Equipment
Ingredients
Peach Filling
- 600 g peaches, sliced 1.5cm thick
- 50 g dark brown sugar, packed
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Batter and Butter
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g dark brown sugar, packed
- 8 g baking powder
- 2 g baking soda
- 3 g salt
- 240 ml buttermilk, room temperature
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 312 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 48 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 33 g
- Sodium
- 265 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 32 mg
- Potassium
- 332 mg
- Calcium
- 100 mg
- Iron
- 0.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 16 mg
- Phosphorus
- 135 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 115 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 6 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.08 mg
- Niacin
- 0.9 mg
- Folate
- 10 mcg
- Water
- 101 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.
In a mixing bowl, toss the sliced peaches with 50g of dark brown sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Set aside to macerate and release their juices.
Place the unsalted butter in the cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook until the butter melts, foams, and the milk solids turn a deep hazelnut brown, yielding a nutty aroma. Immediately remove the skillet from the heat.
In the wiped-clean mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, remaining 50g of dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the buttermilk and whisk gently just until a thick, lumpy batter forms. Do not overmix.
Pour the buttermilk batter directly over the hot brown butter in the skillet. Do not stir the batter into the butter; allow it to float and pool naturally.
Spoon the macerated peaches and all of their accumulated juices evenly over the top of the batter. Again, do not stir. The batter will rise through the fruit during baking.
Bake in the preheated oven at 190°C/375°F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the batter has risen to the top, puffed considerably, and developed a deep golden-brown crust.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let the cobbler rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. This allows the hot fruit juices to thicken slightly.
Chef's Notes
- Browning the butter directly in the skillet builds foundational flavor and ensures crispy, caramelized edges along the cast iron walls.
- Do not stir the batter into the butter or the fruit into the batter. The magic of this cobbler is the structural inversion that happens in the oven.
- Using ripe but firm freestone peaches yields the best texture. If using frozen peaches, do not thaw them completely to prevent excess liquid from thinning the batter.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Cover tightly. Reheat in a warm oven to restore edge crispness.
Freezer: 1 month — Texture of peaches will soften significantly upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat individual portions in a 150C oven for 10 minutes.
Troubleshooting
Batter became gummy or failed to rise above the fruit
Cause: Batter was stirred into the hot butter or fruit, disrupting the structural inversion process
Fix: Cannot be fixed texturally, but remains safe and delicious as a fruit pudding
Prevention: Strictly layer the components and resist the urge to mix them together in the pan
Cultural Context
This style of cobbler relies on a magical culinary inversion rooted in Southern American home cooking, sometimes called a cuppa-cuppa-cuppa cobbler. The heavy fruit and juices sink to the bottom of the pan while the leavened buttermilk batter rises to the surface, creating a rustic, self-saucing dessert that perfectly captures the essence of summer.
