Peach Upside-Down Cake with Hot Rum Glaze

Peach Upside-Down Cake with Hot Rum Glaze is one of the most amazing cakes I’ve ever eaten. There’s nothing like the combination of brown sugar, peaches, and warm rum.

John and I recently spent a week in Colorado. It was just beautiful and Fall was showing that it was on the way. We were lucky enough to be out there at the perfect time to get some of their famous peaches. Perfect for an Upside-Down Peach Cake with Hot Rum Sauce.

This post was updated from 2018 to improve reader experience. No changes were made to the recipe.

Why is it that when you buy fruit it seems like it’s going to take a week to ripen, and then within a day or two you’re under the gun to use it or lose it? I bought two dozen peaches in Colorado and they were all as big as softballs, meaning that one was going to go a long way. I gave 10 of them away so still had over a dozen to use.

I’ve been hanging on to this pineapple upside-down cake recipe that I wanted to eventually try. Had I known how amazingly delicious it was going to be, I would’ve been making it from the minute I saw it. John said that using the peaches had to be even better than pineapple.

How to Make Peach Upside-Down Cake

The interesting thing about this kind of cake is that the topping goes in the bottom of the cake pan. When the cake is flipped out of the pan, all that gooey deliciousness makes a beautiful presentation on the top of the cake. So to make the peach upside-down cake recipe, you first have to start with the topping.

You’ll heat the topping ingredients in a saucepan, and pour that into the cake pan so that it covers the bottom. Then arrange the peaches close together, covering the bottom. Next, you mix up the cake batter and pour that over the topping.

Once the cake has been baked, cooled, and removed from the pan it is served with a hot rum sauce that takes it over the top. This sauce can be made on the stovetop while you wait for the cake to bake.

Ingredients for Peach Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients for the Cake Topping

• Peaches. Skins and pits need removed and then the peach will need sliced into 1/2-inch slices.
• Salted Butter.
• Salt.
• Dark Brown Sugar.
• Dark Rum.

Ingredients for the Peach Upside-Down Cake Batter

• Cake Flour.
• All-purpose Flour.
• Sugar.
• Baking Soda.
• Baking Powder.
• Salt.
• Buttermilk.
• Eggs.
• Vanilla Extract.
• Dark Rum.
• Salted Butter. Melted.

Ingredients for the Hot Rum Sauce

• Heavy Cream.
• Sugar.
• Vanilla Extract.
• Salt.
• Dark Rum.

FAQ

Can I use canned peaches?

Yes, but drain them well.

What Can I Substitute for rum?

You can leave it out altogether. If the sauce is too thick add more cream.

Can you freeze peach upside down cake?

Yes. We recommend making the sauce fresh and adding it right before serving.

Can you make Peach Upside-Down Cake ahead of time?

You can make it the day before it’s needed or make it and freeze it.

Does peach upside-down cake need to be refrigerated?

No, it doesn’t. However, we believe that it holds up better if kept in the refrigerator. Either letting it come to temperature before serving it or putting it in the microwave to heat it up a little is best for serving.

Tips for the Perfect Cake

This cake was warm and delicious and I could have drunk that rum sauce. One note is I baked it in a tall-sided 9-inch cake pan. The original pineapple cake recipe said to put it on a baking sheet for possible spills. I’m glad that I did because that baby bubbled over. I believe that a tall 10-inch pan would have worked well, and I would still sit it on a baking sheet.

When the cake is removed from the oven, it needs to cool for exactly four minutes before you loosen the sides and invert it onto a serving platter.

Let the cake cool on the serving platter for a full twenty minutes before cutting it to serve with hot rum sauce.

Peach skins can be easily removed by placing them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then immersing them in an ice bath for 10 seconds. If peaches want to slide off the edge of the cake when it’s removed from the pan, keep them in place with toothpicks while the cake cools. Remove prior to serving.

How to Store Peach Upside Down Cake

This cake is best kept in the refrigerator. To serve the cake heat it up in the microwave or let it come to room temperature on the counter. You can also freeze unused portions of cake. If you choose to freeze the cake, I definitely recommend making fresh rum sauce when you are ready to eat it.

Other Great Cake Recipes

As amazing as this cake is, here are a few more that we love!

Spice Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Black Russian Cake Recipe

Raspberry Chocolate Pound Cake

Champagne Cake with Champagne Glaze

We LOVE Dessert! You can find all of our dessert recipes here!

We used the following buttercream frosting for this delicious little monster. You could also use an Easy Vanilla Frosting that’s light and fluffy.

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5 from 2 votes

Upside-Down Peach Cake with Hot Rum Glaze

Upside-Down Peach Cake with Hot Rum Glaze is one of the most amazing cakes I've ever eaten. There's nothing like the combination of brown sugar, peaches, and warm rum.

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Servings 12 slices

Author Hostess At Heart

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Cake Topping

• 3 peaches skins and pits removed* and sliced in 1/2-inch slices
• 8 tbsp salted butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp dark rum

Cake

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 8 tbsp salted butter melted

Hot Rum Sauce

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1-1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp dark rum

Instructions

Cake Topping

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray the inside of a tall-sided 9 or 10-inch round cake pan.
• In a medium-sized saucepan combine butter, salt, brown sugar and dark rum. Cook over medium heat until mixture bubbles. Remove from heat and cool for no more than two minutes. Pour mixture into cake pan.
• Arrange the peach slices in the bottom of the cake pan.

Cake

• In a large mixing bowl whisk together cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt. Add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, dark rum and melted butter. Whisk together until batter forms. Don’t over mix or crumb will be dense. Pour batter over peach caramel layer and bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool pan exactly 4 minutes. Run the blunt edge of a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake.
• Invert the hot cake onto a serving platter and let cake at least 20 minutes before serving it with Rum Sauce.

Hot Rum Sauce

• In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, bring cream, sugar, vanilla, salt and rum to a boil whisking occasionally to combine. Once boiling, turn off the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Peach skins can be easily removed by placing them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then immersing them in an ice bath for 10 seconds.

If peaches want to slide off the edge of the cake when it’s removed from the pan, keep them in place with toothpicks while cake cools. Remove prior to serving.

Recipe adapted from Chef Alex Hitz featured in InspiredLivingOmaha.com August 2016

Nutrition

Sodium: 601mg | Calcium: 96mg | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Vitamin A: 1250IU | Sugar: 47g | Fiber: 1g | Potassium: 226mg | Cholesterol: 124mg | Calories: 574kcal | Saturated Fat: 19g | Fat: 31g | Protein: 5g | Carbohydrates: 64g | Iron: 1mg

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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