There’s a very important reason you need to know about this cake.
No, it’s not because I sat through some torturous wrestling show last night—though I did, and yes, it was torturous.
The real reason is that peach season is winding down. Good peach season, the kind where each bite tastes like summer, is fleeting. If you’ve followed along before, you know the annual hunt for that one perfect peach. Sometimes you get one; getting two is a rare miracle. The same goes for mangos.
Case in point: this past weekend I ate the best tomato of my life—sweet, juicy, and unforgettable. It made the most delicious BLT with avocado. But peaches are fickle, so when they aren’t perfect I doctor them up with cinnamon, brown sugar and bourbon to make them sing.
This cake came about because my pie attempt failed spectacularly. The crust didn’t cooperate, the filling wasn’t juicy, and the fruit ended up with a floury coating. We sampled it anyway for quality control, but I still needed a proper peach dessert fix.
So I turned the imperfect peaches into something irresistible: cinnamon-sugar-bourbon peach upside-down cake. It’s warm, caramelized, and exactly what late summer needs.
I know I sound like I’m declaring summer over every time I say the season is ending. I don’t really mean it—I know summer runs through September—but habit dies hard. I still picture the end of August as the end of summer, even though it’s been years since school started then. Regardless, I’m determined to eat all the summer foods well into September.
Side note: I love this cake stand. It belonged to my grandma, and while I may have too many cake stands, this one is my favorite for obvious reasons.
What did you do over the past few days? I had some of the best pizza I’ve ever tasted (seriously—every other dinner this week felt lackluster afterward). I also had shaved ice that was fantastic and wish I could recreate it at home. If you have tips, share them—shaved ice for cake swap sounds ideal.
Bourbon Brown Sugar Peach Upside Down Cake
1
(9-inch) round cake
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Ingredients
Topping
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 6 peaches, sliced into 1/4–1/2 inch slices (peeled if desired)
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bourbon Whipped Cream
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
Topping
- Place a 9-inch cake pan on the stovetop over low heat. Add the butter and, once melted, whisk in the brown sugar and cinnamon until the mixture begins to bubble. Whisk in the bourbon, stir for 15 seconds, then turn off the heat and let it sit while you prepare the cake batter.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room-temperature butter on medium until creamy. Add the sugar and increase the speed to high, beating until fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined, then beat in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Arrange the peach slices in the bottom of the pan over the brown sugar mixture, crowding and overlapping slightly as needed. Drop spoonfuls of batter over the peaches and spread gently to cover them evenly. Bake 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes so the fruit settles. After 5 minutes, run a knife around the cake edges, place a serving plate over the pan, and gently invert the cake. Rearrange any fruit if needed. Let cool completely before serving with bourbon whipped cream.
Bourbon Whipped Cream
- In a chilled bowl with the whisk attachment, beat the cold heavy cream and bourbon on high until peaks form. Beat in the powdered sugar and serve immediately with slices of cake.
Notes
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P.S. That bourbon whipped cream is everything.