Upside Down.

This cake is like Pineapple Upside Down Cake's younger more eccentric sister who just wants to break free from her older's sister's comparisons. But I as simply an advocate for all things cake, love each one equally. 

My mom used to make the Pineapple version all the time when we were little, so the process of any sort of upside down cake is sort of nostalgic. Caramelizing the butter and sugar, arranging the fruit...licking the beaters, it's all very comforting and reminiscent of a simpler time. And even though I sort of claimed the household whisk; I get so happy inside when mom decides to bake for a change. (Still working on my Indian cooking so we can't trade roles too often :)) 

I kind of took my mom's basic formula, combined it with something similar I found in Bon Appetite's Desserts cookbook (my latest obsession) and ended up with something as pretty tasting as it looks. 

A drizzle of honey in the typical brown sugar-butter mixture, fresh juicy peaches instead of canned pineapple, a touch of yogurt and some spices turn my mom's classic up a few notches. The concept of an upside down cake is in the sauce that sits on the bottom of the pan. In this cake, the honey mixture melts ever so gently into the peaches and into the bottom of the cake (which will become the top once flipped), and creates the most luscious, sweet topping. It's sensational. 

For the topping: 

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in honey and brown sugar, boil until mixture slightly darkens. Make sure you're stirring often...it'll take about 2-3 minutes only. Immediately pour honey mixture into prepared pan (I used a 10 in spring form); coat bottom completely by tilting the pan around. Let stand while preparing the batter. 

1 1/4 cups  all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups sugar
4 tablespoons butter room temperature
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla exctract
1/2 cup plain yogurt
About 3 peaches; pitted and sliced

Whisk together the flour, cardomom, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then all of the yogurt, and then lastly, beat in the remaining flour mixture until JUST blended. 

Arrange the sliced peaches over the honey mixture (It will be firm to the touch), covering it as best you can. Drop batter by spoonfuls and gently spread it all over the peaches to cover completely. 

Bake until cake begins to pull away from the side, and toothpick comes out fairly clean. 35-40 minutes should do it. 

After it's cooled, run a knife around the pan sides to loosen the cake. Place serving plate/pedestal over pan, and flip! Make sure you wear oven mitts though. 

Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream :) 



xx Zareen