Peach Upside Down Cake a la New York Times

To my mind,  this recipe combines aspects of pineapple upside down cake, cottage pudding, coffee cake, and tarte Tatin, that famous French caramelized topsy turvy apple dessert. It is drawn from the New York Times cooking column, and a recipe maker whose fabulous name is Florence Fabricant. Ms. Fabulous Fabricant recommends serving this cake with a dollop of creme fraiche.

The recipe makes one cake but I made two at once, to double my pleasure and double my fun.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound softenened unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 3 large ripe peaches (peeled)
• 1 and 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch cake or pie pan , then line it with parchment paper and butter that as well.

Slice the peaches and arrange them on the bottom of the pan.

Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the mixture turns amber. This takes 12 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat and pour it over the peaches in the pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder and nutmeg. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light, then beat in the eggs one at a time.Stir in the flour mixture, then spread the batter evenly over the peaches. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and the cake feels set to the touch.  

Cool the cake somewhat, then run a knife around the sides of the baking pan and invert it on a serving dish while praying to the baking gods.