Peach Upside-Down Cake

I will try my best to describe how good this cake is. But until you make it and taste it yourself, I am afraid my words will not do this recipe justice. If you love peaches and have good peaches available, I encourage you to try this cake. The wonderful thing about upside-down cakes is that they look really impressive, but they are deceptively easy to put together. Your friends and family will be in awe of your baking skills, and once they taste this cake, you will have them begging for more. I assure you - they will be impressed!

I'll tell you a little bit about this cake to give you an idea of how it will taste. I believe what sets this cake apart from others is the nutmeg. You can use purchased ground nutmeg or using a micro plane and a whole nutmeg, grate in a few swipes of this awesome spice - just a pinch of it will do. The flavor will have people wondering what that delicious taste is. Now, if you hate nutmeg, by all means leave it out of your cake, it will still be delicious regardless.

The cake part of this recipe is lovely. It's sweet, light, and crumbly with just the right amount of moisture to it. I do recommend using whole milk and real butter in your recipe. This cake tastes amazing on its own, but it tastes just as good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

I saved the best part of the cake for last (or at least one of my all time favorite parts) - the awesome peach topping! When you turn your upside-down cake onto a serving dish, the smell of the peaches are truly heavenly. And besides how amazing and delicious the peach topping (and therefore the whole cake) smells, it looks great too! I believe eating begins with your eyes (though there is of course food that tastes great without looking the same), then your sense of smell, and finally your sense of taste. This recipe incorporates those aesthetics beautifully! This cake is truly a work of art. Give it a try, and please let me know how it worked for you.

Bon Appetit!

Tips:

The original recipe says that you can use frozen peach slices, thawed. They need to be unsweetened, large slices that are cut a 1/2 inch lengthwise. I have never tried this as I prefer to use fresh ingredients as much as possible, but I do realize that sometimes you just can't find good fresh ingredients (especially when they aren't in season). If anyone tries out the frozen peaches instead of the fresh, I'd be curious to hear your results.

Preparation time is 25 minutes. Bake/cool time is 1 hour 20 minutes. Total time is 1 hour 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 to 3 cups (or 3 to 4 medium) peaches; sliced, pitted, and peeled
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

Place a 1/4 cup of butter in an 8 by 8 by 2 inch baking pan, and set the pan in a 350 degree F oven for approximately 5 minutes or until the butter is melted. Do not overbrown the butter! Remove the pan from the oven. Add the brown sugar, stirring until the sugar is completely moistened. Spread the sugar mixture evenly in the pan. Arrange the peach slices evenly over the brown sugar mixture. Set aside the pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground nutmeg (if desired); set aside. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in the sugar until well-combined. Add the egg and vanilla, until combined. Alternately, add the flour mixture and milk to the beaten butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until they are just combined. Make sure to begin the process with flour mixture and end the process with flour mixture. Spread the batter evenly over the peaches in the pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes clean. Cool in a pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan; invert onto a large serving plate. Cool 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve warm. Serves 8.