Sunday: A Birthday Cake Experiment That Actually Worked

Today was one of those really fun kitchen days where I got to experiment with a new recipe—and thankfully, it actually turned out.

Breakfast

The kids finished off the bacon I cooked yesterday along with the chicken sausage from Costco.

For my husband, I made his favorite veggie, sausage, and egg scramble.

To make it even easier, I used leftovers from last night’s taco dinner. I had roasted a tray of mushrooms, peppers, and onions with just olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, so this morning I simply reheated those vegetables in a skillet with the cooked pork breakfast sausage I keep in the fridge. Once everything was hot, I added the eggs and scrambled it all together.

I made a double batch so tomorrow’s breakfast is already done too.

Mom’s Birthday Cake

She loves fruity desserts much more than rich chocolate cake, so I wanted to create a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free peach upside-down cake.

It worked out perfectly because Costco had peaches yesterday. One package was perfectly ripe, while the other was still rock hard, so those will ripen over the next several days.

I ended up combining pieces from three or four different recipes to create my own version. I filmed the whole process hoping it would work…and thankfully it did.

I’ll be posting the reel tomorrow, but I’ll include the full recipe below for you.

Overall, we were really happy with it.

The one thing I’d like to experiment with next time is replacing a small portion of the gluten-free flour blend with a little cornmeal. I think that slight cornmeal texture would pair beautifully with peaches, and it might also disguise just a little of that distinctive gluten-free flour flavor that gluten-free bakers know so well.

But honestly, this version was already very, very good.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free & Egg-Free Peach Upside-Down Cake

A tender vanilla cake baked over buttery caramelized peaches and toasted pecans. This version uses aquafaba in place of eggs for a cake that flips beautifully and stays light and moist.

Ingredients

Peach Topping

• ¼ cup dairy-free butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced ½-inch thick
• ½ cup chopped pecans (optional, but delicious)

Cake Batter

• 1½ cups King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• ¼ cup dairy-free butter, softened
• ¼ cup neutral oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from one can of chickpeas)
• ¾ cup canned coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice

Optional Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2–3 tablespoons peach juice or coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and grease the parchment as well.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the dairy-free butter with the brown sugar and a pinch of salt until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, if using, and arrange the peach slices in an overlapping pattern over the caramel.
3. In a small measuring cup, stir together the coconut milk and vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes to create a dairy-free buttermilk.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
5. In a large bowl, beat the softened dairy-free butter, oil, and sugar for 3–4 minutes until light and fluffy.
6. Beat in the vanilla and the aquafaba. (For an even lighter cake, you can whisk the aquafaba until foamy before adding it.)
7. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
8. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. This gives the gluten-free flour time to fully hydrate, resulting in a softer, more tender crumb.
9. Gently spread the batter over the peaches, smoothing the top.
10. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the top is golden, the center springs back lightly when touched, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
11. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge, place a serving platter over the pan, and carefully invert. If any peach slices stick, simply place them back onto the cake.
12. If desired, whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the cooled cake before serving.

Notes

• This cake is best enjoyed the day it’s made.
• Don’t worry if the caramel hardens before the batter is added—it will melt again as the cake bakes.
• Save the chickpeas for hummus, roasted chickpeas, or another meal!

Peach Ice Cream Experiment

While I already had peaches out, I also decided to experiment with a dairy-free peach ice cream.

That recipe still needs some work.

It’s promising, but it’s not ready for me to recommend yet, so I’m not posting it here until I’m confident it’s repeatable. I’d rather keep testing it than have anyone waste ingredients.

Lunch

Lunch was another good refrigerator clean-out.

The kids officially finished off the last of the Costco pizza. I reheated it and served it with side salads.

My husband and I combined the last of the roasted chicken with the leftover roasted chicken from Silver Spring House.

Since part of it was white meat, I reheated everything gently in a skillet with a little homemade chicken broth and a drizzle of barbecue sauce. The broth keeps the breast meat from drying out while it warms, and the barbecue sauce adds just enough flavor without overpowering it.

Then we served it over salads.

Afternoon Snack

It was incredibly hot today, so everyone spent a lot of time outside playing in the splash pad while my husband went for a run.

Everyone was hungry, so instead of just grabbing pantry snacks, I pulled out some of last night’s taco meat.

Some kiddos made little nacho plates while others made small taco bowls. It was the perfect hearty snack to hold everyone over until dinner.

Sunday Dinner

Tonight we went to my parents’ house for our usual Sunday dinner.

As always, there was steak, and this week my mom also made chicken legs.

The birthday cake was a success, everyone enjoyed it, and of course I came home with leftovers of both proteins.