Peach Upside-Down Cake
Remember how I told you last week I wouldn’t make you turn on your oven this summer? I lied.
Let’s say it was your friend’s birthday. Or you had too many peaches on the counter that were hours away from getting overripe and if you ate them all in one sitting over the sink you’d feel sick. Or, hell, it was a lazy weekend and you felt up to the task, heat be damned.
The peach is one of the most heavenly fruits of summer, and in my opinion not much can improve it when it’s in season. Why cook it? You’ll just cover up it’s delicate perfume and the amazing, juicy texture.
Where I will double down is for a good, old-fashioned upside-down cake. They’re the lazy person’s tarte tatin, and the payoff is pretty sweet. It’s minimal effort with great visual impact. It highlights the juice of the fruit, traps it within the caramel. Almost any standard tea-cake recipe works well. Best of all, when the fruit’s this ripe, you don’t even need to cook it off in advance. Just pack it in the bottom over a layer of brown sugar and butter, and let it bubble away beneath the batter. When it’s done, flip it over, and voila! Instant success. Everyone will tell you how brilliant you are, but you will know the truth: you only dirtied two bowls and one pan. You basically just let the peaches and caramel do all the dirty work.
Here’s my tips:
1. Cook this in a standard cake pan set over a rimmed baking sheet. You’ll thank me later. Do not, for the love of God, use a springform pan here or you’ll end up with caramel bubbling away on the bottom of your oven ‘til it forms a burned crust. Your fire alarms will likely go off. Learn from my mistakes. You could also use a skillet, but I think most skillets carry the flavors of garlic or schmaltz with them, and I’m not about that life in my baking.
2. Only use peaches that are very ripe. You could also use plums or apricots, and still I would instruct you to do the same. You may be tempted to use the firmer ones, fresh from the store, but let them sit out on a plate at room temperature for a day or two first. Check them like you would an avocado—waiting for the flesh to give just the right amount, releasing that delicious tea-scented fragrance.
Peaches love cardamom, so I threw some in. You could do without, but peaches like this only come around but once a year. Let’s not waste them.
Easy Peach Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients:
5-6 Very Ripe Peaches
4 Tablespoons (1/2 Stick) Butter
3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
1 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Sugar
3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
4 Tablespoons Butter, melted
1 Cup Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Melt 4 Tbs butter and prepare your cake pan.
Grease the sides of the pan. Cut out a round of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and then grease the top layer of the parchment paper. Set aside.
Slice the peaches into sixths. It’s ok if it’s a little rustic, but keeping the slices more uniform will ensure they cook at the same rate.
In a small saucepan, melt 4 Tbs of butter, then add the brown sugar and cardamom. Stir constantly until the sugar has totally melted into the butter. Transfer to the cake pan and spread along the bottom carefully using a spatula. It will be very hot on the bottom!
Arrange the peaches along the bottom of the cake pan in a concentric circle. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together your dry ingredients. Using a whisk, stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar until well incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until they’re broken up. Add the melted butter, yogurt, vanilla, and cardamon. Whisk together.
Make a well in the center of the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the well, and using a wooden spoon or spatula, begin to incorporate the wet mixture into the dry. Take care not to overmix it.
Once your batter’s ready, pour it over the center of the cake pan on top of the fruit. Use an offset spatula to smooth the batter out so the fruit is mostly covered. Don’t worry if it doesn’t quite fit—the batter will settle while it cooks in the oven.
Place the cake pan on a rimmed baking sheet (to ensure no burning if there’s spillover. Bake for 45-50 minutes.The cake should be deeply golden and come out clean when test with a skewer.
Once the cake is ready, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edge to loosen it and cover with a dish. Carefully flip it over (the pan will still be hot so ALWAYS use potholders). Serve warm with a whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Serves 6-8.