Wow guests with an upside-down cake featuring seasonal fruit and subtle spice.
I choose cake as a canvas quite often. Its process—the way the batter comes together, bakes, and turns into artwork after decorating—holds a childlike wonder for me. Inspired by the South’s summer bounty, I arranged caramelized peaches into a spiral instead of decorating with a classic buttercream and piping bag. The casual elegance of an upside-down cake will never get old, and this peachy twist provides the same wow factor as its buttercream-laced sister.
You start by layering slices of sweet stone fruit on the bottom of your pan and pouring the not-too-sweet, subtly spiced cake batter on top. Feel free to substitute the fruit with what you have, but most importantly, with what’s in season. Stone fruits are perfect in the summertime, while apples and pears can steal the show in the winter. Pick something with a bit of firmness so it holds up during baking and you have that spectacular flip at the end for theatrics.
Ideal for afternoon tea or a post-dinner treat, this cake features neutral oil and sour cream to keep it light and moist, while the almond flour offers just a bit of chew and texture. The pinch of cinnamon adds warmth to the sharpness of the cardamom, which is reminiscent of eating spiced peaches from a jar as a kid.
Caramelized Peach Cardamom Cake Recipe
Serves: 8–10
Ingredients
- 2 firm peaches, sliced
- 3 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup blanched almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup neutral oil (grapeseed, canola, vegetable, etc.)
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, plus ⅓ for sprinkling in pan
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- Flaky salt, for serving (optional)
- Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease an 8 or 9” cake pan with 3 tablespoons of butter, and sprinkle in ⅓ cup of sugar. Put the prepared cake pan in the oven and let the sugar and butter caramelize, about 5–8 minutes. You want it to be amber in color.
Take out and let cool slightly. - Arrange sliced peaches around the cake pan. It’s okay if the sugar has hardened back up, it will melt again in the oven. Remember this will be the top of the cake, so feel free to have fun and arrange in a spiral, or in any pattern you wish.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, almond flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine neutral oil, eggs, sugar, sour cream, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Pour the dry mix into the wet, whisking until combined. Pour into the prepared pan over the top of the peaches.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs. Let sit for 5 minutes to cool. Shimmy a butter knife around the perimeter of the cake to loosen the edges, then invert onto a cake plate. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt and serve with whipped cream—optional, but highly encouraged.
Sydney Taylor is a Greenville native, professional chef, and food stylist who works on TV shows featured on Food Network. She also runs Peachy, her own catering company.
