This easy recipe for fresh peach cake is a wonderful way to showcase sweet peaches when they’re in season. Soft and tender with a creamy crumb, and featuring 2 layers of juicy peaches for extra peach flavor in every bite, this cake needs no topping or decorating (though a dusting of powdered sugar is always welcome). It’s the perfect treat to enjoy on a porch swing with a glass of iced tea—or wherever you find summertime bliss.
One reader, Shelby, commented: “Feeling happy eating this. It’s lightly sweetened, which is nice because the juicy peaches make up for the rest of the sugar. The crumb is so tender and melts in your mouth. Love the cinnamon in the center—that is a must! And you can smell the almond extract beautifully mingling with everything else. All of these flavors go so well together. ★★★★★“
This simple yet impressive fresh peach cake is the perfect quick & easy dessert to make when peaches are in season, whether you picked them straight from a tree… or from a roadside farm stand… or from the grocery store when they were on sale. I love peach pie, but sometimes you need a simple dessert recipe that can be ready to eat in the next couple of hours. This peach cake is just the thing!
(Peach crisp and peach cobbler are both wonderful options as well, of course. Especially if you happen to have vanilla ice cream in your freezer.)
Everything You’ll Love About This Fresh Peach Cake
- Super moist, tender, soft cake with juicy cinnamon-spiced peaches
- Great way to showcase fresh peaches during peak peach season
- Quick & easy—no mixer required, no separate topping to make, and you don’t even have to peel the peaches!
- All the flavors you love in peach pie (with less time & effort)
- Not overly sweet, so the fruit’s natural sweetness shines
- Greek yogurt makes for a creamy-like crumb, just like it does in lemon berry yogurt cake
- You could use dairy-free yogurt to make this a dairy-free recipe
- Don’t have to wait hours for it to cool completely before eating
- Transport and serve right from the baking pan
And as a welcome bonus, there’s no complicated decorating required. Just give it a shimmy-shake of confectioners’ sugar over the top before serving—this peach cake is a natural beauty!
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base for this cake’s structure.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: With so many wet ingredients, we need both baking powder and soda to help lift this cake so it’s not heavy and flat.
- Salt: For its flavor-enhancing superpowers.
- Oil: Using oil instead of butter in cakes makes for a supremely moist crumb. You can use olive oil, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil here—baker’s choice.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is the sweetener for this cake. You don’t need a lot, because the peaches are already sweet on their own.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure, stability, and richness.
- Vanilla & Almond Extracts: You’ll love the flavor this combo provides. It’s the same duo used to flavor classic sugar cookies.
- Greek Yogurt: You’ll notice that I use yogurt or sour cream in a lot of my cake recipes, like this grapefruit Greek yogurt cake. Both bring a slight tang (very mild) and brilliantly creamy moisture. I tested this cake with nonfat and low-fat Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, and sour cream—all were excellent. Greek yogurt added a little more tang and structure, though. You could also use a dairy-free yogurt to make this cake dairy free.
- Lemon Zest & Juice: Lemon brightens everything up, and adds some fresh flavor. Taste testers said the cake was lacking without it.
- Peaches: You need about 2 cups of sliced fresh peaches (peeling them first is optional). See the FAQs below for more information on the best type of peaches to use.
- Cinnamon: Totally optional.
Overview: How to Make Fresh Peach Cake
The cake is layered with peaches. Half batter, half peaches, remaining batter, remaining peaches.
There’s no mixer required for this recipe. Whisk the batter together, and then toss the peach slices with a little sugar to help them release some juices.
Then I like to toss HALF of the sugared peaches in cinnamon, so the fruit slices in the center of the cake mingle with creamy cinnamon swirls (similar to this peach quick bread). The other half of the peaches (without cinnamon) create the top layer of the cake. Again, the cinnamon is optional. You can simply toss ALL of the peaches with the cinnamon, or leave it out entirely.
Here’s the creamy batter, and center layer of cinnamon-sugar peaches:
As you can see, the cake is brimming with fresh peaches. A 9-inch springform pan (what you use for cheesecake) is ideal for this one-layer cake.
Here’s the cake before and after baking:
And while this natural beauty needs no extra embellishments, I like to sift a little dusting of confectioners’ sugar over the top just before serving. And, of course, whipped cream is always a welcome adornment.
Recipe Testing
I’m happy to share my testing process with anyone interested in how this cake came to life! Today’s peach cake is an almost-halved version of my lemon berry yogurt cake and a very slightly scaled-up version of this cherry buckle. I wanted to use oil instead of butter to keep the crumb light and moist.
It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of flour in the recipe, and you’re right—there’s not! I tested the cake with more, but it made the cake a little tough and heavy. Yogurt is a heavy ingredient, and more flour didn’t necessarily help.
In terms of flavor, lemon juice and almond extract are key. Taste testers felt the entire cake was lacking without these additions.
You can use any variety of peaches—yellow, white, or even doughnut peaches—but you want slightly firm (not hard) peaches with no soft spots. Your best bet is to purchase or pick about 4 firm peaches, then let them sit in a paper bag for 1–2 days to ripen. Some may have soft spots after this time, so that is why I suggest buying a couple more than you actually need. Eat any overly soft peaches or use them in peach muffins.
Fresh peaches are the best option for this fresh peach cake. If you must use frozen peach slices, thaw and then blot them dry before using.
Sure! This is a great cake for other fruits and flavors. Instead of peaches, try nectarines, apricots, plums, pears, apples, or even halved cherries.
The recipe is designed for a 9-inch springform pan, the same type used for lemon cheesecake, but you could also use a 10-inch cast iron skillet that I also use for this blackberry peach skillet cornmeal cake and frittata. A 9-inch or 10-inch square baking pan work too. I also have a recipe for a peach Bundt cake, and a peach quick bread if you want to try those instead.
Fresh Peach Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy recipe for fresh peach cake is a wonderful way to showcase sweet peaches when they’re in season. Soft and tender with a creamy crumb, and featuring 2 layers of juicy peaches for extra peach flavor in every bite, this cake needs no topping or decorating (though a dusting of powdered sugar is always welcome). A mixer is not required for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) oil (olive oil, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil)
- 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar, plus 1 Tablespoon for the peaches
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g) plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 cups (about 300–320g) sliced fresh peaches (peeled or unpeeled; about 3 peaches)
- optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- optional: confectioners’ sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, 2/3 cup (133g) sugar, eggs, yogurt, vanilla and almond extracts, lemon juice, and lemon zest together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Batter is creamy and slightly thick. You will have just over 3 cups of batter.
- In a medium bowl, toss the peach slices with 1 Tablespoon of sugar to coat. Divide in half, moving half of the peaches to another bowl. Add cinnamon to one half of the peaches and gently stir to coat. The cinnamon is optional. You could also toss ALL of the peaches in the cinnamon; I like to toss only half so the center of the cake has plenty of cinnamon swirls.
- Pour and spread half the batter (just eyeball it) into the prepared pan. Place the cinnamon-sugared peaches in an even layer on top. Spread the remaining batter on top of the cinnamon peach layer. Place remaining sugared peaches on top.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Around the 30-minute mark, loosely tent with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing, or cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving.
- Cover leftovers and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you topped with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, note that the sugar will melt and disappear into the cake after a few hours.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cover baked and cooled cake tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Vegetable/Fruit Peeler | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Citrus Juicer & Zester | 9-inch Springform Pan | Cooling Rack | Sieve (for dusting confectioners’ sugar)
- Can I Make This in a Different Pan? The recipe is designed for a 9-inch springform pan, but you could also use a 10-inch cast iron skillet. A 9-inch or 10-inch square baking pan work too. I also have a recipe for a peach Bundt cake, and a peach quick bread if you want to try those instead.
- Yogurt: I tested this cake with nonfat and low-fat Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, and sour cream—all were excellent. Greek yogurt added a little more tang and structure, though. You could also use a dairy-free yogurt to make this cake dairy free.
- Peaches: Fresh peaches are the best option for this fresh peach cake. If you must use frozen peach slices, thaw and then blot them dry before using. Canned peaches would be fine in a pinch, but the texture is much better with fresh. If using canned, be sure to drain and blot dry first.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Stupidly good. Can I say that? Feeling happy eating this. It’s lightly sweetened which is nice because the juicy peaches make up for the rest of the sugar. The crumb is so tender and melt in your mouth. Love the cinnamon in the center, that is a must! And you can smell the almond extract beautifully mingling with everything else. All of these flavors go so well together.
I do love this recipe so much. But I cannot SAVE it in my documents. All I can do is print it. Can you help?
Hi Ghislaine, when you try to print the recipe, you should have the option under destination to print to a printer or save to a PDF.
Thank you for the recipe. WhAT CHANGES CAN I MAKE FOR A HIGH ALTITUDE RECIPR?
I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I’m not much of a cook, but this recipe was perfect!
Do you think I could make the same recipe with fresh blueberries?
Hi Jane, we imagine blueberries should work just fine here! So glad you enjoyed this one.
This cake was delicious! But it came out dark on top – do you have any recos?
Hi D, you can try moving the cake down a rack away from the heating element, or tenting the cake with foil part way through bake time to prevent over browning. So glad you enjoyed this one!
The cake turned out quite lovely. I adjusted baking time due to altitude. I’m at 4000 ft in Calgary! I did the recipe as written, didn’t change the sugar or add an egg, baked at 350 for 38 minutes. The only issue was the center didn’t finish but I think if I had left it any longer it would have dried out. Do you have any suggestions? I have followed you for years and love your recipes!
Hi Larissa! We’re so glad you loved this cake. We don’t have any experience baking at high altitude, but that might be the culprit here. If you find the inside still has some time to cook through, but the outsides are starting to over brown, you can gently tent the pan with some aluminum foil and allow it to bake for a few minutes longer. Hope this helps for next time!
We loved this cake, even though I forgot the lemon juice. It was very moist and I was happy that it didn’t have butter in the recipe. I added some blueberries for color and used sour cream instead of yogurt
Super good recipe. Love the cinnamon touch. Recipe very easy to follow. I will decrease the baking time to 45-50 (instead of 50-55). Served with whipped cream on top which made it all the more delicious! Will definitely make it again.
Great cake…everyone loved. I will make again!
Can I use gluten free flour and less sugar?
Hi Tansy, we haven’t tested this cake with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. We don’t recommend reducing the sugar, as it plays an important role in the taste, texture, and structure of the cake. Reducing the sugar will alter the final outcome of the cake.
Cant wait to try this! Could I use cake flour in place of all purpose flour?
Hi Samantha, I’m jut seeing your question now. Cake flour is too light for all of these heavy wet ingredients; all-purpose is ideal here.
If I wanted to make this with cherries, would you still recommend using cinnamon, or do you think in this instance you would leave it out? I can’t quite envision cardamon, but I’m wondering what you think.
Hi D, the ground cinnamon is optional, but would pair nicely with the cherries. Let us know what you try!
This was such a delectable dessert. So cool and perfect for the intense heat of this month! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe with us, Sally! Family, extended family, and guests all gave it two thumbs up!!
The peach cake turned out beautifully, as always, top marks for your recipes. Thankyou ❤️
I want to make this cake for my wife’s birthday but I only have a regular 9 inch cake pan instead of a springform pan. Would this work?
Hi Josh, that pan is too small unfortunately. You can use some of the batter and peaches for that size pan, filling it all halfway, and then use any leftover batter/peaches for a few cupcakes on the side.
Would this recipe work in a regular 9 inch cake pan?
A 9-inch or 10-inch square baking pan work too.
My cake is in the oven and has been for 75mins and is still moist in the middle when I test? Help
Hi Sue, the toothpick can come out with a few moist crumbs. Have you checked that your oven temperature is accurate, or did you use a slightly smaller pan?
Can I freeze the peach cake and bake it later? It is so hot I’d like to bake it when we get below 100
Hi Char! It’s really best to bake cake batter right away, it won’t rise properly if baked later. But you can freeze the baked cake – see recipe notes for details 🙂
I can’t wait to try this cake. I have more of a baking question. When you say grease the pan, what do you use to grease it?
Hi Suzin, we typically use a cooking spray (found in a can), but you can often use butter instead, if you prefer. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Can this recipe be adjusted to be gluten free?
Hi Robin, we haven’t tested this cake with a gluten free 1:1 flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you try anything!
Just back from Manali, India with a bag full of peaches so made this for my FIL’s birthday. Perfect timing for the new recipe The cake was perfect too. Tasted so different… fresh and light. My MIL and FIL spent the evening guessing the ingredients untill I gave them the recipe
Dumb question…Do you remove the springform pan after cooling?
Hi Sandi, yes remove the rim from the pan before serving. The cake can cool with the rim.
A huge hit with family and friends.
It tastes delicious. Lovely with whipped cream.
Hi Sally,
I made this using fresh peaches and fresh cherries together.
SKipped the almond extract because i didnt have any at home.
It turned out perfectly. My family loved it and they want me to make it again.
Thanks for another easy and delicious recipe.
I have made this cake several time & my husband and I loved each variation. I did a nectarine with raspberries (they were baked on top) & another using plum. It is a great way to use up extra fruit, yogurt, or even mix in some almonds. Delicious!!!
Just made this recipe with fresh peaches and all almond flour in a cast iron pan. It came out perfectly! Thank you for a family favorite!
Easy and amazing! I used cinnamon on All the Peaches!
I had a bag of peaches that were a day away from being over ripe but didn’t have enough to make a cobbler. Tried this recipe and it was really delicious. I loved the almond flavoring with the cinnamon and the peaches. The cake didn’t have too much sugar in it’s the peaches provided most of that naturally. Another great recipe. Thanks
Absolutely delicious! I used coconut oil. Was ready in 50 minutes. Will definitely make again.
Hi I already put my cut up peaches in the freezer. Will it work ok if I thaw and drain them?
Hi Alli, fresh peaches are the best option for this cake but if you must use frozen peach slices, be sure to thaw and then blot them dry before using. Hope you enjoy!