Upside-down peach cake

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups (385g) caster sugar
• 4 peaches, peeled, stoned, each cut into 6 wedges
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup (60g) ground almonds
• 6 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. 
2. Grease and line base of a 24cm springform tin with baking paper. Place 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small, heavy-based saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Simmer until a dark caramel forms. Immediately pour caramel into base of tin, then top with peach wedges, skin-side down.
3. Place butter, vanilla and remaining 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy. 
4. Sift flour, baking powder, ground almonds and 1/2 teaspoon salt over butter mixture. 
5. Add all eggs then beat on low speed until mixture is smooth and just combined.
6. Spoon batter over peaches then level. 
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Cover top with baking paper to prevent over-browning, then bake for a further 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
8. Stand in tin for 10 minutes. 
9. Release side of pan then place a plate over top. Invert cake on to plate. Remove base and paper.