Peach Upside-Down Cake

Peach Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 ripe peaces

• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

• zest of 1 lemon

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 tsp almond extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• a pinch or two of salt

1. Grease an 8 or 9-inch round cake or pie pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease that as well.

2. Cut the peaches into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Arrange on the bottom of the pie pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, orange zest, baking powder and nutmeg, set aside.

4. In another medium bowl, beat together the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Beat in the almond extract. Stir in the flour mixture a little at a time until well combined. Do not over mix. Set aside.

5. Combine the other 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water and a pinch or two of salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture turns amber, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and pour this caramel evenly over the peaches.

6. Spread the batter evenly over the peaches and caramel.

7. Bake in a preheated 350°F (325°F convection oven) for 30 to 35 minutes, until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack.

8. Run a knife around the sides, place a platter on top and invert the cake onto the platter. If any of the peach slices stick to the pan, lift them off carefully and replace them on top of the cake. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 8

Notes&Tips:

• Peaches are one of my favorite fruits. Their juiciness reminds me so much of the mangoes I used to eat whole as a child. The juice of the mango will run down my arm and I would "race" to lick it off before it drips!

• I make good use of Peaches when in season: eating it raw, grilling it for dessert with just a drizzle of honey and lemon juice, incorporating it into salads, making preserves, and baking countless desserts that call for this heavenly fruit.

• When making the caramel, you have to attend to it as you do not want it to burn. And it quickly turns from caramel (literally, seconds) to burnt caramel; which is bitter. I learned from experience. The first time I made this caramel, I remove it from the heat at the right time but left it in the pan and it kept on cooking and became burnt by the time I was ready to use it. Because of this, I complete all the steps in the baking process of this recipe before I devote time to the caramel.

• If your peaches are sweet, you may want to use 1/3 cup sugar instead of 1/2 cup for making the caramel. Either way, this Peach Upside-Down Cake has the right amount of sweetness. We served this dessert as is; without any whipped cream or ice cream. If you plan to serve with either of these, you may reduce the sugar.