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Ingredients
- Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste if you have it.)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (I like using the flaky kind)
- Cake:
- 1/2 Caramel Sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 large peaches- cut into slices
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
Preparation
Step 1
Caramel:
Before you begin, get all your ingredients ready and have them waiting near your stove-top.
Place a heavy-bottomed 2 or 3 qt. saucepan over medium-high heat and sprinkle about a tablespoon of the sugar into the bottom.
Lift the pan over the heat and shake/swirl the sugar until it starts to melt. Continue swirling the pan around until the sugar is all clump-free and melted.
Sprinkle some more sugar on top and repeat the "swirl and shake" over the heat until the new sugar is incorporated and melted into the first batch. (The sugar will start to caramelize at this point which is why you want to lift if off the heat, preventing it from burning.)
Repeat the previous step with the remaining sugar, sprinkling a little at a time until it is all melted and a dark amber color.
Add the butter and whisk until totally melted and combined.
Remove from heat and slowly stream the cream into the caramel. (It may seize up and foam a bit!) Whisk it rapidly until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and sea salt.
Pour caramel in a glass jar or measuring cup and allow to cool. It will last in the fridge for up to a month in an air-tight container.
Notes:
If adding the cream causes the mixture to seize up and separate- don't despair! Just stir the whole mixture over low heat until the clumps of caramelized sugar melt completely.
Cake:
Preheat oven to 375F. Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, powder, and salt.
In a large bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Add the flour and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix on low speed until just combined.
Spread the caramel sauce on the bottom of the cake pan and sprinkle the brown sugar on top. Arrange the peaches on top of the sugar and then spread the batter smoothly over the peaches.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.