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Despite the thick batter this Ginger Peach Upside Down Cake comes out so light and fluffy with a buttery vanilla flavor that works so well with the ginger peach glaze. The topping is rich and thick, but overall this somehow isn’t a super sweet cake. That might be because it’s got just enough ginger to keep it fresh and light. Honestly, this is the cake you didn’t know you needed to try!
Like any upside down cake we’re adding the sugar and butter topping in the pan first. This is where the ginger goes, and for convenience sake I used the refrigerated ginger paste. You can use an equal amount of peeled and shredded fresh ginger if you prefer. For maximum flavor I don’t recommend using powdered ginger for this step.
The cake itself doesn’t have any ginger in it, but if you want it really zingy you can add a teaspoon of fresh ginger paste or 1/2 teaspoon of dried ground ginger to the batter.
Lay your peaches out in a layer on top of the brown sugar glaze. If you wanted to get really fancy here you could arrange them in a pattern, but it all depends on the size and shape of your peach slices and your pan.
I used frozen peaches and they worked so well for this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen and this cake will come out beautifully zesty and fresh each time. This cake is great for late summer/early fall harvest season, but it can also bring a little bit of that summer feeling to a winter table as well when you use the frozen. Canned peaches have a different flavor and texture so they are not going to work as well in this recipe.
Once you have the thick cake batter on top of the peaches it’s time to bake your cake. When testing for doneness you want to make sure to not pierce down to the peach layer, just get the top cake layer when inserting the knife.
The hardest part might be waiting a bit to flip your cake over. Giving the cake a bit of time to cool lets the topping firm up a bit and ensures you won’t get burned if some of the topping spills out.
This Ginger Peach Upside Down Cake is an easy dessert that combines the freshness of peaches with the zing of fresh ginger. It’s a refreshing take on a classic cake that’s not too sweet or too spicy- it’s just perfectly tasty.
Ginger Peach Upside Down Cake
Yield(s): Makes 8-12 slices
35m prep time
50m cook time
Diet: Vegetarian
you're making mealtime meaningful.
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste or grated fresh ginger
For the Cake:
- 2 cups fresh or frozen sliced peaches (about 5 fruits)
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9” deep round cake pan or a 9”x9” baking dish.
- Combine topping ingredients in mixing bowl. Spread over bottom of pan. Add peaches to pan on top of topping.
- In large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl cream together butter and sugars, then fold in egg. Gradually combine wet and dry ingredients, then stir in milk and vanilla. If mixture is too dry add 1 tablespoon extra milk at a time. Batter will be thick.
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake only comes out clean. Let sit for 5-10 minutes then carefully invert cake by adding a serving plate on top of pan and flipping. Serve with whipped cream and/or candied ginger on top if desired.
Recipe adapted from Land O Lakes.