Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Peach Cake 4.6 (5) 5 Reviews Turn juicy summer fruit into an elegant but easy peach cake. By Anna Theoktisto Anna Theoktisto Anna Theoktisto is a recipe tester and developer who's been working in Dotdash Meredith test kitchens since 2017. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 20, 2024 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Active Time: 15 mins Bake Time: 45 mins Cool Time: 1 hr Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 12 Of all the many sweet ways we enjoy Southern peaches, peach cake may be our all-time favorite. Sure, easy cobblers topped with ice cream and an upside-down Bundt spiked with bourbon are great, as are buckles and bread pudding. And now it's time to make room for a new peach dessert if you've never had it. This peach cake starts with three firm-ripe peaches that are peeled, pitted, and sliced. A thick, vanilla-scented batter—rich with sour cream—is layered with the sliced peaches and a dusting of cinnamon sugar. Our Test Kitchen topped it all off with pecans for a nutty, toasty flavor that adds depth to this sweet cake. Learn how to make peach cake. It's the kind of cake that makes a delicious dessert, but could also pass as a perfectly acceptable bite at breakfast or brunch, or as a midday snack. Moist, rich, and full of ripe peach flavor, with ribbons of cinnamon spice, it's a fantastic way to enjoy that peak season peach bounty. Why Add Sour Cream to Cake Batter? Sour cream can be a baker’s secret weapon. With its thick, creamy texture, it adds moisture and fat to cake recipes where adding an ingredient like milk or cream would only thin the batter. It's one of the richest dairy products you could add to your cake batter, and it also has the benefit of an acidic flavor profile, which can work to balance the sweetness in dessert recipes. The acidity can also tenderize gluten strands, and pairs nicely with baking soda when used, helping to leaven the cake through its chemical reaction. To sum up? Sour cream’s high-fat content makes for a dense, buttery crumb in every cake it's mixed into. Want to swap the sour cream for yogurt? In terms of substitutes, Greek yogurt is most commonly used to replace sour cream, and it does a good job at helping to produce a moist crumb. Note that sour cream has a higher fat content, so while both provide richness, the dense crumb of a sour cream cake would be lightened to a slightly fluffier consistency with yogurt. Ingredients for Peach Cake To make this peach cake, you'll need: Baking spray with flour: So the cake will come out of the pan easily.Unsalted butter: We prefer to bake with unsalted butter always, but if you use salted, just cut back on how much salt you add later.Granulated sugar: For sweetness and tenderness in the cake.Egg: You'll need just one for this cake batter. It helps bind the batter and give the cake structure.Vanilla extract: A must in baking recipes, it elevates all the cake's flavors.Lemon zest: The slightly floral flavor of lemon zest is a perfect pair with the peaches.All-purpose flour: This provides the bulk of the cake and lends itself to a tender but firm crumb.Baking powder: The leavening agent that helps the cake rise.Kosher salt: Just a bit is needed to balance all the sweet flavors.Sour cream: As mentioned, this is the primary source of fat, and it adds loads of moisture to the cake batter.Ground cinnamon: A warming spice like cinnamon may seem an unlikely pair to peaches, but they're a dream team.Peaches: You want firm-ripe fruit.Chopped pecans: For that final bit of crunch on top. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer How To Make Peach Cake This isn't a complicated cake recipe, so the instructions are straightforward. (Find full instructions further down the page.) Step 1. Prepare the oven and baking pan: Preheat the oven, and coat a square baking pan with baking spray; set aside.Step 2. Make the batter: Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon zest. Whisk to combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and add that dry mixture to the butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour.Step 3. Add cake batter to pan: Spoon two-thirds of the batter into prepared pan. Stir together cinnamon and remaining sugar. Pour half the peaches over the batter, then sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture. Top with remaining batter, then peaches, then cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle with pecans.Step 4. Bake cake: Bake 45 to 55 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack before serving. How To Store Peach Cake This peach cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. For longer storage, freeze in slices (up to two months) for quick defrosting. Can I Make This Cake Using Other Fruits? This recipe doesn't have to rely only on firm-ripe peaches. Mix it up with other types of stone fruits; nectarines, plums, apricots, and cherries all make delicious substitutes. Stone Fruit Desserts Provide Sweetness All Summer Long Editorial contributions by Katie Rosenhouse. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Ingredients Baking spray with flour 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided 1 large egg 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon) 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 cup sour cream 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 3 medium-size (about 1 lb. total) firm-ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced (about 3 cups) 1/4 cup chopped pecans Directions Prepare the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray; set aside. Make cake batter: Beat butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Add egg, vanilla, and lemon zest, and continue beating until combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Set aside. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Reduce mixer speed to low, and add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream in 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until just combined (batter will be thick). Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Add batter to pan: Spoon two-thirds of batter into prepared pan, spreading to cover bottom. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Top batter with peaches and pecans: Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Arrange half of the peach slices over batter in pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Dollop remaining one-third batter over peach mixture in pan. Top with remaining peach slices, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar. Sprinkle with pecans. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Bake peach cake: Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Frequently Asked Questions Do I need to peel the peaches for peach cake? While we call for peeling the peaches before slicing, you can also leave the peel on for a nice contrasting color. Can I use frozen peaches for this cake? This cake is wonderful for showcasing fresh, firm-ripe peaches. Frozen peaches lack the same intensity of flavor, and also add additional moisture to the mix, changing the consistency of the cake batter. If using, be sure to defrost and blot them first to eliminate some of the excess liquid. Why is my cake dense? Dense cakes are often a result of a heavy measure on the dry ingredients (try to spoon and level for the most consistent results), or overmixing. For a cake like this, in which the wet and dry ingredients are added in stages, take care to only mix lightly to combine with each step. Overmixing leads to gluten development, which can cause a firm, and sometimes rubbery, cake. Rate It Print Additional reporting by Katie Rosenhouse Katie Rosenhouse Follow us Katie Rosenhouse is a pastry chef and food writer with over 15 years of experience in the culinary arts. She's worked as a pastry chef in some of the finest restaurants in New York City, as a culinary instructor, and as a recipe developer. learn more