This is a lightly sweetened vegan peach upside-down cake that allows the fresh flavor of the peaches to shine through. Only 1g fat per serving!
There’s no long introduction to this recipe, folks. I could talk about how it’s peach season and the sweetest, juiciest, not-quite-local peaches come from Chilton County, Alabama. Or I could travel down memory lane and plague you with childhood stories of how I used to gorge on peaches in my family’s orchard until the fuzz burned off the skin under my nose.
But no. Sometimes a few pictures and a recipe are all you need. Relax, sit back, and enjoy this fat-free Peach Upside-Down Cake. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves.
I will say that I made this using a small, well-seasoned cast iron skillet, and I did wipe it with oil. I know that’s a taboo for people following a strictly no-0il diet, but unless you are absolutely sure that your pan will allow a sugary cake and topping to release cleanly, I recommend it.
You can also make this in a non-stick skillet but only if it has handles that can go into the oven. Please don’t melt your pan’s handle!
Some readers have had good results making this in a silicone or non-stick baking pan. If you want to go that route, cook the peaches on the stove and then transfer them to your baking pan before adding the cake batter. Then bake it in the oven for the time indicated in the recipe.
Want More Peach and Summer Fruit Recipes?
Check out these vegan summertime favorites:
Peach Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 cup natural sugar (I used demerara for all the sugar in this recipe)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Liquid Ingredients
- 1 cup vanilla soy milk mixed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (or 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract)
Peaches
- 4 cups peeled and sliced peaches
- 2 tablespoons natural, raw or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup natural, raw or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Combine the soy milk, vanilla, and lemon zest in a separate bowl. Set aside without mixing them together.
- Combine the peaches with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Wipe or spray a 10-inch, well-seasoned cast iron skillet with oil. (This step is very important if you want to be able to get the cake out of the pan.) Begin heating it and add the 1/4 cup (or more) of sugar and the 2 tablespoons water. Heat and stir until the sugar is completely melted. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture is bubbly and slightly reduced (but be careful not to burn it). Place the peaches on top of the sugar and remove from heat:
- Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture, stirring briefly just to moisten. Pour and smooth the batter over the peaches, covering them entirely. Put the skillet into the oven (you may want to place a cookie sheet or foil on the shelf below it to catch drips) and bake until the sides of the cake pull away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean (about 30-40 minutes):
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15-30 minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a large plate or serving platter over the top and invert the skillet. Remove the skillet carefully from the cake:
- Be sure to scrape any caramelized juices from the pan and smooth them over the peaches. Voilà! Peach Upside-Down Cake!
- Serve warm or at room temperature, alone or with vanilla non-dairy ice cream. Makes about 8 servings.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share:
Elisa
July 10, 2012 at 3:58 pmWooooow! Just make it… Is so good aNd fresh for summer. With soy ice cream flavoured almond is perfect!
Thank you and I promise myself to try all of your receipes!
🙂
Darice
August 28, 2019 at 9:02 pmI just made this cake and unfortunately it came out tasting absolutely horrid. We all could taste “iron” in the cake from the iron skillet. The cake tastes like metal – definitely not what we were expecting. I have a very good iron skillet and greased it well. Everyone was so excited to try this cake and waited patiently for it to be ready to be eaten, we all spit the cake out it was so terrible. I had to throw out the whole cake. So disappointing. Next time, I’m not using an iron skillet again.
lisa
October 31, 2012 at 9:55 pmSusan, this cake sounds divine. I was wondering if I can substitute almond or oat flour for the white? Also, I have never baked w/ date sugar and was wondering if that could work instead of using white sugar?
thank you
Tyent
March 10, 2013 at 8:19 pmHi,
This recipe sounds great? Just wondering if I could make a gluten free version of this recipe… I love anything with peach in it, and if I cannot eat the fresh juicy peach and enjoy the juice running down my hands – then a recipe with peaches in it is the next best thing.
Jessica
August 6, 2013 at 10:34 amThank you! I love this recipe and I’m so glad there’s a vegan option!
Barbara
August 6, 2013 at 11:23 amThanks for this recipe! I have been looking for a vegan version of either a peach cobbler or cake. This looks perfect!
Sara
October 6, 2013 at 11:11 amI made this last night for my parents’ anniversary dinner and it was a big hit with everyone. Even though I am the only vegan they all loved it! I made it using Bob’s Red Mill gluten free mix, and added 3/4 tsp. guar gum (Bob’s suggests xanthan, but I use guar). Because I only had a 12 inch skillet, I also added an extra peach and a small container of blackberries to make sure I had enough fruit. I also added about 2 extra tablespoons of the flour mix and a tad more milk (I used unsweetened coconut) to make sure I had enough batter to cover the fruit. Although the cake part on mine wasn’t as thick as Susan’s, since I used a larger skillet, it still baked up beautifully. I wish I had taken a picture! I will definitely make this again! I also made the polenta lasagna, which I make frequently, and is another big hit with my family 🙂
PC
October 8, 2013 at 7:19 pmCan I substitute almond milk for the soy milk?
Susan Voisin
October 8, 2013 at 8:22 pmYes almond milk should work fine.
Traci
November 1, 2013 at 10:46 amCould this be made with apples instead of peaches? Perhaps substituting cinnamon for the nutmeg in the batter?
Yuukichi
January 15, 2014 at 10:16 pmHi Susan , thanks you for your recipe
They help me a lot especially that I try to improve in cooking not being very talented. And thus I would have a maybe difficult question because you made a success of the recipe marvelously. I made everything but that when I took out the frying pan of the oven then returned at the end of 15 min, peach were not any more above but inside the dough as a simple apple pie.
Pat
May 14, 2014 at 1:32 pmHi, this receipe sounds wonderful. I will try it for my daughters birthday, except I will use pineapple (her favorite) instead of peaches. Will this work as well?
Susan Voisin
May 14, 2014 at 1:36 pmI haven’t tried it, but it should work. Good luck!
Beth
July 23, 2014 at 11:24 pmMade this tonight with modifications to reduce the sugar and it was super yummy! I replaced the sugar in the cake with a newly discovered product madahava organic agave 5. I kept the sugar with the peaches. I also replaced the white flour with whole wheat pasty flour. Despite really messing with your original recipe, it came out beautifully. My nutritional analysis said that there was 185 calories per slice. Not sure why it was so much higher than yours. But thanks for a great recipe.
Agne
October 19, 2014 at 11:47 amSimply amazing! Thank you, Susan! :))
D Chen
June 18, 2015 at 11:47 am“Preheat oven to 350”??
Guess it is not Celsius or meant for someone who is cooking for the first time.
Dirk
May 16, 2017 at 3:47 amI even don´t know any oven that would provide 350 degrees Celsius.
But the cake looks gerat. I shur will try it out. Thanks!
Nancy A. Speed
September 6, 2016 at 4:13 pmHello, Susan ~
We’ve a “Peach Capital” in Oklahoma. It’s Porter, and they’ve recently had their festival. My friend from Georgia tells me she misses THESE peaches more than her own Georgia ones. Haha Your recipe looks fantastic, and I’m going to be making it this week — at least once! Guess the hometown foods still bring wonderful memories for most of us…. Thank you for sharing….
Joyce
August 16, 2017 at 10:27 amI just came across your recipe and have a question about step #3, ” ….. add the 1/4 cup (or more) of sugar and the water”: How much water should I add to the 1/4 cup of sugar?
Susan Voisin
August 16, 2017 at 12:47 pm2 tablespoons. The instructions were confusing, so I’ve edited them to clear things up.
Sherry
December 29, 2019 at 7:44 pmGoing to try this, but gluten free.
I’ll comment and post pic after I do!
Thanks for this recipe!
Shayla
August 20, 2017 at 10:03 amI just bought a case of peaches and was looking for something new to make with them. Thanks, Susan this looks delicious and I shared it on my site for my readers to enjoy too! http://www.evolutioncoachingu.com
Yelena
September 10, 2017 at 6:22 amThis cake is so yummy!!! I also substituted 1/2 a cup of flour with almond meal. That was really good too!! I can’t wait to share this with friends.
Lori Whitworth
October 25, 2019 at 3:34 pmThis recipe was a big hit at our house!
SE
February 12, 2020 at 2:29 amIs it necessary to use fresh peaches or can I used canned peaches? thanks
Susan Voisin
February 12, 2020 at 9:09 amCanned should work, just drain them well.
kellyanner
August 24, 2020 at 11:13 amI took this to a vegan potlock, but substituted the peaches with mangos and the water with vegan butter! AMAZING! Everyone loved it, even the non vegans! Thanks for a great recipe.