Nectarine Upside-Down Cake
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Moist, tender cake with ripe, juicy nectarines or peaches! So pretty and so good. Bonus: the caramelized edges!
why i love this recipe
- Summer goodness. This nectarine cake just screams all the goodness of summer – the absolute perfect and quintessential summer treat. Grab a plate, grab a few slices, and top that bad boy off with some vanilla ice cream.
- No mixer needed. Nope, a mixer is not needed here! It’s such an easy cake batter mix, using up all that fresh summer fruit as needed. Don’t have a cake pan? No worries. A cast iron skillet can be used instead.
- Corner pieces win all. The nectarines get wonderfully caramelized around those edges with their amazing juices dripping down the sides as the buttery cake just soaks it all in.
- Great for entertaining. The cake tastes as good as it looks, and it makes for a stunning centerpiece for all your summer entertaining. And don’t worry, flipping the cake over is easier than you think, promise. We included some no-fail tips below.
- Freezer-friendly. Did you know this upside-down cake freezes like a dream? That means we can still have the most lovely summertime nectarine cake even in the dead of winter. Yes, please!
what exactly is an upside-down cake
An upside-down cake is a cake typically made with fruit toppings on the bottom of the cake pan, which is then flipped over once baked. This creates that favorited caramelized layer of fruit on the top of the cake. The most popular version of an upside-down cake is a classic pineapple cake but a variety of fruit can also be used.
how to make an easy nectarine upside-down cake
- Whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
- Whisk together all of the wet ingredients.
- Stir the wet to dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula and working carefully not to overmix.
- Generously butter the bottom of the cake pan or cast iron skillet, making sure to get the sides as well to ensure that the cake does not stick when flipping.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar in an even layer – this is key for that caramelized goodness.
- Arrange the nectarine or peach slices, making sure there are no gaps between the slices.
- Add the finishing touches and top it off with the cake batter, smoothing out the top.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, cooling for 5-10 minutes before flipping it onto a serving plate.
- Serve warm.
fruits to use in an upside-down cake
Nectarines
Peaches
Apricots
Pineapples
Strawberries
Cherries
Apples
Pears
Plums (but not too ripe or juicy)
cake pan versus cast iron skillet
Both a cake pan or cast iron skillet will work very well here. A cast iron skillet retains heat very well for even baking and will generally have more of those deep caramelized edges. The downside of a cast iron skillet is potential flavor transfer from savory dishes made in the cast iron skillet (such as garlic or onion).
fresh, frozen or canned fruit
Fresh fruit
Using fresh fruit is ideal, but this may limit fruit options due to seasonal availability.
Frozen fruit
Frozen fruit can absolutely be used, and is a great way to use seasonal fruits 365 days out of the year. And there is no need to thaw prior to using – handling frozen fruit will be much easier to handle. Baking time may need to be adjusted as the frozen fruit can add additional moisture.
Canned fruit
Avoid using canned fruit as they can be mushy and too heavily soaked in juice or syrup.
tips and tricks for success
- Avoid overmixing. Using a rubber spatula, stir the batter just until everything is just combined and moistened. Overmixing will lead to dense, tough cake.
- Mix it up. Use a different fruit, or add chopped fresh herbs such as basil or thyme. A combination of apples, pears and cinnamon would also make for a perfect Fall version.
- Reheat in the microwave. Heat up a slice of leftover cake in the microwave in short bursts (about 5-10 seconds). It will make all the difference for that warm, cakey, caramelized goodness.
- Freeze as needed. Upside-down cake freezes very well and can typically last up to 3 months in the freezer.
how to easily flip an upside-down cake (without it sticking!)
- Flip the cake shortly after it’s been removed from the oven (about 5-10 minutes).
- Run a butter knife around the sides to help loosen the cake.
- Place a serving plate over the cake. Work quickly and carefully to flip the cake (wearing oven mitts) in one quick motion, gently wiggling. Note, there may be some steam from the cake.
- If the cake has been sitting out for too long, pop it back in the oven for a few minutes for an easy release.
more favorited summertime recipes
Tools For This Recipe
9-inch cake pan or 9-inch cast iron skillet
Nectarine Upside-Down Cake: Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! Once cooled completely, portion into individual slices and wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating at 350°F for a few minutes until heated through or for 5-10 seconds in the microwave.
Nectarine Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and divided
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 4 nectarines, sliced into 1 1/2-inch thick wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, 4 tablespoons butter and eggs. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
- Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the bottom of a cast iron skillet or 9-inch cake pan, swirling the pan until the bottom and sides are well coated. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
- Arrange nectarine slices on top in a single layer. Scoop the batter evenly over the nectarines, smoothing out the top.
- Place into oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and turn upside down onto a serving plate.
- Serve warm.
Did you make this recipe?
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Oh. My. Goodness. So easy to make and tastes, well, tastes like Heaven. If Heaven had a flavor this would be it. Ate one slice and gave the rest to the neighbor because I can’t keep that much Heaven in my house or I’ll need a new wardrobe but I plan on making it many more times with the peaches and nectarines off my tree this season.
Hella hella good! I understand how you gained 5 pounds.
Entire family loved It! They all said it was the perfect amount of sweetness. They loved the chewy edges.
I followed recipe mostly but added a bit of Vanilla and cardamom. Will do again. It’s a keeper.
I just made this for a meal with a friend and I have to say, it was DIVINE! Everything about it was just right. I made it gluten free because I’m celiac, and I added 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger to the cake mix – that little hint of ginger was lovely paired with the nectarines. It’s now on my favourites list and will have to be made again soon. And again after that…. Thank you!
The cake was delicious and easy to make. I can’t eat wheat or dairy, so I substituted gluten-free flour, margarine and used almond milk and lemon juice for the buttermilk. It turned out beautifully! Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
I made this cake and it turned out
Can you freeze it.? With just the two of us I don’t think it would do us any good to eat it all in one sitting
Made a frequent mistake of buying a pallet of Nectarines at Costco. In my defense they looked and taste so good but with only two of us there was no way we would eat them all. Along came this recipe. I made the cake following the exact instructions and it was a huge hit. The cake was not only beautiful but super delicious. This one is a keeper and I will make it again and again. Now about all those plums I had earlier in the year. Hummmm? Maybe they would work too.
Hahahaha the exact reason I am here, the smell stopped me in my tracks at Costco.
I just made this and it turned out delicious!!! I did make some modifications to make it healthier … i) only used 4 tbsp butter for the batter and I lined my pan with parchment paper which avoided the need for the additional butter ii) used 3/4 white sugar for batter instead of 1c, iii) halved amount of brown sugar, iv) didn’t have buttermilk so I used 1 cup milk and 1tbsp white vinegar instead v) lastly added 1/2 tbsp vanilla to wet ingredients. End result it tasted more tart than sweet but I loved it that way! Thank you!!!
PS do you think this will freeze ok?
Excellent! I adapted it as follows to make it just a little bit healthier:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour plus 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
Reduce sugar to 1/2 c., add 1/2 cup pear puree
1/2 tsp. almond extract
I feel like ice cream will be too much, so I’m serving with freshly whipped cream!
Another wonderful recipe! My cake leaked quite a bit of the sugary liquid base in a shallow 9″ cake pan, so I will place a sheet underneath to catch potential drips or use a deeper pan next time. The cake was very moist and delicious warm (w/ice cream, duh) or cold. Fun fact: if you don’t have buttermilk, you can imitate it by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar to a cup of regular milk, which worked wonderfully (although out of this world with real buttermilk, I’m sure). Added a bit of vanilla, cinnamon, and tiny amount of nutmeg…soooo good!
This was very tasty, thank you! I didn’t have quite enough nectarines, so I decided to throw in some blueberries too. They were yummy, but did make the base/top very dark purple. The texture of this cake was dense and moist. Lovely!
The best! Better than cobbler. I put sliced almonds on top of batter before baking. Love the cake recipe! thanks
Delicious and beautiful!
*We didn’t have the buttermilk nor baking soda so used heavy cream and 1tsp baking powder. Turned out great!
Scrumptious!!!
This was amazing! I made it with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 flour and it was mind blowing. And so pretty! It made me feel like a professional. The only difference is that I peeled the nectarines. Thanks for an awesome recipe I can use to impress people!
Does anyone know if you can make this with overly ripe nectarines?!
I also want to know this! lol
I just baked this last night with super ripe nectarines and it came out amazing! 🙂
I was given some Nectarines, to many for us to use
And they were ripe. I used your recipe for Nectarine
Upside down cake. It is amazing, I would never guess
It would be that wonderful. Thank you so much!
I followed the recipe to the T- It came out beautiful and delicious!
This was the first cake I have ever successfully baked myself from scratch after a lot of fails. This is super easy and DELICIOUS WOW! I will never look at a bag of nectarines the same ever again. I plan on making another one tomorrow
Could I use defrosteed peaches from my freezer?
Super easy and delicious