, while remaining warm enough to release its grip from the bottom of the square pan. Exceeding this window cools the sugar completely, cementing the fruit to the metal.
Margarine can replace butter in the pan and batter if dairy is restricted, though the resulting caramel will be softer due to higher water content in vegetable oil spreads. Whole milk may be substituted with low-fat alternatives, but the lower fat percentage yields a slightly drier crumb structure in the finished vanilla cake.
