Peach Cornbread Upside-Down Cake

This summery cake is based on one of my favorite desserts, one that I had at Le Petit Grocery when I was visiting New Orleans. Sweet sliced peaches are arranged in the bottom of a cake pan and topped with a sweet cornbread cake mixture. It’s a play on the more typical version made with pineapple.

The peaches caramelize in the butter and brown sugar mixture and make for an elegant cake topping. When flipped over the extra juices from the peaches seeps down into the cake, keeping it tender and moist. While this cake can be served on it’s own I love adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a hot summer day.

Peach Cornbread Upside-Down Cake

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Peaches – Juicy peaches are one of my favorite things about summer. While they are fairly widely available across the country from late May through early October they are at their peak around the 4th of July (though this somewhat varies based on the location). I typically choose yellow peaches for this cake – they are slightly more acidic and slightly more tart than their white counterpart which I find balances the sugar in the cake.
• Cornmeal –  Cornmeal is made from dried corn and is extremely versatile. Look for a stone ground coarse cornmeal for this recipe. The coarse grind gives the cake more texture.

How to Make Peach Cornbread Upside-down Cake

1. Heat oven. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Prepare pan. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and cut a 9-inch circle of parchment paper and press it into the bottom of the pan.
3. Add peaches to the pan. Drizzle 6 tablespoons of the butter (half) around the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange slices of peaches in the bottom of the pan.
4. Mix the batter. In a large mixing bowl stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In another medium mixing bowl whisk together the remaining butter, eggs and buttermilk. Use a wooden stone to mix the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Bake the cake. Spread the batter evenly over the peaches and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
6. Flip and let cool. Let cool completely, about 20 minutes, then place a serving plate over the top of the pan and carefully flip the cake over. Wait one minute then remove the pan from the cake. Cut into slices and serve.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Grilled Peaches and Cream Challah French Toast
• Grilled Peach and Blackberry Cobbler
• Brûlée Peaches with Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits

Peach Cornbread Upside-Down Cake

Print Pin

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
• ½ packed cup dark brown sugar
• 3 large ripe yellow peaches, pitted and sliced into ¼” thick slices
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
• Butter a 9-inch cake pan and cut a 9-inch circle of parchment paper and press it into the bottom of the pan. Drizzle 6 tablespoons of the butter (half) around the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange slices of peaches in the bottom of the pan.
• In a large mixing bowl stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In another medium mixing bowl whisk together the remaining butter, eggs and buttermilk. Use a wooden stone to mix the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.
• Spread the batter evenly over the peaches and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
• Let cool completely, about 20 minutes, then place a serving plate over the top of the pan and carefully flip the cake over. Wait one minute then remove the pan from the cake. Cut into slices and serve.

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