Peach Upside-Down Cake

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rossana in Santa Rosa, CA for this one:

While I was making a huge batch of snickerdoodle cookies, I asked my
ten-year-old to read the recipe and ingredients off the box to me,
doubling them as he went along. He did as he was told. His first
instruction: "Preheat the oven to 700 degrees."

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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This is a classic upside-down cake, and as such you will need a 10-inch
(25 cm) cast iron frying pan if you want to make it. You can use fresh
plums, mangoes, and pineapple instead of peaches, so change this recipe
with the seasons as different fruits become available.

Peach Upside-Down Cake

For the topping:
4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
3/4 cup (180 ml) brown sugar
4 peaches or nectarines, pitted and cut into thick wedges

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) baking powder
3 Tbs (45 ml) cornmeal
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
8 Tbs (120 ml) butter
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
2/3 cup (160 ml) milk

Heat the butter and brown sugar in a 10-inch (25 cm) cast iron skillet
over moderate heat. Cook until foamy and pale, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove
from the heat and arrange the peaches attractively in the skillet. Set
aside. Mix together the flour, baking powder, cornmeal, and salt in a
mixing bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in an electric
mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and
vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and milk
gradually in 3 or 4 steps and beat just until the batter is smooth. In a
separate bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold about 1/4
of the whites into the batter, and then fold in the remaining whites
until thoroughly incorporated. Gently pour that batter into the skillet,
spreading it carefully to cover the peaches without disturbing them.
Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven until the top is golden brown and
puffy and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake (not the
topping) comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool the skillet on a wire
rack for 2 minutes. Cut around the edge of the skillet with a paring
knife to free the cake. Place a serving platter over the skillet and
invert them both. Carefully remove the skillet. If any of the peaches
stick to the skillet, replace them on top of the cake. Serve warm,
chilled, or at room temperature.
Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Sun Feb 21 16:59:06 2010