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Peach Upside-Down Cake

This peach upside down cake is perfect for peaches that have ripened to juicy and sweet perfection. If you like ginger, it makes a great pairing with the peaches. I like the ginger spiked upside-down cake, but my husband prefers the peaches to shine "au naturel."
Author: Zoë François

Equipment

  • 8-Inch Springform Cake Pan

Ingredients

Peaches

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup / 150g brown sugar
  • 1 inch fresh ginger cut into thin coins (optional)
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 1/2 vanilla bean cut and scraped
  • 3 tbsp whiskey use orange juice if you want to omit alcohol
  • 4 large ripe peaches cut in half and pitted

Cake

  • 1/2 cup / 112g brown butter* see note
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp / 142g unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger optional
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup / 150g brown sugar well packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup / 80ml buttermilk
  • 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger optional

Instructions

Peaches

  • In a 10-inch skillet cook together the butter, brown sugar, ginger (if using), salt, vanilla bean, whiskey, and peaches - cut side down in the caramel. Cook them on low heat until the juices are the thickness of maple syrup. If the fruit starts to fall apart remove it from the pan and just leave the juices to cook.

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch springform pan with greased parchment, so that the paper comes up and over the top of the pan. The paper should prevent the caramel from escaping the seams of the pan.
  • Arrange the peaches, cut side down, in the pan, pour the caramel over the peaches. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
  • Whisk together the browned butter, brown sugar and vanilla until the butter is cooled off slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each.
  • Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. You may need to switch to a stiff rubber spatula if the batter is getting stuck in the tines of your whisk.
    Add the fresh ginger (if using) and mix just until it is evenly distributed.
  • Place the batter evenly over the peaches and spread smooth with a spatula. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the cake is set and a tester comes out clean.
    Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes and invert onto a serving platter. Peel away the parchment.

Notes

To Make Brown Butter

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Turn the heat to medium-high and boil until the butter is frothy. Turn the heat to low and cook gently, until the milk solids have settled to the bottom of the pan, are golden brown, and smell slightly toasted. (Once the milk solids start to caramelize, it goes quickly, so don’t walk away.) Remove from the heat once the butter is a deep amber color. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired. Allow the butter to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.