There is a reason why Sunday mornings are seen as the most luxurious and relaxing. Between the late wakeup calls and piles of blankets to hide under, getting me out of the house before 1pm on a Sunday would be practically impossible.

Because of this, brunch is something that I don’t indulge in too often. Normally because I am still passed out by the time brunch is served and also because my friends and I don’t enjoy spending obscene amounts of money at some of the favorite brunch haunts in town. Some of my favorite brunch spots are Crepeville, and Fox & Goose. Both places are pretty reasonable and their breakfast entrees are to die for. But $10 on a mimosa when I could probably down a whole bottle at home for that much?! Hmm, no thanks. That $10 is like 3 weeks of Starbucks… You can see how I can talk myself out of these situations.

Just because I don’t go out and brunch it up doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy the idea of brunch. In fact, I think it’s probably the best meal you can have. Pancakes, ham, eggs, muffins, scones, fruit, you name it, a brunch spread should have it. Hosting small dinner parties or breakfast/brunch parties is right up my alley. I often dream of having weekly brunches when I finally get a home that is as welcoming as possible. Till then, I will have to keep making mental notations about the recipes that work.

So far, I’ve got a running tally here. I’d serve this artichoke dip along side this roasted salmon. for a main dish because the fish is so light which gives you a perfect excuse to eat all the sweet treats you like. I’d also include these carrot spice muffins, and chocolate chip coffee cake. And my next addition to my fantasy brunch menu is this peach upside-down cake.

Originally, Dorie Greenspan called this recipe a cranberry upside-downer because this cake used cranberries as the topping. The tart flavors of the cranberries complemented the nutty and spicy brown sugar cake that served as the base. But fresh cranberries aren’t in season here nor are any other tasty fruits. A couple more months and hopefully the fruit produce will grace us with its presence.

Instead of scouring for the freshest produce and coming up short, I turned to my pantry and found cans of peaches, nectarines, and pears. The peaches were literally calling my name and I thought they’d work well with the walnuts and butter topping. But I imagine the pears or possibly plums would work well too.

Simple and sweet, the cake was light and contrasted with the crunchy salty topping. It was also a breeze to make, besides the melting of butter and walnuts in the beginning. It’s not always a pretty cake as its hard to predict how the final result will look but there is no way that your guests would be disappointed taste-wise.

The splash of orange from the fruit with the caramel colored cake with flecks of spice will look great on your breakfast table, and you will have a hard time pushing the cake away after one slice. Not to mention that a slice of this cake goes beautifully with a big cup of coffee too. Hopefully you will enjoy the spicy and fruity flavors in this cake as much as I did.

Peach Upside-Down Cake
From Baking: from my home to yours

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 chopped walnuts or pecans
1 can of canned peaches (you can use nectarines, pears or apricots)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk

Getting Ready:
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the sugar and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour this over the bottom of a 8 x 2 inch round cake pan. Scatter the nuts and top with the apricots (I arranged them in a concentric pattern). Press down gently using your fingertips. If frozen fruit was used this might cause the butter to congeal - don’t worry as everything will melt in the oven. Set this aside.

Using a hand mixture beat the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue until the mixture is pale and creamy. If you used brown sugar like I did - it won’t turn pale ;-). Beat for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Pour in the vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk and then the remaining dry ingredients. Spoon the batter over the apricots and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and run a blunt knife between the sides of the sides of the pan and the cake. Turn the cake out onto a serving platter.

The cake is best served the day it is made, but it can be covered and kept at room temperature overnight. It’s not such a great idea to freeze this, due to the topping.