I couldn’t let peach season pass me by without creating a recipe! This Peach Upside Down Cake is such a great way to highlight the delicious, juicy summer peaches. My Peach Upside Down Cake is a brown sugar cake topped with fresh peaches caramelized in brown sugar and butter, and it’s so good! It has a nice caramel flavor, is sweet, buttery, and topped with the most incredible brown sugar peaches.
How to Make Peach Upside Down Cake
Peach Topping
With fresh peaches caramelized in butter and brown sugar, this peach topping is better than any frosting! Although this will end up being the top of the cake, it starts as the base – that’s why it’s called an upside down cake. This topping is so simple and only requires three ingredients. Spread melted butter in the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan, sprinkle with brown sugar, and then arrange the peach slices so that they cover the whole base. I arranged mine in a circular pattern, but you could do whatever you like! After adding the peaches, transfer the cake pan to the fridge. Chill while making the cake batter to set the butter so that your design will not shift while baking.
Brown Sugar Cake Batter
The cake base in this recipe is a simple brown sugar cake. This batter is thicker than a typical cake batter to account for the added moisture from the peach topping. Start by creaming together the butter and brown sugar in a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Stir in the vegetable oil, followed by the baking powder and salt. Add the flour and begin to mix. Before the flour is fully incorporated, add the milk and stir until a smooth batter forms. Spread the batter evenly over the chilled peach topping and bake.
Baking the Cake
The additional liquid in this cake from the peach topping adds to the baking time of this cake. For best results, bake at 350°F for an hour and 10 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake will be a dark golden brown on top due to the extended baking time, but the extra time is necessary to ensure that the center of the cake cooks properly.
Cooling
Once fully baked, allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes before flipping. This will allow the topping to settle and make sure that the cake is not too hot to handle. Place a serving plate on top of the cake pan and flip carefully but quickly. The cake should slide right onto the plate and your beautiful peach design will be on top. Allow to cool fully on the plate before serving. Enjoy!
Storage
Because of the fruit and excess moisture from the topping, it is necessary to store this cake covered in the fridge. It will last well for about 3 days. If you need to freeze excess cake, wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap before freezing. For best flavor, allow cake to come to room temperature before serving.
This Peach Upside Down Cake truly celebrates those delicious, fresh summer peaches. The brown sugar cake pairs so well with the peaches caramelized in butter and brown sugar- every bite is buttery, sweet, and packed with peach flavor. I served my cake topped with even more fresh, sliced peaches and highly recommend that you do too. Enjoy!
Looking for more delicious cake recipes? Check out these Sugar Dusted Sweets favorites by clicking the images below!
Peach Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Topping
- 2 peaches sliced into 16ths
- ⅛ cup (30 g) unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar packed
Brown Sugar Cake
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (160 g) brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 g) vegetable oil
- ½ tsp (2 g) salt
- 1 tbsp ( 12 g) baking powder
- 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) whole milk
Instructions
Peach Topping
- Spread the melted butter in the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter so that it is evenly distributed on the bottom of the pan.
- Arrange peach slices on the brown sugar. I made a larger ring around the outside and a smaller center ring, but you can arrange them to your liking.
- Place the pan in the fridge to chill while making the cake batter.
Brown Sugar Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Stir in the vegetable oil, followed by the salt and baking powder.
- Add the flour and stir until mixture begins to combine. Add the milk and continue mixing until a smooth batter is formed.
- Spread the cake batter evenly over the peach slices.
- Bake at 350°F for an hour and 10 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake will be a dark golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. While cake is still warm, carefully flip out onto a serving plate so that the peaches are the top of the cake.
- Allow to cool fully before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
This was a perfect bake on a hot summer day. I was using not so perfect fruit and was worried that it will not work out. Came out delicious. Hardest thing was arranging the peaches neatly on the pan.
This is the best way to use up the last of the summer peaches! So glad you enjoyed it!