Brown Sugar Peach Upside-Down Cake (Printer-Friendly)

Caramelized peaches over a soft, buttery cake bring summer flavor to every bite. Ideal for sharing.

# What You Need:

→ Peach Topping

01 - 3 to 4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
02 - 1/3 cup unsalted butter
03 - 3/4 cup light brown sugar

→ Cake Batter

04 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
05 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
08 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - 1/2 cup whole milk

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
02 - Melt the unsalted butter in the prepared cake pan in the oven. Remove pan and sprinkle light brown sugar evenly over melted butter.
03 - Neatly arrange peach slices on top of the brown sugar mixture, covering the bottom of the pan.
04 - In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
05 - In a large bowl, use an electric mixer or whisk to cream room-temperature butter with granulated sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each. Stir in vanilla extract.
06 - Alternately add flour mixture and whole milk to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix gently after each addition until just combined.
07 - Pour batter evenly over the peaches in the pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.
08 - Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then invert carefully onto a serving platter. Cool slightly before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The buttery brown sugar melds beautifully with peaches, giving every bite a sun-warmed flavor you can’t fake.
  • It’s so forgiving—even a slightly haphazard peach pattern ends up gorgeous after baking.
02 -
  • Letting the cake cool for at least ten minutes before flipping saves you from molten sugar burns (and ruins far fewer cakes).
  • I used to skip peeling the peaches, but the skin doesn’t melt in and can make the topping chewy—you’ll thank me for going the extra mile.
03 -
  • A nonstick pan is your insurance against stuck caramel and broken toppings.
  • Creaming the butter and sugar for a full three minutes makes for a fluffier cake and truly is worth the extra time.
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