If you’re looking for a great summertime dessert recipe, I highly suggest this Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake, served a la mode, obviously.
It’s obvious from my last post that I wasn’t happy with the end result of my first June baking challenge so I set out to give it another whirl with a tastier combination, making this Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake.
For context, the whole purpose of my baking bucket list this year is for me to master a recipe or technique. And while I do believe I mastered the upside down technique with the original rhubarb upside down cake, it wasn’t a delicious cake. It was nothing I’d want to make again and I felt a bit disappointed in the overall experience. So I set out to make a cake worth eating.
And this Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake is a winner!
The recipe uses fresh, seasonal peaches, lots of brown sugar, and a splash of bourbon mixed with warm spices to make a deliciously comforting cake all topped with a scoop of melty vanilla bean ice cream. It’s a serious bite of summer and it takes me back to my childhood patio on a warm summer night.
I used this Food Network recipe as my base cake recipe but made a couple of changes to meet my own taste preferences. I’m pretty sure the changes I made make this stellar recipe even more delicious. My full recipe details are below.
Brown sugar & butter makes everything tastes better
While the original recipe called for granulated sugar melted with water to make the syrup that goes on the bottom of the cake pan, I chose to swap granulated sugar for brown sugar and water for butter. I melted the two together in a saucepan until it was thick and sticky. I then spread it into a bottom of a 10-inch cake pan and topped it with sliced peaches.
Pumpkin spice isn’t just for lattes
I love using pumpkin pie spice when baking with fruits because it’s the perfect mixture of warm baking spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, and ginger. All of these flavors play well with peaches and bourbon so for maximum flavor I added a dash of pumpkin spice into the cake batter, making the crumb have a slight spice-cake taste to it.
Who doesn’t love a la mode?
I love peaches and vanilla ice cream and there was no way I could eat this Bourbon Peach Upside Down cake without a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Obviously, I used Halo Top because it’s my go-to. If you haven’t tried their vanilla ice cream, it’s delicious and pairs perfectly with the cake. I especially loved it when it gets melty and mixes with the bourbon & peach topping.
If you’re looking for a great summertime dessert recipe, I highly suggest this Bourbon Peach Upside Down cake, and don’t forget to make it a la mode!
Check out my past baking bucket list challenges here. Up next is a lattice top blueberry pie!
- ¾ cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large peaches, cut into ½-inch wedges (firm but ripe)
- 3 tablespoons bourbon (like Bulleit)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ounces pecan pieces ground into a powder or small crumb
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick + 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Preheat the oven to 375F and prepare a 10-inch cake pan (or similar) by spraying the bottom and sides with a non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
- Add the brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of butter to a small saucepan. Melt over medium heat until it thickens into a paste.
- Spread the paste into the bottom of the prepared cake pan in an even layer. Place the peach slices evenly on top of the brown sugar. Pour 3 tablespoons of bourbon on top and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pecans, cinnamon, pie spice, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together the stick of butter and granulated sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each followed by the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour, and mix until just incorporated. Pour the batter over the peaches and spread evenly. Place the cake pan onto a large baking sheet (in case there's run over) and bake 45-50 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 20-25 minutes on a wire rack. After cooling, run a small knife around the outer edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a large cake plate on top of the cake and quickly flip the two to dislodge the cake from the pan. You may need to tap it lightly on the counter to get it to fall out.
- Slice and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.