Peach Upside-Down Cake

This recipe was a special request from my husband. His mother makes a twist on the old favorite, pineapple upside-down cake. If you're in a hurry, you could just use a yellow cake mix.
The recipe I used is from my cookbook, "Creative Cook's Kitchen". This book states that you could use any fruits that are in season, such as, apples, pears, or berries.

Peach Upside-Down Cake

For the topping:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 small ripe peaches

2 small ripe plums (I omitted & just used more peaches)

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

6 tablespoons butter, softened & cut into pieces

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Making the Topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in a 9-inch round cake pan (I used a 9x9 square pan); heat in oven until butter melts. Using a pot holder, swirl pan so butter coats bottom. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

2. Cut peaches into 1/2-inch slices. (I left the skins on but the recipe says to blanch them off.) Arrange peach slices in a decorative pattern in a cake pan on top of the brown sugar.

Making the Cake

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder; mix well. Add butter, milk , egg, and vanilla to flour mixture. Using an electric mixer set on low speed, beat mixture until blended. Increase speed to medium and beat until batter is smooth, about 1 minute. Spoon batter over fruit, spreading to cover.

2. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes, then run a knife around edge. Place serving platter over cake; using pot holders, invert onto platter. Remove pan; place stray fruit on cake. Serve warm.