In collaboration with Brixton Windmill and using their organic wholemeal flour
If an upside down cake can only be made by using fruit, that definitely sounds like my type of cake. I love using fresh fruit in my recipes, they are so versatile, good looking and delicious, the options are endless.
I decided to make a peach upside down cake because peaches are possibly my most favourite fruit and I have been trying to find a good recipe to celebrate them for a while now.
It turns out, fresh peaches are not the easiest fruit to bake with. They are very juicy, which can be a problem sometimes, and their flavour is not an easy one to maintain and convey in a dessert.
After many unsatisfactory attempts, I finally had my eureka moment at dinner with friends, who simply baked some peaches and served them with a delicious pistachio custard. They made me realise I was trying too hard.
Peaches are perfect for an upside down cake, because they keep their shape, the caramelisation process locks the flavour in and actually makes it much deeper, and their juice soaks into the cake, keeping it moist and sticky.
To add even more depth to that sticky beauty, I decided to swap normal plain flour for a more flavoursome and interesting mix of wholewheat flour and ground almonds. These flours give a more rustic side to the cake and they make me feel like I am in a countryside cottage and I just baked this delicious peach upside down cake for a scrumptious summer treat.
Peaches are still around for a few weeks before they are out of season, so I urge you all to rush, get some and bake this cake for your breakfast. It lasts outside the fridge for a few days, covered with cling film or a bowl (don’t put it in the fridge or it’ll become very hard due to the high amount of butter in the sponge).
Have a slice every morning accompanied by some greek yoghurt or creme fraiche alongside a hot coffee and your entire day will taste so much sweeter.
Makes one 20cm cake
Ingredients
FOR THE PEACHES
- 4 yellow flesh peaches (choose fruit that are just ripe but still a bit hard)
- 40g unsalted butter
- 125g caster sugar
- 75ml water
FOR THE CAKE
- 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 125g caster sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 125g wholemeal flour (I used Brixton Windmill)
- 75g ground almonds
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- A handful of thyme leaves
- 125ml whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
Method
PREPARE THE FRUIT
- Butter base and sides of a 20 cm round cake tin. If you are using a loose bottom one, you will need to wrap the outside with foil to prevent any of the caramel from leaking. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Wash and pat dry the peaches. Slice each one into six wedges and throw the pits away. Set aside.
- For the peaches, put the granulated sugar and water into a small saucepan. Heat on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and watch the syrup until it starts to turn to a deep amber colour. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until it has melted. Pour into the cake tin, then lay the peaches in it, cut-side down. Try to fill as much space as possible, since the fruit will shrink a bit once cooked.
MAKE THE CAKE
- For the cake, beat together the butter and sugar until light with an electric whisk or a stand mixer. Add the lemon zest and beaten egg a little at a time, until incorporated. Don’t worry if it curdles a bit, it will come back together when you add the flour and milk.
- Combine the milk, vanilla and almond extract. In another bowl, mix flour, almonds, baking powder, salt and thyme together. Fold the dry mix gradually into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk mix until fully incorporated. Spoon the cake batter over the peaches, spread evenly and bake for 40 / 45 minutes. To test it’s baked, push a skewer into the centre. It should come out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool for 15 mins, then run a knife in-between the cake and the inside of the tin and invert it onto a plate. Gently turn the tin around to release any fruit that caught on the bottom and carefully remove the tin. If any of the peach slices get left behind in the tin, carefully scoop them up trying to keep their shape intact and put them back on the cake.
- Leave the cake to cool completely before serving. Serve decorated with some more thyme leaves and a dollop of creme fraiche.