This caramelized-peach upside down cake with hints of smokey maple syrup will be the highlight of your summer. Freshly baked and with a sweet vanilla aroma, it’ll be your go-to dessert from now on.
Why You’ll Love This Peach Dessert
This rich, gluten-free peach upside down cake will be your new favorite dessert for summer gatherings.
- No processed sugars. Smokey maple syrup and caramelized coconut sugar eliminate the need for processed, granulated sugar.
- Gluten-free. Using almond, tapioca, and coconut flour for the batter means more people can enjoy this peach cake.
- Great for summer. This cake recipe is an easy way to leftover peaches from your summer harvest.
- Freezer-friendly. Make it in advance and pop it out whenever you need a quick dessert.
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe uses coconut sugar and a blend of gluten-free flours to enhance the natural sweetness of the peaches. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
For the Topping
- Butter – I prefer unsalted butter.
- Coconut sugar – Feel free to use light or dark brown sugar.
- Peaches – They can be fresh or frozen (thawed), but they need to be peeled.
For the Cake
- Almond flour – Sieve it if it has any large lumps.
- Tapioca flour – You can also use rice flour.
- Coconut flour – Don’t swap it for more almond flour.
- Baking powder – Make sure it hasn’t expired, otherwise the cake will be dense and rubbery.
- Salt – Kosher salt is best.
- Butter – Skip the salt in the cake if you use salted butter.
- Maple syrup – Agave nectar and raw honey work too.
- Egg – Liquid eggs are a good swap.
- Vanilla extract – Almond extract is great as well.
- Almond milk – Feel free to use oat milk or even dairy milk.
Can I Use Canned Peaches?
Absolutely! Make sure they’re drained and rinsed before adding them in so that the syrup doesn’t add extra sweetness to the batter.
Tips & Variations
This tender peach upside down cake is great for all sorts of gatherings when you turn it into muffins.
- Use add-ins. Stir 1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts, cranberries, or shredded coconut into the batter for more texture.
- Stay in the middle. Don’t bake on the bottom or top oven racks. Stay in the center rack to prevent burning or an under-baked center.
- Make muffins. Add peaches to each cavity in a muffin tray. Pour batter on top as usual. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Spice it up. Whisk 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg into the dry ingredients for more depth, fragrance, and sweetness.
- Add protein. Mix 1-2 scoops vanilla protein powder into the dry ingredients and 1/4 cup extra almond milk into the batter for a heartier, protein-packed cake.
Proper Storage
I love keeping one in the freezer for last-minute gatherings.
- Fridge: Place it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep it away from strong-smelling foods like onions and chilis.
- Freezer: Wrap it in plastic wrap twice. Transfer it to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 1 hour.
More Peach Desserts To Try
- Gluten Free Peach Cake
- Gluten Free Peach Ricotta Cake
- Blackberry Peach Crisp
- White Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
Peach Upside Down Cake
This buttery peach upside down cake recipe with a fluffy vanilla crumb and caramelized peach topping is an easy summer dessert.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Topping:
- Peach upside down cake
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 1/2- 2 cups sliced peaches
Cake:
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup almond milk
Instructions
Topping:
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Line a 9” round baking pan with parchment paper, spray sides of pan with organic cooking spray
- Place 1/4 cup butter in bottom of pan and place in oven for 5 minutes or until butter is melted. (Be sure to watch carefully to avoid browning the butter).
- Remove pan from oven and sprinkle coconut sugar over butter, spreading evenly. You can use back of spoon to smooth out into an even layer. {does not have to be perfectly spread}
- Arrange peach slices evenly over brown sugar mixture in a spiral pattern trying to cover the bottom evenly.
Cake:
- In a medium bowl combine the flours, baking powder and salt by stirring and set aside.
- In a medium bowl add butter, maple syrup, egg, vanilla and coconut milk. Whisk to combine evenly.
- Gently pour butter mix into flour mix, stirring with a fork until batter forms.
- Carefully pour batter evenly over the peaches in the pan.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of cake against pan to loosen cake.
- Invert onto a cake platter.
- Cool completely, slices and serve.
This may be the best (healthy) cake EVER!! My GOD it’s good!! I made it 3 times last summer and already make it once this summer. I (regretfully) took two pieces to my friends when I made the first one and it became their favorite cake too. I had to make a second one the day after that, my husband was so sad that I gave 1/2 of the cake away. I’m making it for a party this weekend and know it will be loved! Who am I kidding, I’ll make two cakes this weekend….one for the party and one for my husband and me 😁. I made one change, which is that I used full-fat coconut milk (from a can) instead of the almond milk. I don’t remember why I did that last year, but I know it was a slam-dunk. Thank you so much for this forever addition to our lives!
I made this today and it is so delicious. Thank you for the recipe. I did change things up just a bit: I tossed the peach slices with the 1/4 cup butter (melted), the coconut sugar (which I reduced to 1/4 cup) and some ground cinnamon before arranging them at the bottom of the buttered pan. I also used a bit more milk (I used coconut — by the way, in your recipe above it said “almond milk” but in the directions “coconut milk”) and a bit less maple syrup.
I strongly suspect I will make this again very soon. I love peaches too — and nutritious cakes! 🙂
This cake is amazing and my husband said its the best sugar free one I’ve made 🙂 I’m always looking for wholesome cakes so we can have treats from time to time. I swapped out the maple syrup and coconut sugar for our preferred sweeten of rice malt syrup and it was delicious 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you so much for letting me know Felicity! I always love coming up with gluten free and sugar free cake and cupcake recipes, so your feedback is awesome. Working on a new batch of gluten free and sugar free muffins this week, so keep your eye open. 🙂
I made this for my uncle’s birthday. He is not much of a dessert eater but he had two big pieces! My whole family wants me to make this again. I added 1 tsp of cinnamon to the topping. Scrumptious!
Thank you so much for letting me know Christine. I am thrilled that your uncle and family liked the cake. I bet the cinnamon added great flavor!
I adore peaches – and thankfully we have tons of them here in Georgia! But, I’ve never attempted a GF upside down peach cake before – this looks ah-mazing!
Thanks Shashai, so jealous of your Georgia peaches. We were driving through once and we grabbed some on the roadside stand, by far the best peaches I have ever eaten. You definitely should be called the Peach state!
Yum! Awesome recipe!
Thanks Sheryl
I bet that smelled soooooo good when you were baking it too!
you know it!
Speaking of office space.. did you see the picture Becky of The Cookie Rookie posted on Instagram of her new office space?!! It’s gorgeous! https://instagram.com/p/3pEk-8j2q5/?taken-by=thecookierookie
I checked it out! I love the way she can display her props, I am so jealous!