Name: Blueberry Peach Upside Down Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2 Large Peaches, Peeled and Sliced; 1 Pint Fresh Blueberries; 1 ½ Sticks Unsalted Butter; ½ cup Light Brown Sugar; ¾ cup Granulated Sugar; 2 Large Eggs; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; ½ tsp Almond Extract; 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour; ½ cup Buttermilk; 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder; ½ tsp Salt; ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

We are getting used to school at home, though it does feel a little like we have fallen through the looking glass. Everyone is up early in the morning, rushing to get to school – at their desks 2 feet from their beds. A few hours later, they come tumbling down the stairs to scavenge in the kitchen for lunch. Then they run back up to finish out the day, leaving a wave of kitchen destruction in their wake. I know this is the same story for most homes right now – upside down times, indeed.

So, while feeling very upside down, I thought I would try my hand at an upside down cake. I have never actually made an upside down cake before, so now seemed like a great time to try.

Apparently, upside down cakes date back to the Middle Ages, when they were known as skillet cakes. People would bake them over an open fire, layering apples and dried fruit in a skillet, then pouring the batter on top.

Pineapple Upside Down cake is one of the most popular versions. While I love pineapple, I prefer mine fresh, not canned, and most recipes call for canned pineapple. So, I thought I would try something else.

Fortunately, we still have a couple weeks left of peach season. I like to buy a big basket of peaches from the farmers market as often as I can. It takes a couple of days for them to ripen to perfection, and then they can get away from you and ripen too quickly. This gave me the perfect excuse to bake with the peaches and try out a Blueberry Peach Upside Down Cake.

I did my thing and researched some recipes, focusing on versions cooked in a cast iron skillet. The recipe I landed on was from http://www.goboldwithbutter.com. I, of course, added a few flavor notes to the batter with almond extract and a touch of cinnamon.

The process is extremely easy, and uses things most people keep on hand. This makes it the prefect dessert to whip up for unexpected company, or a great way to salvage summer or fall fruit before it is too far gone.

You start by prepping the fruit, washing the berries and slicing and peeling the peaches. Next, you melt some butter in your cast iron skillet on the stove top. Sprinkle an even layer of brown sugar on top of the butter, and arrange your fruit artfully.

Mix up the deliciously buttery batter and pour it on top of the fruit, spreading evenly. Then you bake it until it smells delicious and is golden brown on the top – or rather the bottom.

The butter, brown sugar and fruit combine to make a lovely caramelized topping for the fluffy cake, which tastes similar to a Snickerdoodle cookie, thanks to the addition of cinnamon.

The hardest part is flipping the cake out of the pan, after it has cooled a bit. If your cast iron skillet is well-seasoned to start with, it should slip out nicely. The trickier part is finding a plate or platter the right size for your cake.

My cast iron skillet is a 12” pan, and most of my plates are much smaller. But I managed to get it out and onto a plate without breaking it apart.

This cake is perfect for a lighter dessert after dinner on a hot summer night, or it would make a lovely centerpiece to an afternoon tea.

You can bake this cake in a regular round cake pan, if you don’t have a cast iron skillet. Just melt some butter and drizzle it onto the bottom of your cake pan, then continue with the rest of the recipe. It may take a bit longer to bake, as it will likely have a deeper layer of batter than a cast iron skillet.

I can’t wait to try an apple upside down cake when we say goodbye to peaches and hello to apples. Maybe I will figure out how to sneak a little bourbon in with the apples, too.

In the meantime, give this version a try, or substitute any variety of stone fruit or summer berries you have on hand.

AuthorMelissa JoyDifficultyBeginner

Yields10 Servings

Prep Time30 minsCook Time40 minsTotal Time1 hr 10 mins

2 Large Peaches, Peeled and Sliced

1 Pint Fresh Blueberries

1 ½ Sticks Unsalted Butter

½ cup Light Brown Sugar

¾ cup Granulated Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

½ tsp Almond Extract

1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour

½ cup Buttermilk

1 ½ tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Peel and slice the peaches and set aside.

Place the cast iron skillet on the stove top and melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the skillet.

Remove the skillet from the heat and evenly sprinkle the brown sugar in the pan.

Allow the pan to cool slightly, then spread the peach slices and blueberries in the bottom of the skillet.

In a large bowl, cream the granulated sugar and 8 tablespoons of softened butter.

Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and almond extract.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix well.

Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture and mix well.

Next, add about a third of the buttermilk to the bowl and combine thoroughly.

Continue to gradually add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk until it is all combined.

Pour the batter on top of the fruit in the skillet and spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake the cake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and set in the center.

Remove the skillet from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before placing a large plate on top of the pan in preparation for flipping the cake out.

Carefully flip the skillet upside down, using oven mitts as the pan will still be hot. Allow the cake to cool a bit more before serving.

Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

Ingredients