24 Bakes: Peach Upside Down Cake
Bake #11 was pretty (and easy)
Why this recipe
For my son’s second birthday in late 2023, I made a pineapple and raspberry gingerbread upside down cake and it turned out great. I realized then and there that upside down cakes were easy and a great way to use up extra fruit!
The Recipe
For this recipe, I turned to my favorite app, the NY Times Cooking App. This recipe, by Florence Fabricant, was a little different than one I’ve done before, because it involved caramelized sugar, but after a bit of googling, I was ready.
How it went
A haiku about this recipe:
Don’t touch the sugar
Careful not to burn yourself
Otherwise perfect
After you prep your pan with a round of parchment paper and lots of butter, you’ll arrange your peach slices. You want to cut them as thin as you can and then make a fun pattern on top. My slices were maybe a little too thick, but it turned out fine!
Most of what I know about baking is from The Great British Bakeoff. I know, as a fact, that if you’re making caramel, you have to let it sit. Don’t stir it!! There were a few folks in this season of the Bakeoff that didn’t listen to those instructions and couldn’t quite get their caramel right. I’m very proud of the fact that while I would never, ever make it on that show (Nailed It is far more likely), but I can caramelize some damn sugar.
Then you’ll start to make your sugar water (said in Vincent D'Onofrio’s voice in Men in Black, obviously). The recipe doesn’t indicate what to do to make caramel, but the comments do, which was very helpful (side note: my friend Mike and I LOVE the NY Times cooking comments). Anyway! You want to leave. the. caramel. alone. Don’t stir, and stay very, very vigilant, because it can turn quickly. I used instructions I googled, but didn’t save, and they were super helpful. These read very similar to what I found!
After your caramel is ready, CAREFULLY pour it into the pan. I burned the f— out of my finger and dropped caramel everywhere. I wasn’t ready, at all, for it. After that, you’ll beat together your cake, pour it on top, and toss it into the oven.
What I Learned
Caramel burns. Caramel can burn easily but it can also burn your finger even quicker. Be vigilant when you’re boiling sugar water on the stove.
I love a pretty cake. This cake was good. The flavors were wonderful and honestly I might love making upside down cakes simply because they’re beautiful. If you need something to impress someone, make one of these — no wonder housewives loved them.