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

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 to make the best peach upside down cake!
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Fresh Peaches
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Baking Soda
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
Here’s how to make the best peach upside down cake!
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.
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. Pour this egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Now pour the batter evenly over your sliced peaches.
STEP 5: 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 6: 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!
More tips for making the best peach Upside down cake!
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!
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!
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).
Drop your question in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
And we all lived happily, peachily ever after!
Best Peach Upside Down Cake
This easy recipe for the best peach upside down cake is rich with the flavors of brown sugar, vanilla, and sweet peaches!
- Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
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
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spread the softened butter all over the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square baking pan.
- Spread the brown sugar over the bottom of the pan, and then put the peach wedges in a single layer across the sugar, covering the full bottom of the pan.
- Mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix together the vegetable oil, vanilla, buttermilk and eggs. Pour this egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Now pour the batter evenly over your sliced peaches.
- 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.
- 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.
- Cut into squares and serve!
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
Keywords: the best peach upside down cake, how to make peach cake, peach upside down cake, easy peach upside down cake recipe
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