This Peach Upside Down Cake is the perfect summer treat. Vanilla cake topped with sweet caramel flavors and sliced fresh peaches makes for a crave-worthy dessert.
This easy recipe is one of the best ways to use up ripe peaches during peach season. The stone fruit adds a sweet summer twist to the top of the cake that will wow your friends and family.
If you love to try different twists on traditional desserts then you may also enjoy this Pineapple Upside Down Fudge.
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Ingredients
For this recipe, you will only need a few simple ingredients. All of these ingredients are budget-friendly and easy to find at your local grocery store so you don’t have to worry about tracking down any specialty ingredients. So, grab those juicy peaches and get ready to enjoy this delicious cake.
- brown sugar
- unsalted butter
- sliced peeled peaches
- sugar
- egg
- vanilla
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- milk
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This is a quick overview of the steps that you need to make to make this delicious peach upside-down cake. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Mix the brown sugar and melted. Then add it to the top of the parchment paper and top with peach slices.
Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the remaining wet ingredients and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients. Add them to the wet ingredients and stir well.
Pour the batter into your skillet and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before you flip the cake.
Hint: Don’t skip the parchment paper on the bottom of your skillet. This will prevent your cake from sticking, especially if your cake pan isn’t seasoned well.
Variations
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake – If you would rather make a traditional upside down cake, you can use pineapple rings instead of peach slices. Just place them on top of the melted butter and brown sugar mixture.
- Nuts – If you are a fan of nuts feel free to sprinkle a few chopped pecans or walnuts into the sugar mixture on the bottom of the pan.
- Toppings – I love to serve a slice of this cake warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you love upside down cake you may also enjoy this Pineapple Upside Down Cake Cheesecake. It’s a decadent dessert that is perfect for special occasions and holidays.
Equipment
- large bowl
- medium bowl
- electric mixer – hand mixer or stand mixer
- 9 inch cake pan or 9 inch cast iron skillet
Storage
Store leftover cake in an airtight container like a cake plate or covered it tightly with plastic wrap for up to three days.
Wendy’s Pro Tips
- I prefer to use fresh fruit to make this delicious dessert but you can also use frozen peaches if you are making this when fresh summer peaches are not available.
- If you are using frozen peaches I recommend that you thaw them first.
- Use room temperature ingredients so that your batter doesn’t seize up.
- Be careful to not overmix the cake you want to mix it until it is just combined once you add the dry ingredients so that you get a tender cake.
- If you are using a cast iron skillet instead of a baking pan make sure that you use a skillet that is well seasoned.
- You can save a little time and purchase 9-inch parchment rounds if you don’t want to cut your own parchment paper.
FAQ
Do you have questions about this delicious peach recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about this cake recipe.
This old fashioned cake was invented years ago, with fruit on the top because it was traditionally made over an open fire. Plus, with fruit on the top, there is no need for frosting.
I prefer to make this cake with fresh peaches but you can use canned peaches instead if that’s all you have on hand. Just make sure to drain them well so that they don’t water down your topping.
Any type of well buttered pan will work for this cake. However, if you want the traditional cake then use a cast iron skillet to make your cake.
Make sure that you butter and grease your baking dish well before you melt the butter in it. This helps the cake to remove easily when you flip it.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this Peach Upside Down Cake recipe:
Peach Upside Down Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch cake pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Electric Mixer hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups peaches sliced and peeled
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Then, add a layer of parchment cut into a circle.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and melted butter. Spread the mixture over the parchment paper. Arrange the sliced peaches over the brown sugar mixture.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides often, about 6 minutes.
- To the sugar mixture, add the egg and vanilla, mixing well.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend the flour mixture into the batter a scoop at a time, alternating with the milk, until well mixed.
- Transfer the batter to the cake pan and spoon evenly over the peaches.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center returns clean.
- Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edge and then place a plate over the cake and invert it onto the plate.
- Carefully lift the parchment paper off the peaches, replacing any peaches that stick.
- Allow the cake to cool completely or serve slightly warm.
Do I drain the canned peaches?
No, you do not need to drain them.
So my batter came out thick and to my knowledge of cake the batter should be a bit lose like easy to pour. So I used Peaches in a can and added the peach juices from the can to the batter until the consistency was pour-able. Doing this I believe resulted in my cake finishing undone. I found this out aftercooling and tasting. I guess I should have used the toothpick method to make sure my cake was not wet before I took it out the oven. Also the top started to darken alot which made me think it was done. I should have covered it with foil so it could continue to bake and not burn.
For this recipe the batter should be thicker than the usual cake batter. You don’t want a runny batter when making this cake. I always recommend using the toothpick method to check a cake for doneness because oven timing can vary so much depending on brands and altitude. I’m sorry to hear you had a hard time with this recipe.
I made this with frozen peaches very good . I would make it again. But next time I would add pecans or walnuts.
Hi Cherie! Thank you so much for stopping to let know me know that you enjoyed this recipe. I think adding pecans would be amazing on this delicious cake! I have a pecan upside down cake recipe that is downright divine!
Perfect the first time. Absolutely delicious!A new family favorite recipe.
Hi Devon! Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know that you enjoyed this recipe! I love to hear when one of my recipes turns out good!