Peaches and Cream Cake – a from scratch peach coffee cake loaded with chunks of fresh fruit for a light but indulgent treat any time of the day.
If you loved my recent Strawberry Buttermilk Cake and my Mixed Berry Cake you’re going to love this peaches and cream cake. The combination of peaches and cream is one of the great joys of summer and here, you get that same wonderful combo in a cake that works equally well any time of day. It’s sweet, but not too sweet for breakfast! Serve this versatile cake for teatime or dessert with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
peaches and cream cake ingredients
- peaches
- I like to use firm peaches for this cake, they sweeten as they bake, and hold their shape well. You can use yellow or white peaches, or mix and match. Note: I don’t recommend frozen or canned peaches for this cake.
- sugar
- butter
- eggs
- sour cream
- buttermilk*
- flour
- baking powder and salt
- vanilla
fresh out of buttermilk?
Buttermilk is great for baking because it makes baked goods like this peach cake tender, helps them rise better, adds a nice tangy flavor, keeps them moist, and creates a better texture. I’ve got three buttermilk subs to try:
- Use probiotic drinkable yogurt, this has the same consistency as buttermilk and has a similar cultured flavor. Use the leftover for smoothies, with granola, or just drink it up!
- Add a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of plain milk. Stir together and let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Use plain yogurt, thinned down a bit with water if it’s thick.
go ahead, use those hard peaches!
My easy little peach cake has many good qualities, and one of them is that you can use those super firm peaches that show up in the stores impossibly early in the season. They’re almost as crisp as apples, but the oven works magic on them, and by the time the timer dings they’ve become fragrant, sweet, and juicy. Just chop them up, fold them into the batter, and let the oven do its thing.
If you’re drawn to delicate white peaches like I am, try my White Peach Bars. You can substitute white peaches in any classic peach dessert recipe, so try them in my Brown Sugar Peach Cake, or my Peach Pie Bars, too.
I plan to reinvent this peaches and cream cake and again this summer with every fruit I can get my hands on. Blackberries are next on the list!
It slices like butter, and I love the crackly top. It makes a really nice presentation when you use a spring form pan, although you can use a regular cake pan or even a cast iron skillet for a rustic look.
chef’s tips for peaches and cream cake
- I’ve found that this recipe is easy and foolproof, but I do recommend weighing your fruit. I use 14 ounces of chopped peaches, and it seems just right. This cake has a very moist texture, so using too much fruit can make it soggy.
- A kitchen scale for weighing your peaches is super handy.
- If you don’t have a a 10 inch spring form pan like I recommend, you can use the same size cake pan, but it’s too delicate to flip out, so you would have to serve it from the pan. A 9 inch pan will also work with a little extra baking time.
- I like to pop a few extra diced peaches onto the top of the cake before topping with sugar baking. Press them in gently with your hand. This makes the cake even more appetizing.
Peaches and Cream Cake
Equipment
- 10 inch springform pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 14 ounces diced FIRM peaches, no need to peel (if you don’t have a scale try about 2 1/2 cups)
- 1 stick, 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar, plus 2 Tbsp for sprinkling
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Lightly spray a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- Cream the soft butter and sugar together in a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl a couple of times.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla.
- Whisk the sour cream and buttermilk together in a small bowl.
- Add the flour to the mixing bowl alternately with the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until combined, but don’t over mix.
- Fold in the peaches and turn into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top. Sprinkle the surface of the cake liberally with granulated sugar.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
- Let cool on a rack and then release from the pan to slice. Serve as is, or with a dollop of whipped cream.
Notes
- Make it with almond extract instead of vanilla.
- Make it with berries ~ most berries will work in this recipe, fresh is best because frozen give off more liquid and this cake is already quite moist.
So what if I slip rhubarb into this instead…. its months before we get peaches hard, firm or soft.
Yes, please do!
No peaches in store yet, but will try to be sure. Lots of blueberries though, what do you think? Also then blueberry and peach combo when I find some peaches. Can you tell I like blueberries? Still dreaming of the lemon raspberry cake of yours I made but with….your guessed it blueberries
I think blueberries will work fine, and I especially love the thought of the peaches and blueberries together…
Have you ever tried this recipe with rhubarb?
It would be amazing with rhubarb ~ check out my rhubarb cake, here.
For the peach breakfast cake, how large of a dice are you recommending to place in the cake? (If I can ask the same question to for the strawberries, which you recommended slicing …it seemed to make the cake very moist, but dicing the strawberries seems not to be assisting. Thanks
Check the photos, they show it pretty well, I cut the fruit into about a 1/2 inch dice. For the strawberries I sliced them in about 1/4 inch slices, maybe a little thinner.
Do you have to use buttermilk? Would regular milk work ok?
You can use regular milk, but you can also make a quick diy buttermilk by adding a tsp of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk and letting it sit on the counter for 15 minutes.
Can you substitute canned peaches if drained for fresh
I don’t recommend that because of the extra moisture, but you can try it, just drain them well.