Peach Upside-Down (Spelt) Cake

This is a great variation of the classic pineapple upside-down cake...an excellent cake for a smaller family or if you don't want to have a huge cake around the house. It is very yummy and it happens to be wheat-free as well! I took it to my parent's house for a visit today and it was about 3/4 gone by the time we left...
I got the recipe from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book, page 381. (I substituted canned peaches for the fresh nectarines it calls for, but I am going to use them this summer -- that would be amazingly good!)

Nectarine Upside-Down Cake
Yield: One 8-inch square cake, 9 servings
Baking time: 45 minutes

Topping:
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 large ripe nectarines (or canned cling peaches, drained)
2 tsp lemon juice

Batter:
1 3/4 cups whole spelt flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract (I used almond)
1/2 cup milk

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 brown sugar and spices, and sprinkle evenly over the melted butter. Slice the nectarines (or peaches) 1/4 inch thick (don't peel them). 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 salt 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 sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 minutes. Remove from 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 pff and replace it on the cake. Serve warm, with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired. (I served it plain and it was fabulous!)

Calories: 273 for 1/9th of the cake