A lovely, creamy peach cake with chunks of peaches in a lightly set, creamy, custard-style filling, channelling the flavours of peaches and cream. A lovely way to enjoy fresh peaches, or try it with canned peaches.
This Peaches and Cream Cake is a “cake” in the very loosest meaning of the word. It’s mostly peaches, held together with a creamy custard-style filling. The cake bakes up into a form that is barely set on the outside and creamy on the inside. It’s very mildly sweet, which really lets the flavour of the peaches shine.
I’ve enjoyed this peaches and cream cake cold from the fridge, at room temperature, and slightly warm and honestly, it’s nice all ways. It’s lovely enjoyed as is, or you can never go wrong with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Peaches – When fresh peaches are available, I think they’re the best choice for this cake. According to readers, canned or tinned peaches will also work here, though I haven’t personally tested this substitution. I don’t recommend trying frozen peaches, as the extra liquid from the frozen fruit may make this cake watery and too loose.
Milk – Whole, full-fat milk (3 – 3/5% b.f.) will produce the nicest results, though 2% milk should work fine in a pinch, as would half-and-half cream (10% b.f.). I haven’t tested this recipe with non-dairy milk.
How to make peaches and cream cake: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by peeling and pitting the peaches and cutting them into 1/2-inch chunks. Set aside.
Step 2: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 3: Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
Step 4: Add the eggs and sugar to a mixer with the whisk attachment.
Step 5: Whisk until light and fluffy.
Step 6: Mix in the milk.
Step 7: Mix in the melted and slightly cooled butter.
Step 8: Mix in the flour mixture.
Step 9: The finished batter should be light and creamy with soft peaks.
Step 10: Add the prepared peaches to the batter and fold in.
Step 11: Spoon the batter into a greased 8-inch springform pan and level the top.
Step 12: Bake until set and deep golden in colour.
How to make peaches and cream cake: video
Recipe tips!
- I like to refrigerate this cake in the pan before trying to remove it to a serving plate. It’s a little more stable when chilled.
- It’s a little tricky to gauge when this cake is done. It should bake between 50 and 55 minutes and be deeply golden over most of the top. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan and then, ideally, pop into the refrigerator for an hour or two before removing from the pan. Refrigerate in the pan if making ahead.
How to peel a peach the easy way!
I’m sure we all know about the boil then ice bath method of peach peeling, but I’m sure we all would agree that’s a lot of work, especially when we only need a few peeled peaches. When working with firm (not overly-ripe) peaches, my go-to method of peeling peaches is a good, sharp vegetable peeler, specifically a Y-shape peeler.
A good, sharp Y-peeler can quickly and easily remove just the skin, so there’s little wasting of good peach. The nice thing about a Y peeler is that it’s perfectly angled to take thin peelings, when peeling from top to bottom around the outside of the peach.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This peaches and cream cake can easily be made several hours ahead and refrigerated; in fact, it is best and more set after sitting in the fridge for several hours. You can serve it cold from the fridge or at room temperature.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I don’t recommend freezing this cake as it may change in texture from the freeze/thaw process.
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Get the Recipe: Peaches and Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 6-8 fresh peaches, about 3 1/2 cups chopped *see Note 2
- 1/3 cup (76 g) butter, melted, salted or unsalted, slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup (63 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt, if using unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (130 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
- 6 Tablespoons (88 ml) whole milk , at room temperature (3% b.f.) *see Note 1
- 1-2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, for the pan
- Icing/confectioners' sugar, for dusting before serving
Instructions
- Grease an 8-inch springform pan. (If you don't have a springform, you can use a regular round 8-inch cake pan, but note that it may be more difficult to remove from the pan unless you line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper. I suggest refrigerating for an hour before attempting to remove the cake from the pan.)
- Sprinkle the inside of the greased pan with a bit of 1-2 Tablespoons light brown sugar (for the pan). Wrap the outside of the springform pan in a piece of aluminum foil and place it on a baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 355° F. (regular bake setting – adjust as needed for convection or fan-assisted baking).
- Peel the 6-8 fresh peaches (about 3 1/2 cups chopped *see Note 2), cut the flesh off the sides, then cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Set aside.
- Melt the 1/3 cup butter (melted, salted or unsalted, slightly cooled) and set aside to let it cool slightly (stirring helps to cool it). In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled), 1 teaspoon baking powder and pinch salt (if using unsalted butter). Set aside.
- Add the 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk and 2/3 cup white granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl with an electric mixer). Mix at medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste) and mix it in. Add the 6 Tablespoons whole milk (at room temperature (3% b.f.) *see Note 1), the cooled, melted butter and then the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Gently fold the prepared peaches into the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. (*You'll know you have enough peaches if they poke above the batter when you pour it in the pan. If not, maybe add another). If you like, you can sprinkle the top with white sugar before baking for a sweet top crust.
- Bake in a preheated 355° oven for 45-55 minutes. The cake should be evenly deep golden on top and should have pulled away from the sides of the pan.
- Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before slicing if you want to enjoy it right away. If not, I suggest transferring the pan to the refrigerator to chill before removing it from the pan and/or slicing. Slice and serve cool, at room temperature or slightly re-warmed, garnished with a dusting of icing sugar.
- Dress up this cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, if you like.
- This cake can be made ahead and refrigerated. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freezing isn't recommended as the texture of the cake may become grainy.
Notes
Watch how to make it
More peach recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Excellent and oh so easy! I used some peaches that were just slightly mealy and they baked up beautifully – I didn’t even peel them (less work = extra winning 🏆)! Subbed 1/2&1/2 for whole milk. I couldn’t find my 8” springform, so I used my 7” and two larger ramekins – just adjusted the baking time for each new volume accordingly and watched for the cake to come away from the edges. Beautiful summer stone fruit recipe – will try with plums, cherries, apricots….!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lorie! Thanks :)
I made your peaches and cream cake for dessert tonight. We all loved it! Will definitely make again. Thank you!
So glad to hear, Dianne :) Thanks so much!
Hi,
Would a little corn starch help hold this together?
Jim
Possibly, but it would definitely change the texture. It also assumes you consider the looser creamy texture a flaw rather than a feature :) I personally love the texture as it is, and I don’t get too hung up on taking the “cake” part of the name too literally.
Here we are in the middle of peach season & today I chose to make this. Made a triple recipe of this…one for me and two to give away. It turned out great…looks exactly like your picture. I didn’t have a spring form pan so I used disposable aluminum pans from the dollar store. I lined each pan with parchment paper…let them cool & the entire dessert lifted out & was easy to slice. It’s almost like a custard inside & it’s absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Martie! Thanks so much :)
made the peaches and cream cake or rathe attempted too…
I may not have whipped the butter and sugar long enough because I didn’t get what your picture shows a nice-looking floury cake. there is no way even if I did refrigerate it last night that it’ll come out like cake. haven’t had any yet.
I may just scoop it in a bowl and top with vanilla icecream… it DOES taste yummy. And yes I did “fold” the peaches in- I was nervous there wasn’t enough flour, that I read it wrong… Will try again using LESS peaches as you recommended for my 9inch springform pan. AND glad you added to foil around it!
Hi Aneesa, you may not have been far off from the texture of this “cake”. It is not a floury cake. It is more like a floury pudding, with the flour adding just a bit more structure. It should be sliceable after refrigerating, though so yes, maybe it just needed a bit more whisking together of the eggs and sugar to give it more structure.
Best peach dessert I ever made. My family loved it!
Thanks so much, Diana :) So glad you all enjoyed it!
Why not convection oven setting?
Hi Susan, I am simply indicating that the oven temperature setting stated is for a non-convection/fan-assisted bake, not that you can’t use convection. You can certainly use convection bake if you prefer and you know the adjustments that need to be made. I haven’t tested this recipe with the convection setting.
Lovely Lovely cake. I used nectarines and topped it with cinnamon and sugar. I also doubled the Vanilla ( only Madagascar Vanilla will do). It was delicious my family loved it. It was gone in one day. Yummy!
So glad to hear, Liz. Thanks so much!
Sounds marvelous and I can not wait to bake this. Thanks you for sharing your recipes.🙏♥️🙏
Thanks Darlene :)
Made this and it is simple and fantastic. I didn’t even have peaches. I use apples and pears cause that’s what I had. I loved it. I can’t wait to try it with peaches. Thank you so much for the recipe.
So glad to hear, Robin! And yes, this cake is adaptable to many fruits, for sure. Thanks :)