Peach Upside Down Cake (One Bowl)
This moist peach upside-down cake is the perfect summertime tea cake to make when stone fruits are in season. This homemade peach cake has fresh, ripe slices of peach cooked in the bottom of the batter with caramelized sugar. And the best part is that it’s simple, easy, and uses my one-bowl vanilla cake recipe.
Upside-down cakes always remind me of my grandmother. She loved baking with whatever fruit was in season—peaches, plums, pineapple—anything she had on hand would end up at the bottom of the pan.
There was nothing fancy about it, just simple cakes that turned into something beautiful once flipped. That’s probably why I still love making them. Minimal effort, no decorating, and somehow they always look like you tried much harder than you did.
Why make this cake?
- One of the reasons why you should make this peach upside-down cake is that it’s easy to customize and make your own.
- You can add different spices like cinnamon or ginger to give it a warm, cozy feel, or you can sprinkle some chopped nuts on top for added crunch.
- You can also experiment with different types of peaches, like white or yellow, to create a unique flavor profile.
- Best of all, almost all the ingredients in this recipe are easy to find or simple pantry staples.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Peaches – I love using fresh, ripe, but firm peaches. And yet, you can also use nectarines or apricots. Avoid ripe, soft peaches, as they will disintegrate almost like jam once cooked. You can also use canned or frozen peaches.
- Fresh – just core, cut, slice, and use in the recipe below. Do not leave cut peach slices unused for long, as they discolor.
- Canned – drain them well before you use them – any excess moisture will prevent the sugar from caramelizing.
- Frozen – use them frozen. So they hold their shape when baked. Thawing them makes them softer and causes them to lose their shape.
- Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter for my cakes so I can control the amount of salt. If you must use salted butter, just omit salt in the recipe.
- Sugar – I prefer to use white sugar for a couple of reasons – I think white gives a nice color to the bottom caramel. Also, white works best with one-bowl cake recipes.
- Spices – Nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice – all these are great flavors in this recipe. If I make it with fresh peaches, I love just a sprinkle of vanilla extract and nutmeg so that I can keep the flavor and aroma of peaches.
Step-by-step: Upside-Down Peach Cake
- Prep Peaches – Use a sharp utility knife and split the peaches in half, remove the seeds, and cut each half into four slices. (8 slices per peach)
- Fruit Base – Place soft butter and sugar in a 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch square pan – combine well. Spread evenly on the bottom of the pan, so you have a thin layer of butter/sugar under each peach slice.
Pro tip – Do not line the pan with parchment, as it prevents caramelization.
- Arrange the slices of peaches over the mixture in a single layer. You can overlap the slices, but do not double overlap. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake batter.
Pro tip – Too much fruit will cause too many juices to be created. Thus, no caramelization.
- Oven – Preheat oven at 350 °F / 180 °C / Gas Mark 4
- Cake Batter – In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or mixing bowl and whisk ), add all cake ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
Mix well on medium to low speed until the cake batter is smooth with no lumps. - Bake – Pour cake batter over the peaches in the cake pan. Spread it evenly. Shake the pan gently so the batter sinks between the slices.
Bake for about 45 – 50 minutes until the skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Cool slightly – Cool the pan on the cooling rack (wire rack) for only 5 minutes. You need to invert this cake while the sugar is still hot at the bottom of the peaches.
- Invert – Place a plate or serving platter on the cake pan – carefully hold the pan and plate steady while you flip the cake pan over.
- Cool completely – Once inverted, let the cake cool completely. This cake can be eaten warm or cold on its own or served with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Peach Upside Down Cake
This moist peach upside-down cake is the perfect summertime tea cake to make when stone fruits are in season. This homemade peach cake has fresh, ripe slices of peach cooked in the bottom of the batter with caramelized sugar. And the best part is that it's simple, easy, and uses my one-bowl vanilla cake recipe.
Video
Ingredients
- 300 g (4 med) Peaches
- 50 g (4 tbsp) White sugar
- 60 g (4 tbsp) Unsalted butter
- 170 g (6 oz) Unsalted butter
- 200 g (1 cup) White sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 250 g (2 cups) All-purpose flour
- 1¼ tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 180 ml (¾ cup) Whole milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg optional
Method
- Prep Peaches: Use a sharp utility knife to split the peaches in half, remove the seeds, and cut each half into 4 slices. (8 slices per peach)300 g Peaches
- For the fruit base – Place soft butter and sugar in a 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch square pan– combine well. Spread evenly on the bottom of the pan, so you have a thin layer of butter/sugar under each peach slice. Arrange the peach slices over the mixture. You can overlap the slices, but not keep them to double overlap. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake batter.60 g Unsalted butter , 170 g Unsalted butter
- Preheat oven at 350 °F / 180 °C / Gas Mark 4
- Cake batter – In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl and whisk), add all cake ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and vanilla.50 g White sugar , 200 g White sugar , 2 large Eggs, 250 g All-purpose flour , 1¼ tsp Baking powder , ½ tsp Kosher salt , 180 ml Whole milk, 1 tsp Vanilla extract , ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- Bake – Pour the cake batter over the peaches in the cake pan. Spread it evenly, then gently shake the pan so the batter sinks between the slices. Bake for about 45 – 50 minutes until the skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Cool slightly : Place the pan on the cooling rack for only 5 minutes. This cake needs to be inverted while the sugar is still hot at the bottom of the peaches.
- Invert – Place a plate or serving platter on the cake pan. Carefully hold the pan and plate steady while you flip the cake pan over.Note – This is best done correctly, carefully, and quickly by an adult. The cake is hot, and the caramelized sugar juices on the bottom can cause severe burns if not done correctly.
- Cool completely – Once inverted, let the cake cool completely. This cake can be eaten warm or cold on its own or served with whipped cream.
Notes
- Use firm ripe peaches
- Invert while still warm
- Grease pan well
- Cool slightly before slicing
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Mention @veenaazmanov_kitchen or tag #veenaazmanovkitchen!Tips for Success
- Use ripe but firm peaches so they hold their shape
- Grease the pan well and arrange peaches in one layer
- Don’t overmix the batter — keeps the cake soft
- Invert while still warm (within 10 minutes)
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Topping too runny | Not enough sugar or undercooked | Cook a bit longer until thick |
| Cake dry | Overbaked or overmixed | Check early, mix gently |
| Cake stuck in pan | Caramel cooled too much | Warm pan slightly, then invert |
| Peaches too soft | Overripe fruit | Use firm peaches |
Frequently asked questions
If properly stored, this upside-down peach cake will last for 2 days at room temperature. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days. However, I doubt it will last as long as this is truly delicious.
Absolutely! This recipe is versatile and can be adapted with a variety of fruits such as plums, apricots, or even pineapple. Try my Upside-down Plum cake.
If you add chopped peaches to the batter, it will make the cake dense with the weight of the fruit instead of light and airy. Alternatively, try my peach crumble cake or blackberry nectarine/peach cake. Both have chopped peaches in the batter.
While we all love fresh fruits, the stone fruit season is oh-so short. I never get enough of these fruits. So, during the year, I have to use either canned or frozen. They all work great for this recipe, but here are a few tips for the best results.
Fresh – just core, cut, slice, and use in the recipe below. Do not leave cut peaches unused for long, as they discolor.
Canned – drain them well before you use them – any excess moisture will prevent the sugar from caramelizing.
Frozen – use them frozen. So they hold their shape when baked. Thawing them makes them softer and causes them to lose their shape.
While it is possible to use margarine or oil, the texture and flavor of the cake may be compromised. Stick to using butter for the best results.
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the cake looks very undone-i baked it for 50 minuted-is there a typo in the ingredients??? it says 1 eggs ( plural??) but the illustrationn looks like more than one egg
No Richard, the cake was not underdone for me. The recipe has two large eggs. In the pictures, you see more eggs because I made a double batch. Please follow the written recipe. Thanks
Is it not necessary to peel the peaches for this recipe? Does it depend on what type of peach is being used? Thank you.
Hey Cindy. Yes, I do not peel the peaches for this recipe. I have always made this without peeling and no one ever has had any complaints. I have made this recipe with nectarines, apricots, and plums the same way.
Pastry Day 13 Done….
It’s a winner and I tried it with tinned peaches, just the one tin of 400g needed as they are sweet already, drained them pressed the juice out slightly from each slice. Cake was done after 45mins. It does come out looking quite moist and even a knife test will come out a little wet almost like it’s not done yet. But don’t worry once it has completely cooled it’s transformed into a perfect sponge with an incredible crisp edge. Excellent recipe. Thank you!! Oh and didn’t even need a whisk to mix the cake batter I did it with a spoon it all came together pretty quickly so it meant less mixing = less dense cake.
I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Kully. Thank you for the detailed feedback.
I tried making this recipe and it literally fell apart. The peaches are too heavy. The recipe calls for four peaches, i used three, and it was too heavy for the cake. I could tell it was not firming up and baked it an additional 20 minutes-still fell apart when I inverted it. It was BEYOND moist- soggy, really. There is no way the picture associated with this recipe is of four peaches worth of peaches. Count the visible slices. It is more than likely less than two. The taste is delicious! But the cake is a hot mess.
Sorry to hear that Shatzie.
4 medium peaches for an 8-inch cake is correct. But you must cut them into thinner slices. Which is why I suggested 8 slices per peach.
The batter is a butter-based cake so while it is heavy it still is the perfect sponge cake to hold all those fruits when you flip the cake.
The only time the cake would be soggy as you say, is if you used soft ripe fruit that completely disintegrated at the bottom after cooking. Which is why I recommend using ripe but firm peaches.
I’m sorry your cake didn’t turn out but I rechecked the recipe and it look correct. Some have tried it successfully too.
Thank you for the feedback.
It would be nice if people commenting actually MADE the cake/pie/whatever. That’s what we want to read about – not how nice it looks, sounds, etc.
DUH!
Hey Mimi.
Yes, it is always nice to have people come back and let you know how the recipe was. This cake has perhaps only 3 or 4 people who have come back to leave feedback. Often people are motivated to write a comment when they need to clarify a doubt. I wish more people would take the trouble to give feedback.
BUT, I appreciate all the comments. Often these are people who visit my blog regularly and are happy to say a kind word of support and appreciation for my recipes.
These keep me motivated to share more and I know that there is someone on the other side reading my recipes.
Thank you for stopping by – if you do try any of my recipes your feedback would be appreciated.
Just made the cake and enjoyed piece too! Awesome!!
Foxie
Thank you so much Patrick. SO happy to hear that. One of my favorites too. <3
The cake looks so moist and flavorful. There’s always something so special about upside down cakes and the combination with a hot cup of tea is Fabulous. I love the pairing with peach and would try soon.
Thank you Molly. I do love a good Peache cake with my tea. Thanks