Cast Iron Peach Upside-Down Cake

This cake makes its own sauce before it’s even a cake. Butter and brown sugar melt together right in a cast iron skillet, peaches go in on top of that caramel, and a simple vanilla batter gets poured over the whole thing and baked. Ten minutes after it comes out of the oven, you flip it, and the caramel and peaches that were on the bottom are now the top.

There’s no candy thermometer here and no separate caramel pan to wash. The skillet you caramelize the peaches in is the same skillet you bake the cake in, which is most of why this recipe works as well as it does with so little fuss.

What You’re Learning

A caramel that doesn’t need a thermometer. Classic caramel is sugar and water, cooked to a precise temperature where a few seconds too long means burnt sugar. This is a different, more forgiving version: butter and brown sugar melted together directly in the skillet until they’re smooth and bubbling, about two minutes. There’s no sugar syrup to scorch and no window to miss, just heat it until it looks like caramel, because at that point, it is.

Why the flip has a timing window. Flip too soon, straight from the oven, and the cake is too soft to hold its shape coming out of the pan. Wait too long, and the caramel cools and starts to set against the skillet instead of releasing from it. Ten minutes of rest is the window where the cake has firmed up enough to survive the flip but the caramel is still warm enough to let go cleanly.

Ingredients

Makes one 10-inch skillet cake, about 8 servings.

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 medium peaches, sliced, peeled if you like but not required (about 3 cups), or one 29 oz can sliced peaches, drained well
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Method

1. Preheat and melt the butter. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat and melt 3 tablespoons of the butter.
2. Build the caramel. Stir the brown sugar into the melted butter until it dissolves into a smooth, bubbling caramel, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
3. Arrange the peaches. Layer the peach slices over the caramel in a single, slightly overlapping layer, covering the bottom of the skillet completely.
4. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Cream the butter and sugar. In a second mixing bowl, beat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter with the granulated sugar until light and creamy. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
6. Combine the batter. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk into the butter mixture, whisking just until smooth. Don’t overmix.
7. Pour over the peaches. Pour the batter over the peaches in the skillet and spread it into an even layer.
8. Bake. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Flip while still warm. Let the cake rest in the skillet for 10 minutes, no longer. Run a knife around the edge, place a large plate face-down over the skillet, and invert both together in one confident motion. Lift the skillet away and the cake releases caramel-side up.

Notes

• The 10-minute rest before flipping matters in both directions, too soon and the cake can’t hold its shape, too long and the caramel starts to set against the skillet instead of releasing.
• Canned peaches work well when fresh aren’t in season. Drain them thoroughly first, extra liquid waters down the caramel.
• Peeling is optional, the skin softens in the oven and is completely fine to eat. It’s most noticeable on a firmer, less-ripe peach, a very ripe one is barely different peeled or not.
• Nectarines are a good stand-in for peaches with the same technique, and they don’t need peeling.
• A well-seasoned cast iron skillet is what makes the release clean. If the peaches stick a little anyway, run a thin knife around the edge before flipping.
• Serve warm on its own or with vanilla ice cream, the caramel is already most of a sauce.
• Leftovers keep covered at room temperature for a day, or refrigerated up to 3 days.