Good-bye, Summer.....

This was a summer to beat all summers....hot, humid, very little rain.  I'm generally not a fan of summer...I prefer autumn's moderate temperatures, vivd colours, and clear air.

But before the kitchen starts to revolve around pears, apples, and soups and stews, I thought I'd take one last look at summer, and make a Peach Upside-Down Cake.

Growing up around my saintly grandmother, I learned all kinds of things about peach varieties.  Her absolute favourites were Redhavens because they coloured the preserving syrup nicely.  So, when I went to the grocery store to find 4 peaches for the upside down cake, there were some very unripe "regular" peaches, and some ripe white-flesh peaches...no idea the variety...so I thought I'd give them a whirl.

The only time I had ever seen anyone use white peaches was on an episode of Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer show...she poached them in their skins, and the beautiful pinkness dyed the flesh...they were beautiful.  But I had no idea about the flavour.

They were...OK.  They weren't overly peachy in flavour.  They would do in a pinch, but just barely.  It's just like having California strawberries in the middle of winter...they aren't anywhere close to the local berries we get in June, but they're better than not having any at all.  If you decide to make this cake, hold out for full-flavoured peaches if you can still get them, or wait until next year.

Also, be sure that the peaches aren't sliced too thick, as there is a good deal of batter to deal with, and you don't want to overfill the cake pan (mine was pretty full, but luckily, it didn't overflow when baking).

One last thing...when making the caramel mixture, be sure to wait until you have a good flowing liquid...and if you are using a fairly new, really good non-stick pan, spreading the stuff out will be a bit of a nightmare, as it will just float in a massive puddle around the bottom of the pan.  The plus is that it hardens into a very hard candy...very like a Werther's caramel.  I'd also put a shake or 2 of salt in there to make it less flat-tasting.

Peach Upside-Down Cake

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 small fresh peaches, pitted and sliced
2 cups all-purpose flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole milk (3.25%) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch-round cake pan. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp water and then add 3/4 cup sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth and deep golden brown, 8 to 11 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and tilt to coat the bottom. Arrange the peach wedges snugly in the bottom of the pan in a single layer, cutting to fit if needed.

 

Next, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, and stir until incorporated.

 

Beat the remaining 7 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat in each addition until just incorporated.

 

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 30 minutes. Invert onto a plate and let cool completely.