Recipe: Gluten-Free Nectarine Upside-Down Cake

Recipe: Gluten-Free Nectarine Upside-Down Cake

This cake is truly nothing short of spectacular. A special thanks to our friend The Bojon Gourmet for the recipe. As she says “This is one of those excellent transitional summer-to-fall desserts; bright with summer fruit, but gooey and comforting at the same time, with wintery notes from the rosemary.

 

nectarine upside-down cake (gluten free)Makes one 10" round cake, about 10 servings

If gluten isn't an issue, use 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour in place of the rice, oat and millet flours and omit the tapioca starch and xanthan gum.

For the fruit topping:

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounce) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (3 ounces) packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 pounds ripe but firm nectarines (about 3-4 large, or 6 medium)

 

For the cake:

8 tablespoons (4 ounces/1stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup (4 ounces) granulated sugar

seeds from 1 vanilla bean (bean split lengthwise, seeds scraped out, pod saved for another use)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup (4 ounces) sweet white rice flour

1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) millet flour

1/4 cup (1 ounce) oat flour

1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) stone-ground yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons (1/4 ounce) tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) crème fraîche (or sour cream), plus extra for serving

1 cup chopped nectarines, from above

 

Make the topping:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.

Place the butter in a 10" oven-proof skillet with 2" high sides, and put it in the oven to melt the butter. Brush some of the butter up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter, and place in the oven until the brown sugar is moistened and bubbling, 5 minutes.

Halve and pit the nectarines, and slice them fairly thin, about 1/8" thick. Set aside the end pieces. Beginning with the largest pieces, place the nectarine slices over the brown sugar with the curved edge facing out, overlapping the fruit as you go. Continue to make circles with the nectarine slices until you've covered the pan. Chop the remaining slices and end pieces; you should have 1 cup. Set these aside to add to the batter.

 

Make the cake batter:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla seeds, and rosemary on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla extract, then the eggs one at a time. (The mixture may look curdled; this is O.K.)

Meanwhile, sift together the flours, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.

With the mixer on low speed, stir in half of the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Beat in the crème fraîche until combined, then the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give the batter a stir to make sure it is mixed thoroughly. Fold in the chopped nectarines by hand until just combined.

Dollop the batter over the nectarines in the pan, and spread it gently and evenly.

Bake the cake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out completely clean, about 45 minutes. Let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes (but no more, or the caramel may harden, causing the fruit to stick to the pan. If this happens, put the cake back in the oven for 5 minutes to re-melt the caramel).

Invert a large plate or platter over the pan, grasp it tightly with two oven-mitted hands, and bravely flip the whole thing over. The cake should release easily from the pan.

Let the cake cool to warm, 20 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature, dolloped with crème fraîche. The cake is at its most gooey and pie-like on the first day, but leftovers will keep at room temperature for an additional day, or in the fridge for a few. Re-warm before serving for best results.

 

This recipe is contributed by The Bojon Gourmet. For more recipes, visit http://www.bojongourmet.com.

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