A wonderfully moist peach ricotta cake, that is full of fresh peaches and made without oil or butter. Lightly sweet, it’s perfect to enjoy any time of day.
I’ve shared a few delicious peach recipes recently, but this is the last one for a bit before I move on to some more varieties of the Summer’s bounty.
This fresh peach cake is wonderfully moist, but manages that without the need for butter or oil. Just eggs and ricotta, together with the usual suspects of flour and sugar. Into the lovely batter goes lots of fresh peach. Two of the peaches are cubed and folded into the batter, while the third is sliced and scattered on top. It’s all finished off with a sprinkling of brown sugar and salt and some sliced almonds.
This cake is lightly sweet, which makes it perfect to enjoy any time of day!
Ingredient Notes
Peaches: Firm, but ripe peaches are best here. I haven’t tried this with anything other than fresh peaches, so I don’t know if frozen or canned will work here. I left the peel on for mine (be sure to scrub well). You can certainly peel if you like.
Start with 3 large peaches or if your peaches are smaller, use 4 – 6.
Ricotta: Any variety of ricotta is fine here. I always use full-fat ricotta, so I haven’t tested this with “light”. Keep in mind there is no butter or oil in this cake, so the only fat (moisture) will come from the ricotta. As such, full-fat ricotta is recommended here.
Cook’s Notes
The perfect size springform pan for this cake is 9-inch. That will give you a cake with decent height. A 10-inch springform pan will work, though the cake will be thinner and may cook more quickly.
It can be tricky to know when this cake is cooked through. Be sure to test in the very centre of the cake and test in several spots, trying to avoid the peaches. When in doubt, leave it in the oven a few minutes longer, to be sure. The cake should be quite golden when done.
This cake keeps fairly well stored at room temperature or in the fridge. It is the kind of cake that will get more moist as it sits, due to the moisture from all the fruit.
Get the Recipe: Peach Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) baking powder
- Pinch (Pinch) salt
- 3 large (3 large) eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (380 g) white sugar
- 1 cup (227 ml) ricotta cheese, full-fat recommended
- 3 large (3 large) peaches, peeled or not, as you like
For topping:
- Flaked almonds
- Brown sugar
- Pinch salt
Garnish:
- Icing/Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the centre of the oven. Grease a 9 or 10-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside. *A 9-inch springform is the best option, if you have that size.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Prepare the peaches by peeling, if desired, then cutting 2 of the peaches into cubes and then cut the 3rd peach into slices. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs with the white sugar until light in colour and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the ricotta and mix in. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the 2 cubed peaches until combined well with the batter. Spoon the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the sliced peaches on the top of the batter. Scatter some flaked almonds on top, then sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar and and pinch of salt.
- Bake in preheated oven as follows: for a 9-inch springform pan, bake for 75-80 minutes. For a 10-inch springform, baking time will be shorter, about 60-65 minutes. In all cases, cake should have pulled away from the sides of the pan and the top should be evenly golden. You can test centre with a skewer to be sure it is cooked in the middle.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the outside and carefully remove the outside ring from the springform pan. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan base.
Notes
Came out so nice and fluffy and very pretty!
So glad to hear, Jola :) Thanks so much!
I am wanting to make this for company arriving in a week so wondering if I can freeze it?
Hi Terri, I have never tried to freeze it. I would be worried about the texture changing a bit, but I don’t know how significantly. Maybe someone can weigh in for you on this one.
This is a very nice and simple tasting cake. It took around 70 min to bake at 350F. Next time I would bake it at 325F since it got dark around the edges because my pan is quite dark. I used 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar because I let the cut up peaches sit in 1/4 cup brown sugar.
So glad you enjoyed it, Sunshine and yes, lowering the temperature will definitely help with that :) Thanks!
I just wanted to share my experience with this lovely cake! I believe it was done at the 60 minute mark but gave it a few extra minutes to be safe. I’ve learned over time that my oven requires less time when baking, so I think it is important that everyone keep that in mind since times have varied so greatly from 60 to 90 minutes in the reviews. I used three smaller peaches in the batter and I might add a little more next time. Also, I just tasted it again today and after sitting for 24 hours it is more moist and flavorful, so it is one of those cakes that get better with time! Overall it is really easy to make and so pretty to look at!
So glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for sharing your review :)
The texture is dense yet light and fluffy. Wonderful. My springform pan was MIA so I used a 9″ cake pan and buttered it and I had no problems getting the cake out to serve. It only took an hour to cook. Lovely recipe – and so beautiful!
So glad you enjoyed it, Effie :) Thanks so much!
I made this recipe using gluten free flour (cup 4 cup brand) with peaches and mangos! I also did 1 tsp of baking powder. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly as described! Turned out amazing.
Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Good to know it works well with GF flour as well, Nicki :) Thanks so much!
I’m going to try gluten free flour next time and maybe Stevia too.
Let me know how it works out, Effie :)
This was wonderful! I used a 9′ springform and it was done at almost exactly 75 minutes. My peaches weren’t quite as flavorful as I’d like, so I added some ginger and a little cinnamon with the dry ingredients. Just an easy, delicious, super moist cake.
Also, I was really pleased that this worked with homemade (whole-milk) ricotta – I hadn’t tried baking with ricotta I’ve made myself before so wasn’t entirely sure it would turn out, but it worked perfectly. I have the bad habit of buying more milk than I can drink before it turns, so I’m going to be coming back to this recipe for a tasty way to use it up.
So glad to hear, Gina and a great use for your homemade ricotta! Thanks so much :)
Made this LOVED IT.
Added a few blueberries to the top just for added colour & a little lemon in the ricotta.
What a perfect light, not too sweet summer (or anytime :) ) dessert.
Thank you!
Cindy
Sounds lovely, Cindy! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks :)
This sounds amazing! But, I have some questions. 1) Can you make them into muffins? 2) Can you use canned peaches??
Hi Myra, I’m not sure about muffins. It’s quite a tender cake. If you went that route I would bake them up in those tulip parchment liners. I’m pretty sure they would stick like crazy. And yes, I feel like you could use canned peaches here.
I had some fresh blackberries in the fridge so tossed them and grated lemon to it for a little bit of citrus flavor. Came out delicious.
For baking time. About an hour but every 15 minutes I rotated the pan just to be on the safe side.
So glad to hear, David! Thanks so much :)
I tried the recipe today. I should have read these comments before I baked the cake. I baked it for 75 minutes. It wasn’t long enough. The centre of the cake was soggy. Disappointed because I used a bamboo skewer to test if it was done. The skewer came out clean. The part that is cooked through is very good.
Delicious! I’ve made two this week. The baking time for me was closer to the hour and half mark as well.
So glad you enjoyed it, Tamara! Thanks so much :)
Can’t wait to try it…sounds delicious and love your recipes. I wish authors of recipes would state in their directions if a convection (bake) setting was used or a regular oven. That can vary baking times significantly. I never see the word “convection” used in recipes and I would think a lot of chefs have them. ????
That’s a great point! I can tell you that while my oven has a Convection Bake setting, that I always use the standard Bake setting for baking recipes here on the blog. While ovens with convection features are becoming more common in kitchens, I just find it safer to use the setting that I know everyone has :) That said, I take your point and I will keep in mind to clarify that I used the regular bake setting for recipes like this (so yes, this one was baked in my kitchen on regular Bake, not convection).
My husband loves simple cakes and this looks like it could be one of his summer favorites.
I think he would love this one, Karen :)
This is amazing – simple to make and I can’t wait to have another slice later today! Because of how I baked it (see below), it ended up slightly chewy on the edges, which was soooo good. The rest of the cake is just a dream. I was tempted to put in some almond extract when I was making it, but I’m so glad I did not do it, because this cake has such a nice light flavor that it would be a shame to add anything else.
I had to bake mine with a cookie tray under the 9-inch springform (my springform sprung a leak!), so I ended up baking it for about an hour and a half.
This is such a beautiful cake! I think I did something wrong, because mine took an hour and a half in the oven in a 9 inch springform. It looks and smells beautiful, so I’m looking forward to tasting it later today.
Hi Rachael and I don’t thing you did anything wrong! I suspect this is one of those cakes where the baking time will vary depending on the moisture content of the ricotta and peaches and the pan type and the oven.
This is amazing – simple to make and I can’t wait to have another slice later today! Because of how I baked it, it ended up slightly chewy on the edges, which was soooo good. The rest of the cake is just a dream. I was tempted to put in some almond extract when I was making it, but I’m so glad I did not do it, because this cake has such a nice light flavor that it would be a shame to add anything else.
So glad to hear, Rachael! Thanks :)
This is my kind of cake! I adore ricotta in a cake like this and the peaches look wonderful! Pinned :)
Thanks so much, Tricia :)
I make a peach ricotta cake in my skillet, and it has been a go-to dessert this summer. I just love the texture that ricotta adds to cakes. And this cake looks like it has a perfect texture! All the cubed peaches in the batter are a nice touch too!
Thanks Leanne! I make ricotta cakes often, as I always seem to have a container of ricotta around that needs using :) I love the texture, too.
You’ve done it again! I often eat peeled fresh peach slices with ricotta and honey for breakfast and I am soo inspired by this cake. Trying it out asap while peaches are in season!
Thanks Milena! Enjoy :)
Oh my my! This looks incredibly delicious!!!!!!
Thanks so much :)
Oh my, would I LOVE a slice Jennifer! What a gteat recipe to showcase those beautiful, juicy summer peaches!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
OMG that looks SO GOOD! I made a chocolate ricotta cake long back but now am really interested in trying this while it’s still summer
Thanks Kankana! I think you will enjoy this peach version, as well :)
Perfect for any time of the day, indeed….like, right now ;) This looks super yummy and I can only imagine how lovely it would be alongside some of your peach ice cream!!
Thanks Dawn and yes, that would be perfect!