Peaches and Cream Cake
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Peaches and Cream Cake is a rustic, buttery cake filled with juicy chunks of fresh peaches, warm cardamom spice, and a delicate dusting of powdered sugar. Serve it like you would a coffee cake for breakfast, an afternoon treat with tea, or dress it up as a delightful summer dessert with a scoop of ice cream!
The secret to this cake’s irresistible flavor is the perfect balance of melted butter, cardamom, and almond extract! The warm spices complement the sweet, juicy peaches while the whole milk (or cream) creates an incredibly tender crumb that practically melts in your mouth.
I’ve made this dessert on repeat, and along the way, I’ve picked up a few little tricks that make all the difference. Sprinkling brown sugar in the bottom of the pan creates a caramelized base, while a dusting of white sugar on top before baking gives the crust a lovely sweet crunch. Trust me, these small touches take this peaches and cream cake recipe from great to unforgettable!
What is peaches and cream cake?
This peaches and cream cake is a rustic-yet-elegant dessert that celebrates juicy summer peaches. The melted butter and addition of whole milk (or cream) creates a rich, tender crumb that’s reminiscent of a classic pound cake but much lighter and more delicate.
A hint of cardamom and almond extract add depth and complexity that perfectly complements the bright, sweet peaches and buttery cake.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- You’ll discover optional steps to easily elevate this delicious cake when following my tips below.
- Perfect as a coffee cake for breakfast, an afternoon snack with tea, or a sophisticated summer dessert.
- It’s light and fluffy yet rich and indulgent; loved by kids and adults alike!
Ingredients needed
- Granulated sugar: Regular white sugar keeps the cake sweet and light. For a deeper flavor, you could substitute half with brown sugar.
- Eggs: One large egg plus one large egg yolk adds richness and structure. Allow them to reach room temperature for easy mixing.
- Extracts: Vanilla and almond extract create a beautiful flavor base. Vanilla bean paste adds beautiful specks if you have it on hand!
- Salted butter: Melted and slightly cooled. The salt enhances all the flavors beautifully. If using unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt to the batter.
- All-purpose flour: Just ½ cup of flour plus 1 tablespoon for tossing with the peaches keeps this cake light and tender.
- Baking powder: Provides the perfect rise without making the cake too tall or dense.
- Cardamom: This warm, aromatic spice pairs beautifully with peaches. Don’t skip it!
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.
- Milk or cream: Whole milk or cream adds richness and creates that signature tender crumb.
- Fresh peaches: You’ll need about 3½ cups of chopped peaches. Always use in-season peaches from your local grocery store or farmer’s market for the best flavor. If peaches are out of season, use frozen and thawed (drained well) or canned peaches.
- Brown sugar (optional): Sprinkled in the pan before adding the batter creates a lovely caramelized bottom crust.
- Powdered sugar: A pretty dusting over the top of your cooled cake before serving.
How do you make this peaches and cream cake?
Prepare the pan and peaches:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease an 8 or 9-inch springform pan with butter, including the sides.
- Sprinkle some brown sugar in the pan before adding the cake batter to create a lovely caramelized bottom crust.
- Wrap the outside of the pan with foil and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
- Peel the peaches and chop them into uniform chunks, but not too small. Place them in a bowl and toss gently in 1 tablespoon of flour. Set aside.
PRO TIP: To remove the cake from the pan base, make sure to line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
Make the batter:
- In a separate bowl, melt the butter. You can do this either in the microwave or over a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and cardamom together, then set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolk with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the extracts and mix.
- Add the milk, followed by the melted and cooled butter, and then the flour mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Drain any liquid off the peaches and gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula. This gentle folding helps to keep the peaches from sinking.
PRO TIP: Make sure and drain off any liquid from the peaches before adding to the batter.
Bake:
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with extra white sugar for a sweet top crust, if you like.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes at 350°F or until the cake starts to pull away from the edges of the pan and is golden brown on top.
PRO TIP: A good way to know you have enough peaches is if they poke above the batter when you pour it in the pan. If not, maybe add more. Also optional to add foil around the outside edges if they start to brown too much. *NOTE: Baking time with vary according to the size of springform pan.
Cool and serve:
- Remove from the oven and let the cake completely cool in the pan.
- If you’re making this cake ahead, transfer it (once cooled) while still in the pan to the fridge. Chilling the cake will make it easier to remove from the pan and slice.
- To serve immediately, run a butter knife around the outside to remove the outer ring of the pan.
- You can also run the knife along the bottom, then slide a spatula underneath. (Or keep it on the base for easy serving!)
- Slice the cake and enjoy cool, at room temperature, or slightly re-warmed.
- Garnish with a light dusting of powdered sugar as an optional topping.
Serving
Serve this scrumptious cake for breakfast, as a sweet snack, or summer dessert with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, sweetened crème fraîche, or a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. If you want an extra dose of peaches and cream flavor, pair a slice of this cake with my Peaches and Cream Ice Cream!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors of the cake deepens over time!
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled cake in plastic and again in foil. Transfer it to an airtight container or place individual wrapped slices in a freezer-safe bag to be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving again.
- Wrapping with foil: Don’t forget this step. You can also use a larger piece in case you want to wrap it up around the edges as it bakes (so the edges don’t get too dark). EVERY OVEN IS DIFFERENT.
- Make ahead: You can bake this peach cake ahead of time and even freeze it for up to a month. Add the light dusting of powdered sugar to the top of the cake just before serving.
- Crunchy topping: Since this cake already has almond extract, it makes complete sense to top it with thinly sliced almonds for a delicious crunchy topping that looks incredibly sophisticated too!
- Prevent sinking: To prevent your chopped peaches from sinking to the bottom of the cake, lightly toss them in flour before gently folding them into the cake batter.
- Double the recipe: Bake in two springform pans when catering to a crowd. Adjust baking time by 5-10 minutes and keep a close watch.
- Don’t overmix: Be careful that you don’t overmix the cake batter or you will create an overly dense cake. Stop mixing the batter as soon as the flour is incorporated and you don’t see flour streaks.
- Check for doneness: You can tell when the peaches and cream cake is done baking by pulling away from the sides of the springform pan, the top turning a golden brown color, and by inserting a toothpick into the middle which should return clean.
Variations:
- Fruity twist: If you don’t like peaches, make this cake with fresh berries, pear, or apple slices instead.
- Topping: Instead of powdered sugar, sprinkle grated white chocolate over the top for a touch of decadence and rich flavor contrast to the light and fluffy cake.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum if needed.
More summer cakes you may want to try:
Get the Recipe:
Peaches and Cream Cake
This Peaches and Cream Cake features juicy fresh peaches and warm cardamom, topped with powdered sugar. Enjoy it as a coffee cake, afternoon treat, or summer dessert!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ⅓ cup salted butter, melted (allow to cool a bit)
- ½ cup all purpose flour, + 1 Tbsp to add to peaches
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tsp cardamom
- Pinch salt
- 6 Tablespoons heavy cream, or whole milk
- 6-8 fresh peaches, about 3 ½ cups chopped, drain off any juice
- Powdered sugar, for dusting before serving
Equipment
- 8-inch springform pan or 9 inch springform pan
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease an 8 or 9-inch springform pan with butter, including the sides. *NOTE: Baking time with vary according to the size of pan.
- Sprinkle some brown sugar in the pan before adding the cake batter to create a lovely caramelized bottom crust.
- Wrap the outside of the pan with foil and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
- Peel the peaches and chop them into uniform chunks, but not too small. Place them in a bowl and toss gently in 1 tablespoon of flour. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, melt the butter. You can do this either in the microwave or over a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and cardamom together, then set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolk with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the extracts and mix.
- Add the milk, followed by the melted and cooled butter, and then the flour mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Drain any juice off the peaches and gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula. This gentle folding helps to keep the peaches from sinking.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with extra white sugar for a sweet top crust, if you like.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes at 350°F or until the cake starts to pull away from the edges of the pan and is golden brown on top. NOTE: Every oven is different!
- Remove from the oven and let the cake completely cool in the pan.
- If you’re making this cake ahead, transfer it (once cooled) while still in the pan to the fridge. Chilling the cake will make it easier to remove from the pan and slice.
- To serve immediately, run a butter knife around the outside to remove the outer ring of the pan.
- You can also run the knife along the bottom, then slide a spatula underneath. (Or keep it on the base for easy serving!)
- Slice the cake and enjoy cool, at room temperature, or slightly re-warmed.
- Garnish with a light dusting of powdered sugar as an optional topping.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors of the cake deepens over time!
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled cake in plastic and again in foil. Transfer it to an airtight container or place individual wrapped slices in a freezer-safe bag to be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving again.
- Drain the peaches before adding to the batter.
- Wrapping with foil: Don’t forget this step. You can also use a larger piece in case you want to wrap it up around the edges as it bakes (so the edges don’t get too dark). EVERY OVEN IS DIFFERENT.
- Make ahead: You can bake this peach cake ahead of time and even freeze it for up to a month. Add the light dusting of powdered sugar to the top of the cake just before serving.
- Prevent sinking: To prevent your chopped peaches from sinking to the bottom of the cake, lightly toss them in flour before gently folding them into the cake batter.
- Double the recipe: Bake in two springform pans when catering to a crowd. Adjust baking time by 5-10 minutes and keep a close watch.
- Check for doneness: You can tell when the peaches and cream cake is done baking by pulling away from the sides of the springform pan, the top turning a golden brown color, and by inserting a toothpick into the middle which should return clean. EVERY OVEN IS DIFFERENT and the time may vary according to the size of pan you are using.
Calories: 265kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 141mg, Potassium: 172mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 831IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg
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Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
