One of my favorite recipes out of my mother’s kitchen is her Upside Down Peach Cake. This was one of those incredible desserts she just threw together last minute and pooh-poohed when people cooed over her. It wasn’t until very recently when she handed me the recipe and swore I could make it as well as she could, that I was convinced it’s actually a ridiculously easy – and crowd pleasing – dessert. It’s still not as good as when she makes it, but I’ve given it a whirl a few times and it’s getting there.

The nifty thing about this cake is that the batter is always the same, but you can change up the fruit depending on the season. We had a remarkable peach crop this year, so peach cake became a regular treat for dinner guests come late August. My mum does it with plums sometimes, or frozen fruit when she has unexpected dinner guests, often raspberries she has squirreled in the back of the freezer (which is awesome). I’ll definitely try it with apples over the upcoming weeks, and come December I’d like to try it with cranberries.

It is in no way vegan, but not everyone is as nitpicky as I am these days.

Ingredients:

• 6 peaches
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• cinnamon and sugar
• lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream sugar and butter in a food processor.

Add eggs one at a time and then stir in flour, salt, and baking powder.  Feel free to add a little lemon zest to the batter if you’re looking for a little zing.

Put batter in an 8″ round baking pan that has been buttered (a spring form is the best) and tuck a round-cut piece of wax paper in and butter again.

Cover the batter with desired fruit – in this case peaches – and amply sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Squeeze some lemon over the top.

Bake for about an hour to an hour and a half, until the cake is firm and a toothpick comes out clean. (It should smell God-sent by this point.)

Once it’s cooled flip the cake upside down – hence its name.

The peaches in this particular cake were so pretty on the top that we didn’t flip it – and you’re welcome not to – but traditionally the fruit sort of sinks in and it looks very clean on top when you turn it over. However you see fit.

And presto, Upside Down Peach (or Insert Fruit Here) Cake! Thanks, Mom!