Peach Upside-Down Cake (Free Choice)

I could have taken this week off, but I was in a baking kind of mood, (at least I was before I got sick), so I decided to do a variation of a cake I'd already done. The apple upside-down cake became a peach upside-down cake, and the results were superb in this end-of-the-summer, abundant-peach season.
Last October 19, when I posted the results of the apple-walnut upside-down cake, I lamented that peach season was over so I'd have to wait until next year. Am I glad that I remembered!
I wouldn't like to do any comparing of the virtues of peach and apple upside-down cake, because, well, that would be comparing apples and peaches. The cake part is exactly the same, so if you want to see what's involved, you can just click on that post.
There are a couple of things about the peaches that I want to point out. First, I nearly scoffed at and ignored Rose's instructions on how to peel a peach. Peaches aren't hard to peel, I said to myself. They don't need any help. But, being the dutiful girl that I am, I went ahead and poured boiling water on the peaches,

let them steep for one minute, and then moved them into another bowl of ice water.

Look how that peach peel comes off with the merest whisper of encouragement.

Now I suppose you could argue over whether it's worth getting two pans dirty for such ease of peeling, and I'll admit I wouldn't do it every time I peel a peach, but for making a pie (or an upside-down cake, I'm a convert).
There was just one other major difference between the two cakes. I had the almonds ready to strew over the peach cake, but I just couldn't bring myself to sully their peachiness. And, believe me, I am not in the camp that thinks of nuts as a sullying agent. In fact, there's almost nothing that can't be improved by nuts--except maybe this lovely peach upside-down cake.

TASTING PANEL:
Erika: "I love this cake, and I'm having a second piece. It's perfect. The cake isn't too heavy, and the peaches taste really fresh."
Anna: "It's really good. I think it's better with peaches than it would be with apples."
Jim: "Delicious. I really like the cake. The whipped cream is a nice addition, but it doesn't need it."
Karen: "The texture is good. It's very moist, but not too heavy."