Made with a layer of thinly sliced, ripe juicy peaches and a tender, moist vanilla cake, this peach upside down cake is equally beautiful and tasty.
Peach Upside Down Cake
I’m a sucker for a dessert that is every bit as delicious as it is beautiful, and this no-fuss peach upside down cake is a prime example. With its tender crumb, caramelized peach topping, and irresistible flavors, this Peach Upside-Down Cake is the perfect dessert to celebrate summer peach season! It’s pretty enough to serve up for your next summer event, but easy enough to whip up on a whim!
What is a peach upside down cake?
This peach upside down cake couldn’t be simpler to make, but it looks stunning the moment you invert it out of the oven. Made with a layer of thinly sliced, ripe juicy peaches and a tender, moist vanilla cake, this peach upside down cake is equally beautiful and tasty. And it’s the perfect way to use up any ripe peaches you have laying around. I love this kind of rustic cake because it’s pretty enough to serve up for a dinner party and looks like it required way more work than it did!
Ingredients for peach upside down cake
To make this fresh peach upside down cake you’ll need ripe, in-season peaches and some pantry staples to throw together the cake batter. Here’s your shopping list”
Peaches
Unsalted Butter
Granulated Sugar
Light Brown Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla Extract
All Purpose Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Milk
Yogurt
Tips for making the perfect peach upside down cake
Upside down cakes come together easily, but it’s crucial to follow these three tips to make sure your cake releases from your pan easily with that gorgeous, glossy peach top!
Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper and thoroughly grease the sides: Lining the bottom of your pan with parchment paper will ensure your cake releases easily when you invert it! It’s an absolute must with upside down cakes! Also be sure to really butter up the sides of your pan so the sides of your cake do not stick to your pan either!
Make sure there are no spaces between your peach slices: If the cake batter comes and peeks up through any gaps in your peach layer it ends up looking kind of sponge-y and gross. It will still taste delicious, but for aesthetic purposes we recommend overlapping your peaches so there are no gaps!
Don’t over bake your cake: An overbaked cake is not only dry (sad), but also more likely to stick to the pan. Take your cake out when it’s golden brown all over and springs back to the touch!
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 inch round pan (springform works best, but any kind should work) with parchment paper on the bottom and thoroughly grease or butter the sides of the pan and the parchment paper.
Pit and thinly slice the peaches into halfmoon shapes. Starting from the center, layer the peaches in a spiral all over the bottom of the pan, making sure to fill in any gaps. Set aside.
Next, make the cake. In a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and the sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy and pale in color.
Scrape down the bowl and add the vanilla extract and the eggs, one at a time, mixing on high speed until smooth and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add half the the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add the milk and yogurt and mix until just combined. Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Transfer the cake batter into your prepared pan, carefully spreading it to the edges to not move around the peach layer. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before running a knife along the edge of the pan and carefully flipping over to release and serve upside down! Enjoy!
I made this for an end-of-summer BBQ and it was a hit! Not too sweet, and perfectly light and moist and delicious. I made a raspberry reduction to swirl into the batter and it turned out great, but I think that it would be just as good without. Your recipes always turn out 10/10! Can’t wait to try more 🙂
This cake is the perfect summer staple IMO 🤩 you have to be very careful when layering the peaches to avoid seep-age, but even with a little batter getting through the cracks, it’s still delicious. It’s not sickly sweet, and the perfect dessert to end a summer evening with.
Hi Alex! Couldn’t agree more–I’ve made this 3 times trying to soak up the last moments of summer! It is so important to not leave any cracks! When the cake seeps through it totally ruins the beautiful peach top!
I just made this cake! OMG! It was super easy and PHENOMENAL! While preparing the batter, I licked the spoon (as one does!) and found it to be a bit salty and even bitter so I was a bit concerned but after it baked and cooled…….it was stupendous! Not too sweet and, in fact, a bit tangy because of the peaches. I will definitely be making this peach dream again! Thanks Sarah!
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I made this for an end-of-summer BBQ and it was a hit! Not too sweet, and perfectly light and moist and delicious. I made a raspberry reduction to swirl into the batter and it turned out great, but I think that it would be just as good without. Your recipes always turn out 10/10! Can’t wait to try more 🙂
★★★★★
This cake is the perfect summer staple IMO 🤩 you have to be very careful when layering the peaches to avoid seep-age, but even with a little batter getting through the cracks, it’s still delicious. It’s not sickly sweet, and the perfect dessert to end a summer evening with.
★★★★★
Hi Alex! Couldn’t agree more–I’ve made this 3 times trying to soak up the last moments of summer! It is so important to not leave any cracks! When the cake seeps through it totally ruins the beautiful peach top!
I just made this cake! OMG! It was super easy and PHENOMENAL! While preparing the batter, I licked the spoon (as one does!) and found it to be a bit salty and even bitter so I was a bit concerned but after it baked and cooled…….it was stupendous! Not too sweet and, in fact, a bit tangy because of the peaches. I will definitely be making this peach dream again! Thanks Sarah!
★★★★★
This looks so great for summer. Could I substitute the yogurt for sour cream?
I just made this recipe, really simple to make and really good!
★★★★★