This Peach Upside Down Cake starts with a moist vanilla buttermilk cake that’s topped with juicy, ripe peaches caramelized in salted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon! The two layers are baked to tender perfection and flipped over to create this epically delicious and gorgeous peach design.
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Everyone loves a classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake but what if we flip the script today y’all? We’re gonna get a little crazy together in the kitchen and swap out those pineapples for tender, juicy peaches!
Peach Upside Down Cake is marvelously fluffy and super moist. Made with a few of my favorite signature ALDI ingredients, this cake is just as delicious as it is easily accessible to make. I trust that baking essentials from ALDI are made with high-quality ingredients that only make my recipes better.
If you’re headed to the grocery store to get the ingredients for today’s cake, stop at ALDI and check out the amazing quality and prices for yourselves. And if you don’t have the time for all of that, check out their delivery or curbside pick-up options instead!
History
Upside down cakes have been around since the 1920’s after the Dole Pineapple Company hosted a recipe contest which resulted in the invention of the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. This classic recipe has become a staple in homes all across the United States!
How To Make Peach Upside Down Cake
Y’all this delicious Peach Upside Down Cake is so easy to make! Most of the time required for the recipe is spent hands-free while the cake bubbles and oozes in the oven.
Ingredients
Peaches– if possible, use the freshest, ripest, in-season peaches that you can find. Peak peach season is typically mid-July to August. ALDI had some great peaches available for this recipe that are in stores now.
Salted and Unsalted Butter – for the peaches, I like to use salted butter because it brings out the sweetness in the peaches. But, for the cake, I prefer the sweet creaminess of unsalted butter. ALDI Countryside Creamery Butter is some of the smoothest stuff out there. Both their unsalted and salted varieties make for such rich, flavorful cakes.
Brown Sugar – you can use either light or dark brown sugar. You’re just looking to add that sticky-sweet molasses flavor.
Ground Cinnamon – This fragrant spice adds such a delicious subtle spice note to the cake that pairs beautifully with the peaches.
Granulated Sugar– watch out for large lumps in the sugar; they won’t dissolve into the eggs well.
Eggs – good-quality, fresh eggs are so important! They determine a lot about the texture and flavor of your cakes. I highly recommend using ALDI Goldhen Cage Free Large Eggs; they’re Grade A quality and always super fresh.
All Purpose Flour – I always use unbleached all purpose flour in my recipes. Specifically, ALDI Baker’s Corner All Purpose Flour! It’s very soft and fine, making for light, airy cakes.
Baking Powder – be sure to use fresh, active baking powder.
Salt – I use kosher salt in all of my recipes. The saltiness of a recipe is actually very important, especially in desserts. It doesn’t make this cake salty, but enhances the other flavors of the upside down cake.
Buttermilk – buttermilk makes for a tangy, tender cake. Use full fat buttermilk where possible.
Vanilla – pure vanilla extract pairs really well with the caramel flavors in this cake.
Instructions
PREHEAT THE OVEN. Set your oven to 350 degrees and preheat a cast iron skillet to medium heat. Let the salted butter melt in the pan and then immediately move it off the heat.
ARRANGE PEACH SLICES. Get creative here! Arrange the peaches in the butter in any pattern you’d like.
SPRINKLE. Next, sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on the top, making sure to evenly spread it over all the peaches.
MAKE CAKE BATTER. Start to make your yellow cake batter by whisking together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set it aside. Beat together the room temperature unsalted butter and sugar using a stand mixer or hand mixer set on medium speed. This will make for a lighter, softer cake so don’t skip this step! After adding the eggs one at a time, beat in the vanilla, and start adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk in small increments. Only beat until just combined for the best texture.
BAKE. Carefully transfer the cast iron pan to the oven and bake the cake for as long as it takes to fully cook through. Look for moist crumbs on a toothpick when inserted in the middle of the cake.
INVERT + SERVE. Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan before carefully flipping the cake over and onto a serving plate. Slice up and enjoy while warm!
How to Flip An Upside Down Cake
Nervous about flipping the cake. Don’t be!
Here’s what you gotta do:
- Do not let it sit for too long after you have taken it out of the oven. If it cools down too much, then you will not be able to remove the cake from the pan.
- Use gloves to grab the pan if it is too hot to handle!
- You should pick a low plate or cake stand to flip the cake onto. Remember to run an offset spatula or butter knife between the sides of the cake and the pan to release it.
- Work quickly! Hold the plate to the open side of the pan then, in one quick motion, use the handle to flip the pan over. Hold the plate very tightly.
- Let the cake drop slowly by the action of gravity. Do not try to rush it.
Frozen Vs. Fresh Peaches
Fresh peaches are always going to taste best; they’re flavor is unbeatable and they hold up better while baking. Try to find the peaches at ALDI that give just slightly when pressed, and smell fragrant, like a peachy perfume.
If peaches aren’t in season, or just not available to you, that’s ok! This recipe has been tested using both fresh and frozen peaches. Fruit is often frozen at the peak of their seasons to preserve taste and nutritional value, so you’re not compromising much with the swap.
IMPORTANT TIP: Frozen peaches should be defrosted and drained completely before use. You don’t want to introduce unnecessary moisture to your cake; it’ll be soggy and flat.
Recipe Variations
There are so many ways to make this recipe your own! Get creative and swap in nectarines, plums, pineapple, apples or pears! You could also add some warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, or cloves to the cake batter for a more Fall – inspired feel. I would not exceed 2 teaspoons of spice, but feel free to set your own measurements.
What Should You Top The Cake With?
Warm upside down cakes are best served with a hefty scoop of cool whipped cream or ice cream! For the best, freshest, creamiest dollops ever, check out my step-by-step homemade whip recipe. Or go with a lovely vanilla ice cream instead. This homemade recipe is awesome!
Leftover Storage
Peach upside-down cake can last for up to 4 days when properly stored and refrigerated. The leftover cake should be kept in a cake keeper, airtight container, or wrapped in plastic wrap.
In addition to being stored in the refrigerator, you can cover this cake in a couple layers of plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for up to one month, but I promise it won’t last that long!
Other Grandbaby Cakes’ Fruit Based Cakes You’ll Love
Can’t get enough cake? Neither can we! Try a few more of Grandbaby Cakes’ BEST cake recipes:
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Banana Pudding Cake
- Caramel Peach Dump Cake
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
Peach Upside Down Cake
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Ingredients
For the Peaches
- 3 cups fresh peaches, sliced or peeled (or 2 "10 oz" packages frozen sliced peaches, thawed and drained
- 1/2 cup Countryside Creamery Salted Butter
- 3/4 cup Baker's Corner Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Stonemill Ground Cinnamon
For the Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Goldhen Cage Free Large Eggs Grade A room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups Baker's Corner All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Peaches
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Set a 9 inch cast iron pan over medium heat and place the butter in it. Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat.
- Arrange the peaches in the bottom of the pan coated in butter. You can do this any which way you’d like!
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle that mixture over the peaches. Set aside.
For the Cake
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a large bowl and hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl down in between additions. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add the dry mixture and buttermilk in ⅓ increments, mixing on low speed until fully combined.
- Gently dollop and spread the batter over the peaches. Be careful, the more you move things around the more you will change the arrangement of your peaches.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes.
- Run a butter knife around the edge of the cake in the pan. Unmold the cake by inverting the cast iron pan over a serving plate and gently lifting the pan away from the cake. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream!
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This peach upside down cake is to die for! The combination of textures between the fruit and cake are perfect. It will be made again and I also plan to try different variations of fruit. Thank you for creating such a delicious dessert!