Peach Upside-Down Cake with Cardamom & Thyme
This peach upside-down cake pairs summer’s juiciest fruit with two unexpected partners: floral Indian cardamom and Mediterranean thyme — herbs you rarely see in dessert. Ripe peaches caramelize in a thyme-infused syrup over a tender, cardamom-scented crumb, creating an original peach upside-down cake that surprises in every bite. Ready in just one hour.
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Preparation 15 min
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Rest 10 min
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Baking 35 min
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Servings 6
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Level Intermédiaire
Ingredients
For the caramel
For the batter
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Note
Choosing peaches: Look for fragrant fruit that’s still slightly firm to the touch. Overripe peaches will release water and make the batter soggy. If you can find flat (donut) peaches, they work wonderfully here thanks to their denser flesh.
Tip
Dosing the spices: Cardamom is powerful — 3/4 teaspoon is the maximum before it overpowers the cake. Use freshly ground cardamom (crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle) rather than pre-ground powder. The difference is incomparable.
Preparation steps
- Baking information
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Temperature180°C
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Baking time 35 min
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Your comments
Peach Upside-Down Cake with Cardamom & Thyme
This peach upside-down cake pairs summer’s juiciest fruit with two unexpected partners: floral Indian cardamom and Mediterranean thyme — herbs you rarely see in dessert. Ripe peaches caramelize in a thyme-infused syrup over a tender, cardamom-scented crumb, creating an original peach upside-down cake that surprises in every bite. Ready in just one hour.
Note
Choosing peaches: Look for fragrant fruit that’s still slightly firm to the touch. Overripe peaches will release water and make the batter soggy. If you can find flat (donut) peaches, they work wonderfully here thanks to their denser flesh.
Tip
Dosing the spices: Cardamom is powerful — 3/4 teaspoon is the maximum before it overpowers the cake. Use freshly ground cardamom (crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle) rather than pre-ground powder. The difference is incomparable.
Ingredients
For the caramel
- Yellow peach (Ripe but firm) : 4
- Unsalted butter : 45 grams
- Caster sugar : 4 tablespoons
- Thyme (Dried) : 1 teaspoon
For the batter
- Unsalted butter (Soft) : 100 grams
- Caster sugar : 8 tablespoons
- Eggs : 2
- Greek yogurt : 5 tablespoons
- Flour : 10 tablespoons
- Baking powder : 1 teaspoon
- Cardamom (Ground) : 3/4 teaspoon
- Vanilla Extract : 1 teaspoon
- Salt : 1 pinch
Preparation steps
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Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (conventional heat, not convection).
Line a 22–24 cm (9-inch) round springform pan with parchment paper and butter generously.Cut the 4 peaches into quarters. No need to peel them if the skin is thin — it melts during baking and adds a beautiful color to the caramel.
In a saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar and dried thyme.Let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until you get an amber caramel.
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Pour the caramel into the bottom of the buttered pan.
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Arrange the peach quarters in a rosette pattern on top.
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In a large bowl, whisk the soft butter with the sugar until the mixture turns pale and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking between each addition, then add the plain yogurt and vanilla extract.
Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, ground cardamom, and pinch of salt.
Mix just enough to obtain a smooth batter — do not overwork.
Pour the batter over the peaches in the pan, gently smoothing the surface with a spatula.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. - Temperature: 180°C
- Baking time: 35 min
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Check doneness by inserting the tip of a knife in the center: it should come out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for EXACTLY 10 minutes — no more, no less: any sooner and the caramel hasn't set, any later and it hardens and sticks to the pan. Unmold onto a serving plate and serve warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.