Frozen Peach Upside Down Cake

This summer has been very busy for us. While I hate to admit it, trips to the grocery store have been a bit of an afterthought. That wouldn't be a problem if fresh fruit would just stay fresh!

So I reached for frozen peaches. That's kind of pathetic since this is peach season, but sometimes you just use what's on hand. Right?

It was a day when I was juggling a number of things so I wanted to make something very easy for dessert. This is a great recipe for people who don't cook a lot or are timid about baking. The peaches went into the cast iron pan frozen. How easy is that?

The cake portion is very basic. I recommend using some nutmeg or cinnamon to perk it up. On the other hand, we found the simple cake to be the perfect foil for the super sweet peaches.

We ate it with whipped cream on top, but it's perfectly good plain.

Frozen Peach Upside Down Cake

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 bag frozen peaches

1 stick (8 tablespoons butter) room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

In a cast iron pan, melt the butter and mix in the brown sugar. Arrange the frozen peaches in the pan on top of the sugar. I started in the middle and made sort of a round flower shape, but you could also set them up in straight lines if you like. Some peaches will be thicker than others. As far as I could tell, that didn't make a difference. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. In a bowl, mix together the baking powder, cinnamon, and flour. Add flour mixture 1/3 at a time, alternating with the milk. Add the vanilla and beat. Pour over the peaches and bake for 35-45 minutes or until lightly brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Melt butter with brown sugar.

Arrange the peaches.

Pour batter over it and bake.