White Nectarine Cake (Upside-Down)

Recipe updated: April 5th, 2024

This white nectarine cake, which is also made upside-down, is so delicious you will want to make it over and over again. A sweet and moist cake with a top layer of nectarines that are smothered in a crumble topping of sugar, cinnamon, and brown sugar. So good!

🥮 Key Ingredients for White Nectarine Cake (Upside-Down)

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of table salt
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (melted and divided) (1/2 cup = 1 stick of butter)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 4 nectarines (sliced in wedges)

👩‍🍳 How to Make White Nectarine Cake (Upside-Down)

These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.

Step 1. Preheat the Oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2. Mix the Flour, Baking Soda, Granulated Sugar, and Salt

In a medium-sized bowl, add and mix thoroughly 2 cups of all-purpose flour together with 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.

Step 3. Divide and Melt the Butter

Divide 1/2 cup (or one stick) of butter in half.

In a small bowl that is safe to use in a microwave, melt 1/4 cup of the butter (half of the stick) for 25 seconds and save the other half for later.

Step 4. Mix the Eggs, Buttermilk, and Melted Butter

In a different bowl, beat 2 large eggs, then add the eggs to 1 cup of buttermilk and the 1/4 cup of the butter we just melted. Whisk it all together until thoroughly blended.

Step 5. Add the Buttermilk Mixture to the Flour Mixture

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the bowl together with the flour mixture.

Stir the buttermilk and flour mixture until it is blended together well.

Step 6. Melt the Remaining Butter

Again, in a small microwaveable bowl, melt the other 1/4 cup of the butter (the other half of the stick) that we previously saved. Place the butter in the microwave and nuke it for 25 seconds.

Step 7. Add Melted Butter to the Cake Pan

After the butter has melted in the microwave, pour it into a 9-inch cake pan, tilting the cake pan until the butter has coated the bottom and sides of the cake pan.

Step 8. Sprinkle the Brown Sugar

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of brown sugar in the 9-inch cake pan evenly over the top of the butter until all of the brown sugar covers the melted butter. Set aside for now.

Step 9. Prepare the Nectarines

Scrub up the 4 nectarines, and then cut them into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick wedges. Each wedge doesn’t have to be the exact size, but close to it so that they can bake evenly at the same time.

Tip: When buying nectarines, pick ones that are on the softer side. Not mushy, but just sorta soft. If the nectarine feels hard, you can let them sit on the countertop for a day or two to ripen up.

Step 10. Place the Nectarines in the Cake Pan

Arrange all of the nectarine slices into the cake pan over the top of the melted butter and brown sugar until they all fit nicely in the pan without piling them on top of each other. In other words, place them in a single layer.

Step 11. Add the Cake Batter to the Cake Pan

Pour the cake batter into the cake pan over the top of all of the nectarines smoothing out the batter as you pour.

Step 12. Bake the White Nectarine Cake (Upside-Down)

Place the cake pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes until the top of the cake is a light golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean. After baking, let the cake cool for about 1 minute.

🍴 Flip Over – Then Ready-to-Eat White Nectarine Cake (Upside-Down)

Since this cake was prepared upside-down, we need to flip it over. When the cake is done baking, run a knife around the edges of the cake pan and then flip the cake pan over onto a cake stand, or round serving tray. But, if you don’t have a cake stand or round serving tray, a regular-sized round plate will work just fine.

Tip: With the cake pan sitting in its normal position, place the plate upside down over the top of the baked cake and pan. Lift both the cake pan and the plate at the same time and then flip both over and the cake will pop out of the pan onto the plate.

❓ FAQs for White Nectarine Cake (Upside-Down)

When Are White Nectarines in Season?

The season for nectarines in the Northern hemisphere usually begins at the end of April to May and through the summer months into mid-September. The peak season in the Northern hemisphere for nectarines is June, July, and August.

In the United States, almost all of the nectarines are from California.

The season for nectarines in the Southern hemisphere normally is October through March, and April at the latest. And of course, normal weather conditions are a big factor.

When the climate where you live isn’t suitable to grow nectarines and depending on the climate and growing conditions around the rest of the world, grocery stores may or may not be able to order nectarines from suppliers. This can also affect the availability to buy them in the grocery store.

What is a White Nectarine?

Nectarines are a fruit that is grown on a peach tree. Nectarines are so similar to peaches yet they are not called peaches. They have a smoother outer skin compared to the fuzzy skin on peaches.

There is a large hard pit inside the middle of the nectarine, hence called stone fruit, which is the part we do not eat.

When nectarines are ripe enough to eat, they are not only sweet, juicy, and delicious but they also have great health benefits too. One average nectarine has about 60 calories.

There are many varieties of nectarines to choose from with distinct colors too:

The Outside Skin Color of Nectarines

The outside skin color of nectarines ranges anywhere from:

• Yellow to yellow with a few patches of red flowing through the yellow on the outside of the nectarine.
• And then there are nectarines with bright red, or red with yellow streaks or yellow speckles throughout on the outside of the nectarine.
• And some varieties of nectarines have a pinkish-red, or red with a bit of yellow and green under the red, or a red and gold on the outside of the nectarine.
• And last but not least, there is a white nectarine or white with some pink dots on the skin, also a white and green nectarine, or a nectarine with pink and white tones on the outside of the skin.

The Inside Flesh Color of Nectarines

The color of the inside flesh of nectarines varies from:

• White flesh, or yellow flesh, or mostly yellow flesh.
• Also, some nectarines have a bit of green flesh, or orange-colored flesh, or yellow flesh with some splashes of red.

For this white nectarine cake recipe, we used the nectarines with the white flesh inside.

💭 Final Thoughts

A scoop of vanilla ice cream goes great with this white nectarine cake. At the time, we didn’t have vanilla ice cream, but we did have a vanilla caramel ice cream that was also great with this nectarine cake. Enjoy!

Recipe Card

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