These super moist and tender peach upside down mini cakes are bursting with peaches in every bite. Easy to make, this recipe is a keeper for that indulgent peach season!
Every summer I buy a few boxes of juicy peaches. Why so many Because we love dehydrating peach slices to snack on throughout winter (ok, more like fall!). It’s a lot of work – blanching, removing skins, slicing and dehydrating for many hours – dried peaches are a labor of love! But they sure worth it.
Of course, we enjoy them fresh as much as possible. And we also love making this peach iced tea and, of course, baking with peaches.
Today, I’m sharing these mini cakes loaded with juicy peaches.
Every single bite bursts with juicy fruits, thanks to overload of peach cubes in the batter. And you won’t even miss frosting, as these mini cakes are topped with brown sugar glazed peach slices.
Effortlessly beautiful presentation!
Table of Contents
How to make peach upside down mini cakes:
While it might look a bit complicated, it’s truly easy to make these mini cakes. Watch how I made this cake on Instagram.
- Slice couple of peaches into thin slices, then cube the rest for the batter. No need to peel the peaches!
- Spray non-stick cooking spray in muffin cups.
- Divide brown sugar and butter into 12 equal parts and place in to 12 muffin cups. (Yes, you can slice 1 tablespoon of butter into 12 pieces! See the photo above.)
- Then arrange 3 slices of peach in each muffin cup over the butter and brown sugar. (Fan them out nicely! It’ll look pretty once cooked. ;))
- To make the cake batter, whip butter/sugar/egg mixture really well. It should be super fluffy and white.
- Then add dry ingredients and buttermilk interchangeably in 2 parts.
- Fold in chopped peaches into the batter. Then divide the cake batter into the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake the mini cakes for about 25 minutes at 350°F.
Tip
I love using my large cookie scoop for filling the cupcake pans. It’s mess-free and yields uniform cakes.
Tip
Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes, and then invert them into a wire rack.
Buttermilk substitutes:
I realize not everyone have buttermilk in the fridge like we do. (We sure love our buttermilk pancakes!) However, there’re 2 easy substitutes for buttermilk:
- Option #1: 1/3 cup sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt + milk (or water) to make 1/2 cup. Stir well before using.
- Option #2: 1/2 cup of milk + 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (or white vinegar). Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes for milk to curdle.
Readers Feedback and Variations:
This recipe is LOVED by many, many people!! And I get ton of feedback and variations. So here’re some awesome feedbacks and variations from those who tried it.
- People love how these little cakes are not too sweet.
- Cinnamon is very popular addition!
- Besides peach, this recipe also works great with plums, blueberries, and nectarines.
- Fresh macerated peaches make a fabulous topping along with vanilla ice cream!
- Chopped pecans were a great addition.
- Frozen peaches didn’t caramelize, but it was still delicious.
- Canned peaches worked good as well.
- Egg replacement per Maïna: 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax seeds + 3 tablespoon of water, whipped together and let to thicken for 5 minutes. Worked like a charm!
If you made this recipe, we’d love to hear your feedback as well!!
How to store peach upside down cake:
Store these peach mini cakes in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days, if they last that long anyway. 🙂
Peach upside down cake doesn’t freeze well.
Also, here’s another fantastic way to enjoy peaches – grilled peach and mascarpone ice cream!!
Peach Upside Down Mini Cakes
Ingredients
For topping:
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cold
- 6 teaspoons light brown sugar
For cake batter:
- 3 fresh peaches (Note 1)
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (90g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk at room temperature (Note 2)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177° C). Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
To prepare the topping:
- Cut 1 tablespoon of butter into 12 equal parts. (TIP: cold butter is easier to cut.) Place each butter piece in 12 muffin cups.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of brown sugar into each muffin cup.
- Slice 1-2 peaches into thin slices. Arrange about 3 slices into the bottom of each muffin pan.
To make the cake batter:
- Cut the remaining peaches into small cubes. You should get about 1 cup of cubed peaches. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and beat it for another 2-3 minutes, or until well combined. The mixture should be fluffy and white. (Note: It's totally normal for the mixture to curdle right after adding egg, but keep mixing and it'll turn nice and fluffy!)
- Add half of the flour mixture into the batter, beat for 1 minute on low speed.
- Stir in the buttermilk and beat for another minute.
- Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until combined. Don't overmix the batter, or it'll make tough cake.
- Fold in the cubed peaches.
- Divide the batter into 12 muffin pan cups. (TIP: This large cookie scoop makes this step super easy – one scoop of batter in each muffin cup.)
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes. Then carefully run a butter knife around the edges to release the cake from the sides. Now, place a wire rack over the muffin pan and carefully turn the pan upside down to remove the cakes. Place an empty baking sheet to catch any juice, if needed. Cool the cakes completely before serving.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts:
This recipe was originally published in August, 2014 and last updated on March 31, 2021.
Lily says
How can I adjust cooking times for an air fryer?
Has anyone done this an air fryer? HELP!
Shinee says
Hi, Lily. I haven’t used my air fryer for baking, and unfortunately, I have no advise.
Brenda says
Hi Shinee. Could canned peaches work too ? I don’t have fresh peaches but wanted to make this if I can.
Shinee says
Hi, Brenda. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried it with canned peaches. If you drain it well, I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Let me know if you give it a try.
Carole says
It would be nice if you were able to print this recipe in order to try. It sounds great. You need to put a print button on you recipes. Dah
Shinee says
Hi, Carole. Thanks for your feedback. There’re 2 buttons for print for the recipe. 1. At the very top, right below the recipe title. 2. And a print icon right above the ingredients list. Hope this helps.
Nancy Embree says
It was one I would have tried but it would not print with the print button
Shinee says
Hi, Nancy. What happens when you hit on print button? It’s working for me just fine, and I tried on multiple browser. I’d so appreciate your feedback, as I’d love to fix the issue.
Candie says
How to substitute Sour Cream for Buttermilk.
Substitution: 3-4 Tablespoons of milk + sour cream to make 1 Cup. Whisk together to blend.
Shinee says
Fabulous tip! Thank you, Candie!
Candie says
FYI:
You can substitute milk and lemon juice or milk and vinegar for buttermilk.
Just use 1 cup of milk and 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or 1 Tablespoon of vinegar. Stirring to blend well. Let stand 5-10 minutes, to thicken.
I also read that you can substitute Soy or unsweetened Almond milk and Apple Cider Vinegar for buttermilk, but it won’t be as thick. However, it is suppose to work just as well.
***Note: I usually keep Cultured “Buttermilk” Blend (powder) in my refrigerator, just in case😁. I usually get mine at Kroger or Walmart. I hope this helps.
Shinee says
Hi, Candie. Thank you so much for sharing this information. Super helpful!!!
Ashley says
So good! Only difference I used fresh white peaches.
Shinee says
So happy you enjoyed these peach cakes. Thank you for your feedback, Ashley!
Lisa says
I made it last week and everyone loved it. Perfect sweetness and very fresh for summer.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you enjoyed the mini cakes, Lisa! Thank you for your feedback.
Sarah says
Very good ! Only question I have is it seems that the diced peaches inside my cakes turned blue ! I baked them last night and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator and I just bit into one and my diced peaches looked like blueberries . Anyone else experience this? I read it may be a reaction between the acid in the fruit and the baking powder .
Shinee says
Hi, Sarah! How interesting! I never had that happen to me.
Stephanie says
My daughter and I made these tonight, she is 8 and loved them! Our peach skins turned blue too! Still very yummy. We didn’t have buttermilk so used the sour cream method.
Shinee says
Hi, Stephanie. I’m so happy you and your daughter enjoyed baking together! Thank you for your feedback!
Connie says
I substituted 1 cup of flour with pecan flour and the sugars with monkfruit sweetners. I also did the sour cream recipe for the buttermilk. They came out amazing!!! Thank you for this great and easy recipe.
Shinee says
Hi, Connie. Thank you so much for your feedback and sharing your tweaks. So happy you loved the recipe!
Lauren says
Has anyone made this in a mini cupcake pan? If so how much butter did you put in the bottom and how long did you bake it?
Shinee says
Hi, Lauren. I haven’t tried mini cupcake pan, but I’m afraid it’d be too small. If you really have to, you can just skip the upside down peach, and simply bake mini peach muffins/cakes.
Earlene says
They were delicious & easy to make. I had some problems unmolding them so the tops weren’t as pretty.
Shinee says
Thank you for your feedback, Earlene. So happy you loved it.
Pam says
Can you freeze these?
Marilyn says
Easy to make and very tasty
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you tried and loved this recipe, Marilyn! Thank you for your feedback!
Ariana says
This were outstandingly delicious! ! My guest were impressed by them. I baked them in ramekins for bigger portions and served it with vanilla ice cream. I love that they were not too sweat and came out so fluffy. I didn’t use buttermilk, instead, I use the sour cream method. I really recommend this recipe if you want to score a homer run with your guests!!
Stacey says
Hello, Ariana. Can you please explain your “sour cream method?” I always have sour cream on hand, but never buy buttermilk. I’d love to swap the buttermilk for sour cream in this recipe.
Kieran Garner says
We followed the recipe exactly except for the sugar. We used half of the brown and white sugar in the recipe. Using cooking spray made getting them out of the muffin pan very easy. They are so delicious and just the right amount of sweetness. A scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it such a treat! We also used this recipe and substituted blueberries for the peaches and they were also really good. We want to try apples next. This is an easy recipe!
Shinee says
Hi, Kieran. Thank you so much for trying my recipe and sharing your feedback! So happy to hear you loved the cake and tried with blueberries as well!
Karen says
I was also thinking these would be great made with apple and then (after baking) drizzled with a sticky toffee sauce to serve for dessert with some ice cream or cream on the side.
Shinee says
That sounds amazing, Karen. Let me know if you give that a try!
Rita says
I have to size cupcake tins Looks like you used jumbo size Is this correct
Shinee says
Hi, Rita. No, mine are regular size pans.
Carole says
I made this recipe using delicious farm-fresh peaches. I felt the cake part was rather dense, but it was moist. In the future, I think I will add extra diced peaches to the batter and I will slice the peaches that are swirled on top a little thicker. I want all that peachy goodness to hit me right in the tastebuds! I served each little cake with vanilla ice cream and fresh macerated peaches spooned over top. My children and grands devoured them. The leftover cakes were eaten for breakfast the next morning with slathers of whipped cream. Thanks for a tasty recipe.
Shinee says
Hi, Carole. Thank you for making my recipe and sharing your feedback!!! So helpful! I made this again this morning (first time this season!) and it was so good! And you can add as much peach as your heart desires. I love your idea of serving it with whipped cream!! Thank you again for your review!
Dawn Nielsen says
Has anyone tried to freeze the cakes after baking? I’m curious how they would thaw, mushy or not?
Shinee says
Hi, Dawn. Since I haven’t tried freezing it, I can’t provide a good advice. I’m planning on making it next week, and I’ll put one in the freezer to test. 😉
Vandana says
We are a nut loving family so I added a pecan half at the bottom a and chopped pecans in the mixture. They turned out amazing.
Shinee says
Thank you, Vandana!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Bri says
I made with frozen peaches! They came out good but didn’t really “carmelize” on the bottom and when I took them out the peaches did not stay attached. I did just pu the peaches on top and ate them that way and they were still good! Next time I might use cup cake liners.