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
Do you think rhubarb would work with this recipe? I am thinking I would need to toss them in some cornstarch to absorb the liquid so they dont make the cake “mushy”???
Hi Ellen, we haven’t tested this recipe with rhubarb, but you can certainly try it. You may wish to toss them in cornstarch as you mention, and be sure to blot any excess moisture before adding to the batter. Please do let us know if you give it a try!
Can this recipe be halved?
Hi Werj, you can try halving this recipe for a smaller pan. Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Can I use applesauce for part of the 1/2 cup oil that is called for?
Hi Donna, while that should work in a pinch, we really recommend sticking with the full amount of oil for a supremely moist cake.
Knocked my sox off!!! Great cake.
Hi Sally and team, I always love your recipes! I’m feeding a crowd at a summer bbq next weekend and have an 11-inch springform pan. Should I make 1.5 times the recipe? Thank you and enjoy the holiday!
Hi PBS, I think 1.5x the recipe could work, though I haven’t tested it. Doubling will certainly be too much, so I would try 1.5x.
I just put mine in oven. Didn’t realize my springform was 11” till already too far into recipe to change it/add to it. Will reduce cooking time and see how it goes as family dinner is in a few hours!
Hi Sally! I am not sure why my batter turned out quite thick and heavy although i followed the recipe. I used coconut oil. And was left with not enough batter to finish the second layer.. 🙁
Hi Didi, this is a pretty thick batter, but if you used melted coconut oil, it’s possible that it started to solidify again. Be sure, too, that you’re also spooning and leveling (or using a kitchen scale) to measure your flour to ensure it isn’t overmeasured. Too much flour can weigh down the batter and make the resulting cake a bit dry. You should have just over 3 cups of batter to split between the three layers.
I made 2 cakes with this recipe by using home grown white peaches yesterday. The cakes are very delicious. I peeled my peaches. Our peaches have very dark pink centre, which gives a great look of the cakes
I have just made this recipe, very imoressed, BUT I didnt peel the peaches, as were overly ripe, and I ended up susing rasperry youghurt as someone had eaten my greek plain youghurt. I just used a little less sugar and dint use the cinnamon.
This is my second peach cake using this recipe. It is so delicious. Very quick and easy and I will use this recipe over and over while peaches are plentiful. Thank you for the recipe.
Can I use strawberries?
Please respond ASAP.
We haven’t tested strawberries, but we can’t see why they wouldn’t work. We recommend patting the strawberries with a clean towel or paper towel to rid some moisture. Let us know if you do give it a try.
Great recipe. Delicious but not overpowering with too much sugar. I canned peaches over the summer and this was an excellent recipe to accent the flavor of the peaches. Easy to mske and delicious!
This cake was good enough, but I found the almond taste came through a little too much for my liking. Knowing almond extract can be strong, I only used 1/4 teaspoon. Wish I had used all vanilla. Ordinarily I like almond flavoring, but not in this recipe. For me, not worth the time it took to make this cake. Sally has LOTS of others with fruit in them that I prefer.
This looks wonderful’ I am wondering if you ever use a gluten free flour with this?
Suggestions for that?
And can I lighten up by using applesauce for the oil?
Hi Susie, we haven’t tested this cake with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results.
Fragrant, Moist, Light – Delicious !! I used canned peaches because fresh ones are expensive here. Great hit with the family – everyone took some home. Will definitely bake this again – thank you Sally !
Smells so good! I made 1.5 x the recipe (which was very easy!) and added cinnamon to all the peaches. It’s in the oven now and I’m taking it to a friend’s house for dessert. I used my Bundt pan. Thanks for another great recipe…..I have made several of yours.
This recipe is so good. This is my third time making it in a month. I put the cinnamon on all the peaches and left out the lemon zest as my husband is not too fond of lemon flavor. I also left out the almond extract, as I’m not a fan and used extra vanilla. Sanding sugar on top and it was perfection.
I’ve made this recipe many times now and I have to say replacing 1/2 cup of the flour with almond flour gives this cake THE BEST texture and flavor (as it goes perfectly with the almond extract in the recipe!). I’ve also made it with figs, nectarines and peaches and all the varieties turn out great – although the figs may be my favorite!
I made two of these – the first, I used a gluten free baking mix and an In The Raw sugar substitute blend. I also used sour cream. I was cautiously optimistic with all the changes ( I rarely change recipe without trying the original first but the recipient has specific diet needs so I just went for it). It is delicious even with the myriad of changes. I will say that at 50 minutes, the bottom and side were just sort of burned and I am not sure why but I will adjust the time and temp again some day and see what happens.The second cake was the same but with regular flour (still sugar free and with sour cream) I did not seem to burn like the first one did and was also equally delicious! So, for all of those looking to accommodate a specific diet issue, here it is. Aside from the issue of timing and temp, this was a win all the way around. Thanks for a great recipe.
So easy, so simple, yet so delicious. The perfect homemade treat. I know that I will be using this recipe for years to come. It reminds me of a soft apple cake my mom used to make me when I was younger. Thanks for this wonderful recipe, Sally and the Sally team!
I used dairy-free almond milk yogurt and it turned out great. I may try this in the future with cake flour to make the crumb even lighter, if possible.
I made two of these. We had one the next day but the other I kept in the pan in the fridge, with Saran Wrap over it – and believe it or not, five days later it was just as moist and even tastier! My guests gobbled it up!
Delicious!! I added the cinnamon to the middle layer and it is fantastic. Thanks again Sally
I followed the recipe as written except substituting sour cream for the yogurt. It turned out perfectly!
Delicious! I made this to share at a recent picnic and everyone loved it! I would definitely make it again.
Exceptional cake that had everyone raving. Made as directed including adding cinnamon to half the peaches for the layer in the middle. Easy to assemble, peach flavor shines through. I can’t vouch for how it stores as there were NO leftovers.
Can I replace the yogurt with buttermilk?
Hi Pecks, we haven’t tested it with buttermilk, but it should be fine. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
It’s so good! Love the creaminess of the crumb.
If I were to size it up ever so slightly, say, to serve around 12 people, how should I adjust the baking time? Would I need to use a different size pan or would the 9 inch still do? Thanks!
Hi Mathilde! We haven’t tested adjusting this recipe to larger baking pans. We would make two of these cakes to feed 12 people and have some left over. Or, you may love this larger peach bundt cake.
This turned out DELICIOUS! I overcooked it just slightly and that made it a little dry, but I think if I had taken it out at the recommended time if would’ve been perfect. Brought it to church coffee hour and had several people ask to take some home 🙂
Husband wanted fresh, raw peaches so I baked the batter only at 350 for 30 minutes in a cast iron skillet. Just brought out of oven and maybe baked about 4 minutes too long. Can’s wait to try it topped with fresh peaches on top and maybe some cream or ice cream.
This is easy, delicious, and pretty! I used some canned peaches in juice that I needed to use up (close to expiration). I diced the peaches instead of slices since we like smaller pieces. I saved the juice and made a glaze. This recipe is amazing. Thanks!
Excellent cake. I made 2 smaller cakes, a 6” and a 7” one. There was enough batter for both (my smaller cake was a bit thin, but that was ok). Took 45 min smaller one and 50 min larger one. I tented larger one for the last 5 minutes.
No cinnamon in mine and added some blueberries. A really lovely and tasty cake.
I agree with Shelby… stupid good! So delicious and easy to make. I actually made two a few hours apart because the first one was eaten up! I love sharing these delicious desserts with family and friends. This one is a keeper! Thanks Sally.