Peach Lemon Thyme Upside Down Cake

Peach Upside Down Cake

Peach Upside Down Cake

As we say good-bye to summer, I give you this lovely Peach Lemon Thyme Upside Down Cake. Local ripe peaches are still available at farmers markets around New York and New Jersey while fresh herbs such as lemony thyme remain abundant in many of our gardens. Pair these seasonal favorites with buttery cake, and summer may finally feel complete.

I haven’t incorporated a Paula Peck recipe into a blog post since springtime (summer has been so busy that I’ve fallen behind on my posts here). I am obviously long overdue and although the idea of this recipe doesn’t come directly from one of her cookbooks, the base of this cake does. I’ve been debating how to use her classic recipe for Melting Tea Cake for sometime now. In “The Art of Fine Baking,” this cake is simply topped with blanched almonds – no glaze, sugar, frosting, or any of the other indulgent cake toppings or fillings that we are accustomed to these days. With a flavor reminiscent of simple poundcake, my grandmother describes it as “half sponge, half pound cake, light but buttery, this cake literally melts in your mouth.” Despite this delightful description, I’m just not sure if such a plain cake would resonate or if most of you would find it boring. Since I couldn’t decide, I figured why not match this basic yellow cake (but oh so much better) with caramelized sugar, one of the best stone fruits, and a lemony fresh herb. I was quite pleased with the results. While regular thyme might be an odd addition to a cake, lemon thyme is just fragrant enough to compliment the peaches.

If peaches aren’t you’re forte, this recipe can easily be made with other stone fruit such as plums or nectarines. The cake is really the best part anyway. I am now thinking of other ways (excuses) to use this light flavorful Paula Peck classic Melting Tea Cake recipe. In the meantime, enjoy this peachy way to send off summer.

Peach Lemon Thyme Upside Down Cake

Yum

4 comments

  • I don’t see where you use the lemon thyme in the recipe. I like the idea.

    • Thanks for the catch Judy! The lemon thyme is simply sprinkled over the peaches before the cake batter is poured on top. I’ve corrected the recipe. Thanks again!

  • Peaches are totally my forte and we, too, are still getting an excess amount of them (but I also live like 10 miles from a huge peach farm.. so I cheat.) The peach, lemon, thyme combination sounds lovely! And all piled into an upside down cake? YUMMMM! Thanks for sharing and Cheers to a day as fabulous as this cake! 🙂

    • Thanks Cheyanne! You live 10 miles from a Peach farm? I’m so jealous! Peaches are awesome this time of year and delicious in this cake. Thanks for the kind comments 🙂

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