This delicious summer cake is amazingly moist, buttery, and lightly spiced! It’s made with fresh peaches and a luscious, bourbon caramel topping.
Peach season is officially here! This simple, yet impressive summer dessert is a great way to enjoy fresh peaches.
This fresh peach upside-down cake is always a crowd-pleaser!
What I love the most, though, is the bourbon caramel topping! It’s absolutely AMAZING! You don’t taste the bourbon in the cake, but together with the cinnamon and nutmeg, I think it really adds a nice subtle twist to the overall flavor!
Jump to:
You will absolutely LOVE this recipe because:
- it’s insanely easy to make.
- you don’t have to line the pan with parchment paper.
- you don’t have to peel the fruit.
- it’s not overly sweet, so it’s perfect with ice cream or whipped cream, or even on its own, especially cold!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Sugar
- Butter
- Bourbon
- Cinnamon and nutmeg
- Fresh Peaches - I used nectarines for this recipe and I didn't peel them. You could use any peach variety and peel them, if you prefer.
- All-purpose flour
- Finely ground almonds
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla
Before you start, you need to slice the peaches.
How to evenly cut peaches without bruising them:
Using a sharp knife, start from the top of the peach and make one large cut all around it.
Then use both hands to twist the peach open to get 2 halves. Remove the pit and slice each peach half into 4 even slices.
HOW TO MAKE FRESH PEACH UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
After you make the bourbon caramel topping follow these simple steps:
Then you bake the cake and flip it onto a serving platter or plate.
HOW TO STORE FRESH PEACH UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
You can either store this cake in the refrigerator or freezer.
REFRIGERATOR
Store the cake covered, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I think it's great cold, but if you want, you could heat it up in the microwave for about 30 seconds before serving.
FREEZER
I usually wrap individual pieces of cake in 1 or 2 freezer bags and then store them in the freezer for up to 2 months – just make sure they’re completely cooled. To thaw, just put them in the refrigerator overnight.
MORE FUN OPTIONS & SUBSTITUTES
- For a more gourmet touch, you could sprinkle about 2-3 tablespoons of sugar over the top of the baked cake and then caramelize it using a kitchen torch or your oven broiler. It will create a nice crunchy sugar topping that will stay crunchy for about an hour or so.
- Walnuts, sliced almonds, or pecans would be DIVINE with this cake!
- Instead of bourbon, you can use cognac for the caramel topping (or your favorite whiskey).
- You could also replace the vanilla with almond extract or some more bourbon!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- Don’t overmix the batter as this could make the cake dense, rather than light and fluffy.
- I use a 10 inch springform pan for this recipe. If you use a smaller pan, you might have some extra cake batter left over, in which case you could make a few cupcakes with it. Whatever pan you use, make sure you fill the batter no more than two-thirds of the way full. If you overfill your pan, the batter could spill out while baking!
- I suggest baking the cake on a baking sheet just in case some of the caramel leaks from the springform pan. I always use a pizza pan for this.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, let it sit in the pan for about 5-10 minutes before inverting it.
- This cake is best served cold the next day, but you could serve it warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.
Let me know how this Fresh Peach Upside-down Cake turns out for you in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!
~Voula ?
Recipe
Fresh Peach Upside-down Cake
Equipment
- 10 inch (25.5 cm) springform pan
Ingredients
For the bourbon caramel
- ½ cup (100 g / 3.6 oz) packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g / 1.8 oz) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (50 ml / 1.7 fl oz) bourbon
- ½ cup (125 ml / 4 fl oz) water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
For the cake
- 2-3 fresh, ripe, but firm peaches, washed, peeled & pitted, each cut into 8 slices If using nectarines, you can leave the skins on.
- 2 cups (254 g / 9 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (50 g / 1.8 oz) finely ground almonds
- ½ cup (113 g / 4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g / 5.3 oz) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (or see the NOTES below on how to make your own)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F / 175 °C.
- If you're making your own buttermilk, see the NOTE below and make it now. Set aside.
Make the bourbon caramel topping
- Combine the water, butter, sugar, bourbon, nutmeg, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan or pot. Simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes until it thickens and turns brown.
Arrange the peach slices
- Discard the cinnamon stick and pour the caramel all over the bottom of the pan. Arrange the peaches in a single layer over the caramel, covering the whole surface. Set aside.
Make the cake batter
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground almonds. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Spread the batter evenly over the peaches, making sure to cover the entire surface.
- Place the pan on a baking sheet just in case some of the caramel leaks out.
- Bake for 50 - 70 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan.
Flip the cake
- Run a knife or spatula around the edge of the pan.
- Place a serving platter or large plate on top of the cake and carefully flip the cake over. Let it sit for a few seconds and then unlatch the pan and gently lift it.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Or allow it to cool completely, refrigerate it, and serve it the next day.
- Enjoy!
Sissy Lazaropoulou
Hi dear Voula.. I was wondering if I can use apples instead of peaches with this batter. Just saw the recipe and since it's November ... Thanks again for all the great recipes you share. It is really something to trust that someone's recipes will turn out ok. You save me a lot of work and ingredients from going to waste. Every. Single. Time!
Voula
Hi, Sissy! You can definitely use apples with this batter! The bourbon caramel topping will go so well with it! You'll probably need about 2 apples. Let me know how it turns out!