The day is just not complete without dessert at our house.

Oh…  I know that I’d be doing much better at the Friday weigh-in if I forsook  this nightly ritual, but… ya know what?!?  Life is about living, not being a size 3.

So tonight, with some absolutely delicious peaches in the house, I decided on a peach upside down cake.

I found a recipe at Epicurious using peaches and pecans, but I didn’t have any pecans in the house and had lots of almonds and almond meal.

I have to say that it totally rocked.  The cake was unbelievably good, the peaches perfect, and the almonds added just the right amount of crunch.

Peach and Almond Upside-Down Cake

For peach and pecan topping:

  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 3 peaches cut into 8 wedges

For cake:

  • 1 1/2 cupsall purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk

preparation

Peach and Pecan Topping:

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar; whisk until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Pour mixture into 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; spread evenly over bottom of pan.  Arrange peach wedges,  covering pan bottom. Sprinkle with almonds.

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 6 ingredients. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until butter is pale, about 4 minutes. Whisk eggs and vanilla in small bowl until well blended. Add egg mixture to butter mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating just until blended after each addition. Drop batter by large spoonfuls atop almonds and peaches in pan; spread evenly and gently.

Bake cake until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool in pan 25 to 30 minutes (do not cool longer or peach layer may stick to pan). Run small knife around sides of cake to loosen. Invert onto serving platter.  Cool.