Peach Upside Down Cake

We are in the midst of peach and corn season in our CSA.  As a result, I've been hunting down lots of ways to cook up our bounty.  Some of our recent adventures have included curried corn and crab cakes, brown rice and corn cakes with spicy black beans, coconut cream corn, chilled peach soup, and baked peach oatmeal. 

I needed a dessert to bring to dinner at our friends' house and decided that peach upside down cake would be perfect.  Based on a pineapple upside down cake, the cake itself is not overly sweet so that it balances out the caramelized topping.

Peach Upside Down Cake

1 lb sliced peaches, skins removed (you can also use thawed, frozen peaches)
1 stick (8 tbs) butter, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (I use 2 tbs lemon + soy milk to = 1 cup, standing for 10 minutes)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 1 stick of butter and set aside to cool slightly.

Use 4 tbs of the melted butter to very liberally grease a 9 inch cake pan.  I use a silicone brush for this step.  Arrange the sliced peaches in the bottom of the pan, on top of the butter.  Sprinkle the brown sugar over the peaches.  Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk together the eggs.  Add milk and butter and add to the eggs.  Whisk until combined.  Combine egg mixture to the flour mixture and pour over the peaches.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Then run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake and flip cake onto a plate.

I don't have a cast iron skillet, but if you really wanted to go nuts, you could caramelize the peaches on the stovetop before adding the cake batter and proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

I have a Dream

We were getting ready to go out and Leah sat in my bedroom chair repeating "I have a dream."  I immediately think of Martin Luther King Jr., but since it is the middle of August, I was a bit surprised it would come up for her.  I figured they must be covering something at school not on the calendar.  It is amazing what she learns there.  A few minutes later she says again "I have a dream," then continues, "just like Rapunzel."  And then it clicks.  There is a whole song about having a dream in Tangled.  We'll have to work on the other "I Have a Dream."

Choosing Appropriate Reading Material

Leah and I waited for Jordan to get his hair cut at the salon.  Leah decided we should read some "books," aka magazines.  She picked the "princess one," aka Brides.  She decided I should get the one with the Mommy on it, aka Parents. 

As with many girls, she asked whether she could have a big white dress when she grows up.  I said of course, when she grows up and gets married, she can have one.  And as many girls have done before, then she asked whether she could marry Daddy.  Well, no, but I'm sure he'll want to walk her down the aisle.