When Kevin was a boy back in Michingan, his Mother and Sister would bake and enter a myriad different baked goods in the state fair each year; it was part fun and hobby and part competition. Well, after admiring, sampling and enjoying these foods for several years and being at an impressionable age, Kevin soon found himself yearning to try his hand at baking and entering the state fair.

When Kevin was 8 or 9 years old he entered the fair and won a couple second and third place awards. But when he won a blue ribbon for his Peach Upside-Down Cake a couple years later, well, he was simply elated. You can imagine the excitement this youngster experienced with winning a blue ribbon amongst the competition that existed at such a large state fair! A love of baking and cooking was born!

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour melted butter into a round 10 inch baking pan and swirl pan to spread out butter. With your fingers, spread brown sugar evenly throughout the bottom of the pan. Place 5 maraschino cherries in a star pattern on sugar; place one peach half over each cherry so that the peach half lays flat and even. Set aside.
• Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat at medium speed for 4 or 5 minutes. Remember - well mixed batter makes a better cake. Pour cake batter over peaches and into pan evenly. Bake for approximately 55 minutes or until a butter knife inserted into the cake comes out dry. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes. With a knife, cut along the inside rim of the pan to help separate the cake from the pan. Invert onto platter.

• Note: If, while baking, the top part of the cake begins to burn slightly before the knife comes out clean, continue to bake. When cake is finally done, simply slice burnt skin from bottom of cake with a large sharp knife before inverting.