Whether it’s a fancy apple tarte Tatin, a robust pineapple-ringed upside-down cake or a saucy flan, there’s something thrilling and suspenseful about turning your homemade dessert on its head.
Any of these acrobatic dishes would taste fine served right-side up from the pan. But it’s that stunning reveal that adds a little drama and puts the fruit right on top, where it can shine.
That’s the inspiration behind this upside-down peach cobbler.
In traditional peach cobbler, you mix peaches with sugar and sometimes butter, hide them with rounds of biscuit dough, and bake. Spooned out of the baking dish and served in bowls, the cobbler’s modest simplicity is part of its charm. But, however delicious this might be, it doesn’t do much to show off the peaches.
Throw in a gilding of caramel and an elegant flip, though, and you’ve got a confection to win oohs and aahs.
Most of the effort of this recipe goes into simmering the caramel, which is what makes this truly special. Caramelizing sugar deepens its flavor and reduces its sweetness, tempering the fruit here and adding complex and pleasingly bitter notes. Don’t worry if the sugar seizes and clumps when you add the fruit. It will melt when you cook everything together, condensing the peach juices and making them richer still.
The biscuits turn golden brown on top but stay soft and pillowy underneath as the cobbler bakes, so it’s less like a crisp-crusted Tatin and more like an upside-down cake with delightfully crunchy edges. Also, you can prep the biscuit dough ahead, even several days in advance for a great party dish.
After baking, be sure to let your cobbler rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before inverting it onto a platter. This helps the caramel firm up and soak voluptuously into the biscuits. But don’t let it go longer or the caramel may cool and glue the fruit to the pan. (If it does, pry off the stuck peaches and place them gently back on top of the biscuits.)
Like all cobblers, this upside-down version benefits from a drizzle of heavy cream or a dollop of yogurt or ice cream spooned on top. Just don’t cover up the fruit, which has worked its way so winningly from the bottom up.