Nectarine Upside-down Cake

Note from Cheri: The recipe and text below are reprinted with permission from Whole Grain Baking by the folks at the King Arthur Flour Company (2006 Countryman Press). This book teaches you just enough to get familiar with the different types of whole grains and how to best use them, without bogging you down with a lot of superfluous information that you don't really need. After all, this is primarily a cookbook, not a nutrition lesson. As such, the editors have put most people's biggest whole grain fears to rest -- bland taste and heavy texture. All of the recipes in this book (over 400 of them) have been meticulously tested and tested again to make sure they stood on their own. In other words, tasters couldn't say "the recipe tastes good for a whole grain product." In fact many tasters didn't even know they were tasting whole grain products. Bottom line, the finished recipe has to taste great, period. The scope of the book is astounding, any baked favorite you may have had can now be made with whole grains -- breads, cakes, cookies, pastries and more. Click here for more information on this great baking reference, discount ordering links through Amazon.com and more terrific whole grain baking recipes.

When upside-down cakes made their first plash in the 1950s, they wore pineapple rings on top with maraschino cherries in the middle, the fruit bathed in glistening, buttery brown sugar syrup. We've updated that classic with sliced nectarines here. We think their tartness is a perfect foil for the butter-and-sugar combination. The spelt flour in this recipe created a very tender, very satisfying cake. But of you;re hunkering for peaches, or the pineapple rings you grew up with, by all mean use those.

Topping: 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 large ripe nectarines (12 to 14 ounces) 2 teaspoons lemon juice Batter: 1 3/4 cups (6 1/8 ounces) whole spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) unsalted butter 3/4 cup (5 1/2 ounces) packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract 1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk

Yield: One 8-inch-square cake; 9 Servings Baking Temperature: 375°F Baking Time: 45 Minutes Preheat the oven to 375°F. To Make the Topping: Place the melted butter in an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan, tilting it to evenly coat the bottom. Mix together the grown sugar and spices and sprinkle evenly over the melted butter. Slice the nectarines 1/4 inch thick (don't peel them the skin will look beautiful and help the slices stay together). Lay the slices into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Set aside. To Make the Batter: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and slat in a small bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light in color and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla (or almond) extract; scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined. Stir in half the flour mixture, then the milk. Add the remaining flour mixture, stirring until the batter is evenly moistened and there are no dry or wet patches in it. Gently pour the batter over the fruit in the pan. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Invert the pan onto a serving platter, and let sit for 1 minute before removing the pan. If any fruit sticks to the pan, use a spatula to carefully scrape it off and replace it on the cake. Serve warm, with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired. Nutritional Information per Serving (1/2 Roll, 52G): 13g whole grains; 141 calories; 3g fat; 4g protein; 20g complex carbohydrates; 6g sugar; 2g dietary fiber; 6mg cholesterol; 189mg sodium; 99mg potassium; 20RE vitamin A; 1mg vitamin C; 1mg iron; 9mg calcium; 71mg phosphorus.