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Upside Down Peach Bourbon Cake

Upside Down Peach Bourbon Cake

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We have been out galavanting the entire month of July.  I have to admit we are pretty thrilled to be grounded at home for a while.  To kick off staying home, I thought I’d share a new favorite recipe for a Peach Bourbon Upside Down Cake which was created from our favorite upside down pineapple cake.  We had friends coming to dinner a few weeks back, and nothing to serve for dessert until I noticed a few neglected peaches.  Lucky for us, as I whipped up what has become a favorite dessert recipe.

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Let’s talk peaches for a bit, shall we?  Last spring and summer, I kept a secret as I spent 6 months getting to know Andy Mariani, stone-fruit farmer extraordinaire of Andy’s Orchard.  What prompted all these secrets?  Well, I was thrilled when Spenser Magazine reached out to me to write and photograph a story about Andy.  What provoked the story was the rare green gage plum that he grows in the orchard.

 

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After spending precious moments walking in Andy’s footsteps, learning how amazing stone-fruit is grown, I also learned that most of the fruit that comes from his orchard is beyond outstanding.  Not to take away from the Green Gage, as it was one of the most amazing pieces of fruit I have ever experienced, but we are talking peaches today.  

I enjoy a good peach, but never experienced the perfect one until Andy handed me a sun-kissed Baby Crawford on one of our early morning walks through the orchard.  The piece of fruit was the size of my palm, slightly yellowish orange, with a blush like a baby’s cheek and it was warm, ripe and ready to be eaten.  I took a nibble, juices running down my chin.  I was completely smitten.  

The flavor and the scent were intoxicating, not like any peach I have ever experienced before.  What makes Andy’s stone-fruit so special, well, you need to read the story to learn more about this wonderful man, and the gem of an orchard he calls home.

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Summer Fest this week is about peaches.  For this recipe, I used peaches that were ripe but still a little firm as they hold up better during baking.  I also used Bourbon, but feel free to use milk if Bourbon isn’t your thing.  I made the recipe both ways, and it came out perfectly every time.  The cake is best served warm so be sure not to wait until the next day to devour.  You will want the caramelized sauce to ooze over every bite.

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** July 2019 – I have made an update to this recipe (added a bit of heavy cream) as well as I have baked the cake in three different sized pans;  baking times listed below.

Recipe:  Upside Down Peach Bourbon Cake

Ingredients:

For topping:

3 medium peaches, cut into medium slices

1 (4 ounces) stick unsalted butter

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream

For batter:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (4 ounces) stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup bourbon or whole milk

How To:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter bottom and sides of a cake pan (sizes listed below).

Make topping:

Lay the peach slices over the bottom of the baking pan.

Melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan.

Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring often for about 10 minutes.

Add the cream and stir until mixed well;  about 1 – 2 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Pour over the peaches.

Make batter:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft, then add the granulated sugar.

Mix until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the bourbon along with the vanilla, and mix for 1 minute.

Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until blended.

Add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until blended.

The batter may appear slightly curdled, this is okay.

Spoon batter over the peach slices spread evenly.

Bake cake in the middle of oven until golden and a tester (I use the tip of a very sharp knife or a toothpick) comes out clean.  Times for different sized pans below – I tend to rely on the tester approach as all ovens are different.

Let cake stand in pan for 15 minutes.

Invert a plate over the pan and invert cake onto the plate.

Serve.

Eat.

7-inch cake pan – 45 – 55 minutes

8-inch cake pan – 30 – 45 minutes

9-inch cake pan  – 25 – 35 minutes

More Upside Down Cakes

Pineapple Upside Down Rum Cake

Meyer Lemon Upside Down Cake

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

 

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Ellie

Wednesday 29th of May 2019

Hello! I made this cake a couple of weeks ago. When I inverted the cake, a ton of liquid brown sugar butter splattered out. Was this supposed to happen? Am I supposed to cook the brown sugar and butter until it caramelizes? If so, five minutes may not be long enough. It was still grainy when I drizzled it over the peaches. The cake tasted delicious but I’m not sure if this was supposed to happen.

Denise Woodward

Thursday 6th of June 2019

Hello Ellie - thank you for your comment. My apologies this is not working for you. It has been a while since we made and now are very concerned. Going to remake to see how it turns out for us. Did you change any of the ingredients? Did you use milk or bourbon? Maybe the peaches were very ripe and released juices more? Let us remake this within the next two weeks and circle back. Glad it tasted good!

Kim

Sunday 8th of October 2017

Dang!! You suck at writing the recipe...grrr you forgot to mention adding the vanilla....you never mentioned pan size OR what temp to set the oven at ! If your going to do thia have someone proof read before posting ! I hope your not a professional

Denise Woodward

Wednesday 18th of October 2017

My deepest apologies for not responding sooner. I got your message late Sunday night. As well, I needed time to absorb your message as I have never had anyone tell me I suck.

As well, I am very sorry that I overlooked the temperature of the oven as this is the most crucial step with baking. Most likely I overlooked it as I was also referring to the original recipe that inspired this one. No excuse, I should have paid better attention. The recipe is completely updated, and I hope you enjoy.

Just a quick thought, as I did take this personal. I try not to tell people they suck nor do I bash them for what they may do for a living. People make mistakes, and sometimes they are big mistakes. I recently purchased a cookbook from a very well-known food photographer who happens to also cook. The first recipe I decided to make was a lovely orange cake. Unfortunately, this recipe was written completely wrong, and the publisher missed a couple steps as to what to do with the separated eggs. Since I do know how to bake and cook, I knew what to do; but someone such as yourself may not. I didn’t go to social media and blast this person nor did I blast the publisher. Instead, I wrote a nice note to the publisher telling them I found a mistake in one of their recipes. They promptly got back to me and apologized saying that there were actually 18 recipes with mistakes and that they felt terrible. They sent me a refund which I did n’t ask for; I just wanted them to know.

Chez Us is free site full of recipes that I have tested over and over again. Reliable recipes that we make and enjoy. I may make a mistake now and then, but I will also owe up to it with sincere apologies.

Best,

Denise

Alice // Hip Foodie Mom

Wednesday 6th of August 2014

oh my goodness, love this cake!! I'm into everything peaches and summer fruit lately! pinned!

Nutmeg Nanny

Friday 9th of August 2013

This cake is beautiful! It just looks so perfect :)

Karen

Sunday 4th of August 2013

I made this for the first time yesterday for a crowd...fabulous. On top of it the topping didn't even melt right, it just crystalized instead. Still fabulous.