High Altitude Peach Upside Down Cake

Upside down cake is one of those retro desserts that everyone I know grew up with and loved. Pineapple was the most common flavor, of course. But a peach upside down cake is a completely delicious way to bake with fresh peaches during peach season.

The peaches are soaked in a rich, sweet syrup of brown sugar and butter, with vanilla cake batter poured right on top. After flipping the baked cake over, the peaches in all that glorious sauce end up on top of the cake, keeping it moist and flavorful. The high altitude vanilla cake is soft, a little dense like a pound cake, and so good in this slightly rustic dessert.

You might also love these spiced peach vanilla cupcakes, brown butter peach crumb bars, and peach lattice pie.

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Why You’ll Love This Cake

Versatile. Make an upside down cake with pineapple, peaches, apples or even rhubarb, and it will be fantastic every time. Do you have a vanilla layer cake recipe you already love? Just cut your recipe in half and use it for an upside down cake.

Easy, Simple and Modestly Sized. Just look at my cake recipes, and you’ll know I love sky-high, buttercream frosted layer cakes. But sometimes a simple one layer cake is just what I’m in the mood for, one that’s quick and easy to make with little fuss, and is just enough to serve for dessert without too much leftover.

From Scratch. Some recipes will call for canned peaches topped with cake mix batter, but my recipe is completely from scratch, easily baked in a cake pan, and you can use either fresh or frozen peaches.

Soft, Gooey and Buttery. With the moist, buttery vanilla cake, juicy peaches and gooey butter and brown sugar syrup, this cake is hard to resist.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Peaches. You can use fresh or frozen peaches, whichever is most convenient and in season.
• Brown Sugar. The brown sugar sprinkled over the peach layer melts into the butter, creating a sticky sweet syrup that’s just incredible.
• Unsalted Butter. You’ll be using melted butter, both on the peach layer, and mixed into the cake batter for moisture and flavor.
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture to the cake.
• Eggs. Gives the cake structure.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Whole Milk + Sour Cream. Using full-fat dairy will give your cake more flavor and better texture.
• Lemon Zest. A little hint of lemon adds brightness and complements the flavor of the peaches, but this is optional if you don’t have any lemons on hand.
• Cake Flour. Gives the cake structure and strength.
• Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Baking Powder. Leavens the cake batter.
• Cinnamon + Nutmeg. Flavor.

TIP: Be sure to spray your cake pan thoroughly with nonstick baking spray AND line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper. The gooey peach layer is very sticky, and will not cleanly release from the pan without these precautions.

Instructions

Getting Ready

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
• Grease an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. (You can also use a round 9-inch cake pan.)

Peach Layer

• Peel and pit the peaches, then slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Arrange the peach slices in the bottom of the pan.
• Sprinkle with the brown sugar, and then drizzle with the 4 tablespoons melted butter.

Cake Batter

• In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices, then whisk until evenly distributed.
• Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, milk, sour cream and lemon zest, and whisk the batter until smooth and combined, about 10-15 seconds.

• Pour the cake batter over the peaches. Bang the pan several times on the counter to settle the batter around the peaches.

TIP: The long bake time may seem like too much. But it’s a thick layer of cake that’s very moist, and you want to make sure you don’t have uncooked batter in the center.

Bake

• Bake for about 55-65 minutes, until a sharp knife in the center comes out clean.  Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate or cake pedestal and let cool for several hours.
• Serve warm, or at room temperature, with freshly whipped cream.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a peach upside down cake with fruit other than peaches?

Absolutely! Of course, pineapple is a classic fruit for an upside down cake. Apricots or nectarines would work just as well as peaches. In the fall, an apple upside down cake would be cozy and delicious. And a rhubarb upside down cake is just fantastic with the tart fruit in the sweet syrup. With rhubarb, you can get pretty creative in how you cut and arrange the stalks into geometric patterns.

Should I use fresh or frozen peaches?

Both fresh and frozen peaches work equally well. When fresh peaches are in season, I like to use those, but in the off season, frozen are very convenient and easy to use. You can use canned peaches, too, as long as you drain the syrup.

Do I need to peel the peaches first?

Personally, I always peel peaches before baking with them, since I don’t care for the texture of the peel after it’s baked. But if you don’t mind it, feel free to leave the peaches unpeeled.

What should I serve with this cake?

Peach upside down cake is fantastic served warm with fresh whipped cream, homemade vanilla bean ice cream or cinnamon ice cream.

Does this cake need to be refrigerated?

The cake will be fine at room temperature for about 12 hours, as it cools. After that, you should cover it and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Since it’s so moist and topped with juicy, fresh fruit, it will spoil if kept at room temperature. You can re-warm individual slices in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds at 50% power.

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