Vegan Peach Upside-Down Cake – Holy Cow Vegan

September 23, 2023

This gorgeous vegan peach upside-down cake is so easy to make, and it’s so delicious with gooey caramel and juicy peaches topping a moist, tender cake.

Vegan peach upside-down cake in white plate.

Upside down cakes, like this stunning vegan rhubarb ginger upside down cake and this vegan cranberry upside down cake, are among my favorite desserts to bake and eat. For one, there’s no need to make separate frosting, icing, etc…the cake is stunning on its own. For another, the healthy fruit makes you feel like you can have your cake and eat it too!

If you, too, are a fan of southern American comfort food and especially upside-down cakes, try making this vegan peach upside down cake.

Upside down cakes are so called because you arrange fruit of your choice at the bottom of the cake pan, pour batter over the fruit, then flip the cake over after baking, so the bottom becomes the top. It is an easy way to make a cake both good-looking for very little effort, and healthier. Genius.

This peach cake is all that and more. It has a host of yummy contrasting textures and flavors, and it’s so easy to make. Summer, when peaches are plentiful, is a great time to bake it, but early Fall, when peaches are still in the market and it’s tempting to fire up the oven, is also a good time to enjoy this cake.

Upside-down cakes are traditionally made in cast-iron skillets, so if you have a 9-inch skillet, you can use that. Or just use an 8- or 9-inch cake pan. What you should stay away from, however, is a springform pan, as tempting as that is. Because unless your springform pan has a really tight seal, the juices will ooze out and burn in the oven (as I learned to my chagrin). Instead, line your cake pan with parchment paper and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Why you will love this recipe

Amazing textures and flavors. There is the gooey caramel along with the peaches’ natural juices that pools at the bottom of the pan; the smooth, silky peaches that taste even more delicious when they are melt-in-the-mouth tender; and the moist, delicious cake with a hint of cinnamon.
Easy, one-bowl recipe. The cake batter comes together in one bowl. Just slice the peaches and then toss everything into the bowl for the batter.
Soy-free, nut-free and vegan. See FAQs for tips to make the cake gluten-free.

A slice of vegan peach upside-down cake on white plate with fork.

Ingredients

Peaches: Make sure you use ripe, sweet peaches. Peaches of any variety are fine. This time I used white peaches.
Flour. Use unbleached all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Both versions are delicious but the whole wheat pastry flour adds more fiber and nutrients to the recipe.
Leavening: Baking powder and baking soda.
Sugar. I use turbinado sugar, which tints the cake brown. You can use any sugar of your choice.
Vegan butter. You will need two tablespoons of vegan butter for the topping but you can substitute the six tablespoons of butter used in the cake batter with any oil of your choice, like avocado oil.
Non-dairy milk. I use oat milk. Use any non-dairy milk of choice, including almond milk, soy milk and cashew milk.
Apple cider vinegar. A small amount of apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to make the cake fluffier. You won’t taste the vinegar in the cake.
Cinnamon. This is optional but it adds a nice flavor to the cake.
Pure vanilla extract. This, too, gives a great flavor to the cake.

Recipe FAQs

Should you wait for the upside down cake to cool before flipping?

No! Flip the cake no more than 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. Otherwise the juices from the fruit and the sugar will stick to the pan, making it impossible to unmold the cake.

Can I make this cake with whole wheat flour?

You can substitute the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour, with great results.

Can I make this peach upside-down cake gluten-free?

I’ve not tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, but the cake batter should work with an all-purpose gf mix. You can also try making the gluten-free batter in my vegan banana upside down cake recipe and use it with the peaches.

Storage instructions

Refrigerate: Store the upside-down cake in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze: You can freeze the peach upside-down cake for up to four months. Wrap the whole cake in two layers of freezer-safe wrap or place in a freezer-safe container and store. You can also store individual slices, wrapped in freezer-safe wrap.
Thaw cake completely before eating.

More yummy vegan desserts

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