Alton Brown's peach upside down cakes from Good Eats are an easy Southern summer dessert with caramelized peaches and moist buttermilk cake.

Course: Sweets

Keyword: Baking, Brunch, Desserts, Entertaining, Individual Peach Upside-Down Cake, Summer

Individual Peach Upside-Down Cake

Name: Individual Peach Upside-Down Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/4 cup light brown sugar; 2 medium peaches, peeled; 3 tablespoons crystalized ginger, finely chopped, optional; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon baking soda; 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/3 cup sugar; 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional

Individual peach upside-down cake with caramel and a dollop of cream

ACTIVE TIME: 30

TOTAL TIME: 1

Yield: 4 servings

Moist buttermilk cake gets flipped upside down to reveal warm, caramelized peaches.

I have always felt the marriage of cake and fruit to be powerful magic, especially when the elements in question are subtly segregated. A good example of this approach is the single-serving peach upside-down cake, which just might be my favorite breakfast food of all time.

Both U.S. standard and metric measurements are listed, but for consistently delicious results, go metric.

This recipe first appeared in Season 10 of Good Eats.

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3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 medium peaches, peeled
3 tablespoons crystalized ginger, finely chopped, optional
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional

Specialized Hardware

4 (6-ounce) ramekins

Digital kitchen scale

Digital instant-read thermometer

ACTIVE TIME: 30

TOTAL TIME: 1

Yield: 4 servings

Procedure

Heat oven to 350°F.
Divide 2 tablespoons of the butter among 4 (6-ounce) ramekins. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and set aside. Evenly divide the brown sugar among the ramekins, sprinkling it into the bottoms of the dishes.
Cut each peach into 12 to 14 slices. Lay the peaches on top of the sugar, evenly dividing them among the dishes and sprinkle with the ginger, if using. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted butter. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
Pour the batter over the peaches, dividing the mixture evenly among the dishes. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 190°F, 20 to 25 minutes
Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each dish and turn it upside down onto a plate. Serve immediately with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.