Peach Upside-Down Cake

A moist vanilla cake scented with cinnamon and nutmeg is topped with caramel coated peaches. This is one delicious dessert indeed.

The texture of this cake is more like that of a coffee cake, dense but light and nice and moist. The original recipe called for only vanilla flavoring in the cake, but I added a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger. This made for a rich, warm cake that complemented the peaches and brown sugar caramel topping. 

Butter is melted in a 9-in pie plate and brown sugar is sprinkled over the top to create a caramel sauce. Chopped peaches (or fruit of your choice) are layered on top of the caramel along with a homemade cake batter. This bakes for about an hour than is inverted onto a platter to reveal the glistening caramel coated fruit. Serve it warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have a very delicious dessert.

 

Just a side note. I baked this cake at my grandma's house and was looking for a platter to put it on and came across this antique cake plate that my grandma received as a wedding gift 52 years ago! It has actual butterflies inside the plate. Don't think they make them like this anymore!

Peach Upside-Down CakeSource: Martha Stewart
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
4 cups frozen nectarines, thawed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 4 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep) and melt in oven. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter.
With two double-thick layers of paper towels, press as much liquid as possible out of nectarines. Arrange fruit in an even layer in pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 6 tablespoons butter on high until light and fluffy. Add granulated sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions yogurt, and beat to combine.

With a spatula, spread batter over nectarines. Bake until cake is dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack, 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan and invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.