Peach Upside Down Cake

Name: Peach Upside Down Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter, softened; 1/2 cup brown sugar (either light or dark is just fine); 2 large ripe peaches, sliced into about 12 wedges each; 1 1/2 cups flour; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/3 cup vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 3/4 cup buttermilk; 2 eggs, beaten to blend

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This easy recipe for the best peach upside down cake is rich with the flavors of brown sugar, vanilla, and sweet peaches!

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Why we love this recipe
What is an Upside Down Cake?
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Here’s how to make this Recipe
Recipe FAQs
What to serve with this recipe
Other peachy recipes we love
Could you leave us a review?
Peach Upside Down Cake

Why we love this recipe

Every once in a while the Southern husband remembers a dish his mama used to make for him, and he gets that look of fond memories in his brown eyes, which immediately makes me want to recreate whatever that was.

In this case, he was remembering her peach upside down cake, full of juicy Georgia peaches and a creamy crunchy brown sugar topping, with a sweet buttermilk cake underneath.

So when I recently got a gift of a whole lot of peaches (and okay, they were South Carolina peaches) I sprang into action.

Pro Tip: Peaches should always be stored at room temperature and not in the fridge, and you want to use them within a few days.

We always use them within a few hours/minutes/seconds in my house, although I have to say that bowl gave me a run for my money. But I used all of them! And this peach upside down cake was part of our peach extravaganza.

What is an Upside Down Cake?

It’s a cake that is literally baked upside down – the topping (in this case, sliced fresh peaches and brown sugar) goes in the pan first, and the batter goes in second.

When the upside down cake is baked and cooled, you simply flip it over onto a serving plate (I promise that is super easy) and there you have it! A pretty pattern of brown sugar glazed fruit…no frosting required.

Ingredients you need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Peaches: Look for peaches that are slightly soft to the touch with no visible bruises. If you can only find super hard ones, give them a few days on the counter to ripen.
Buttermilk: You can find this in the dairy aisle, usually near the cream. Use the leftover buttermilk in the carton to make fresh ricotta cheese!
Flour: Regular all purpose flour is what you need.

Here’s how to make this Recipe

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 and spread the softened butter all over the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square baking pan. Yep, we need butter, not cooking spray so your cake pops out of the pan easily.

Drawing a heart in the middle with your buttery fingers is optional, but I always do it. 💛

STEP 2: Spread a half cup of brown sugar over the bottom of the pan, and then put sliced fresh peach wedges in a single layer across the sugar, covering the full bottom of the pan.

STEP 3: Mix together some flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.

STEP 4: Grab another bowl and mix together some vegetable oil, vanilla, buttermilk and eggs.

STEP 5: Pour this egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Peach upside down cake batter in a bowl.

step 6: Now pour the batter evenly over your sliced peaches.

STEP 7: Bake for 40 minutes or until cake is set (a toothpick stuck into the center should come out clean). Let the cake cool for about ten minutes, and then slide a knife around the edges to loosen it. Let it cool completely.

STEP 8: Now! Here comes the exciting part. Place a serving dish over the top of the baking dish and carefully flip it over so the cake comes out peach side up. Tap on the bottom of the pan and give it a little jiggle if it needs any help coming out.

STEP 7: Cut into squares, and I won’t tell anyone if you serve it up with some vanilla ice cream on top of each piece!

Recipe FAQs

Do I need to peel the peaches?

You can if you want to, but I never do. I give them a good gentle scrub to make sure they are clean, and then I slice them in half, pull out the pit, and slice the halves into thin slices, peel and all!

Are you sure this is going to come out of the pan okay?

I am! You are going to butter your pan generously, and you are going to wait until it is cool, and then you are going to put your serving dish on top of the baking pan, flip it over and give it a little jiggle. It works every time!

What should I do with all the buttermilk I have left over?

SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. But my top three suggestions would be homemade ricotta cheese (so easy!), Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders, and/or Coca-Cola Cake. (Now I’m hungry).

Have a question I didn’t cover?

Drop your question in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!

And we all lived happily, peachily ever after!

What to serve with this recipe

We’ve already covered the ice cream possibilities, and whipped cream is also a great choice.

And a cup of fresh mint tea would go perfectly with this cake…or dare I suggest a peach margarita?

Other peachy recipes we love

Looking for more cake inspiration? Here is our complete collection of cake recipes!

Could you leave us a review?

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.