Peach Upside-Down Cake with Sour Cream (Almond Flour Gluten Free)

The original cake is from Florence Fabricant, who published her brilliant recipe in NYT cooking. I’ve changed a few things so that the cake is gluten free and is adjusted to account for the dryness of gluten free flours. I always like to substitute a bit of the gluten free flour for almond meal, as it tends to give cakes a moister texture, but that’s up to you. Other gluten free combinations like coconut flour with xanthan gum and a bit of tapioca starch might also be a good mix to use here.

Topping:
5-7 ripe medium-sized peaches (800-900 g)
1 cup Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Granular) (266 g)
½ cup water
1 pinch sea salt

Cake:
¾ cup Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Granular) (200 g)
½ cup salted butter, softened (113 g)
3 large eggs
⅓ cup sour cream (75 g)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¾ cup gluten free 1:1 baking flour (145 g)
½ cup almond flour (90 g)
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Lightly butter two 9" round cake pans and then line with parchment paper.

Make the Topping:
Cut and pit the peaches, slicing into ¼" thick pieces (not too thick) and laying them in whatever pattern you like in the bottom of each pan so that the entire base of the pan is covered in peach slices.

Then, in a small saucepan, heat the 1 cup sweetener and ½ cup water over medium high heat. Stir the mixture until it dissolves completely and then continue to boil on medium low heat, watching closely, until it turns just amber in colour/dark gold (~ 7 minutes). Take off the head immediately and pour (carefully and slowly) over the peaches - be sure to cover the entire peach arrangements in each pan. If you run out of caramel sauce, you can always make a second batch. Set aside the pans.

Make the Cake:
In a medium bowl, use an electric hand or stand mixer to beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, the vanilla and the sour cream, then slowly mix in the flour, almond flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Pour half of the batter into each pan over the caramel and peaches, spreading evenly (it will be a thin layer). If you'd like, you can peel, pit and slice any extra peaches and lay them in a pattern on the top of the cake batter.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and set (does not jiggle) and a knife or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool almost completely before serving. This cake is wonderful on it's own or topped with vanilla ice cream or cream.

Makes 10 servings.

Cook's Notes: I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour, if using a different brand, you may need to add a small amount of xanthan gum.