Peaches and Cream Cake
A cross between a peach cobbler, cake and even a light cheesecake, this unique and delicious peaches and cream cake is one for the remakes!
A cross between a peach cobbler, cake and even a light cheesecake, this unique and delicious peaches and cream cake is one for the remakes!
Sent to me by Natalie W., a reader, I adapted it heavily in order to swap out the prepackaged pudding mix for my readily available pantry items. And then I crossed my fingers and hoped it would work.
And it did – with flying colors! A buttery, tender cake layer is topped with juicy peaches and layered again with a light, luscious sweet cream cheese layer.
Oh, wait, and don’t forget the generous sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar! Because we ate it slightly warm, it reminded me of a peach cobbler revved up by the creaminess on top.
Just in case someone inquires – you could probably use fresh peaches when they are in season (but only the juiciest!) but will have to find a substitute for the reserved peach juice that is mixed in with the cream cheese layer (milk? simple sugar syrup?).
Either way, I can see this cake being perfect for a neighborhood BBQ, church potluck, or an outdoor dinner with the family. Simple and delicious. Just the way we like it!
One Year Ago: No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
Two Years Ago: Glazed Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
Three Years Ago: Frozen Key Lime
Peaches and Cream Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, melted
Peaches and Topping:
- 1 (29-ounce) can sliced peaches, or 1 quart home-bottled peaches
- 2 packages (8-ounces each) (454 g) light or regular cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons reserved peach juice
- Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium or large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cornstarch. Blend. Make a well in the center and add the vanilla, eggs, milk and melted butter. Whisk together until well combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Slice the peaches into bite-sized pieces, scattering them over the top of the batter evenly. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and reserved peach juice together until light and creamy. Dollop the cream cheese mixture in tablespoon-sized spoonfuls over the top of the batter and peaches and then use a spatula to evenly spread together to form a creamy layer. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just try to spread it as evenly over the top as possible (it’s ok if peaches are peeking through in spots). Sprinkle the top of the cream cheese layer generously with cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes until the edges are puffed and golden and the cream cheese layer has bubbled slightly on top. This is a difficult cake to test for doneness because of the gooey cream cheese layer. If the middle is still jiggly, bake until it no longer jiggles and the cake batter layer is puffed and no longer runny. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Recipe Source: adapted from Natalie W.
86 Comments on “Peaches and Cream Cake”
I used a box German choc cake mix instead. Used 2 blocks of cream cheese with canned cherries. Baked as ysual.
I follow the recipe exactly as is….only thing had to bake it 1 hour and 10 minutes. I did cut it in half and bake in 8 inch square pan. My husband and I enjoyed every bte. Will be making this again!!!!
I have a dairy sensitivity. I have to substitute all milk products with other options. So I used Almond (sweetened with Vanilla) Milk and coconut cream (from a can) for the topping that gets poured over the top before baking. I also added about a half cup powdered sugar to the coconut mixture. All other ingredients were as the recipe xalled for. Let me just say I will definitely be using this recipe in the future. It was a very delicious dessert!
Could you make this with apples? Do you suggest fresh apples or canned apple pie filling? I have made it several times with peaches and love it but my husband doesn’t like peaches and asked if I could make with apples.
Thank you
I haven’t tried it with apples – they’ll take a lot longer to cook than peaches so maybe a canned apple pie filling would be best?
I used this recipe with lots of fresh peaches, came out delicious. Will make this again. Popular recipe in pPennsylvania in the 70’s . Glad to find the recipe on your site.
Delicious.
I used canned peaches, followed the recipe and cooked it for 55 minutes (nearly 4,000 ft altitude) for a golden brown finish and a fairly firm but very moist interior.
The topping was delicious, BUT the cake part was horrible, it did not resemble a cake at all! It was dense, gummy and sorta tough. What could I have done wrong?
Hi Susan, do you think you might have over mixed the batter?
I mixed it by hand.. I dunno but I really want to give it another try!
If I make this the night before my work potluck will I am guessing I need to refrigerate it after baking? Does refrigeration change the dessert at all and would I bring it back to room temp before serving? Thank you. My mom used to make this recipe (with the pudding mix) and I am excited to share it with my coworkers!
Yes, I would probably refrigerate overnight. You could reheat on low in the oven to warm it back up a bit.
This was a knockout. Everyone loved it. I served it slightly warm with Tillamook Real Cream Vanilla Ice cream and my family lost their minds. It’s an instant classic. Followed the recipe to the letter (except forgot the cinnamon sugar before I baked it so I sprinkled on after).
We are already planning to make it for a birthday party. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
can this cake be frozen???
I haven’t tried that but it should work pretty well.
I love this ! I have made it several times and shared the recipie just as many. It did need more time to bake. For me I used lemon juice and vanilla with only 1 -2 tbsp. of liquid from peaches. Great recipie even with out the changes. Success! Thank you!
My old roommate made this with the prepackaged pudding mix recipe…. the cook kind not the instant. You wouldn’t still happen to have that original recipe you were given and be willing to share that would you???? I miss it so much!
I don’t! Sorry!
Victoria, If you haven’t been able to fine it yet, I have the original recipe that uses the cooked pudding and would be happy to share it with you….
Hi Mel! I asked a question in the comments section yesterday but not sure if you got it. I was wondering if this cake can be made in a round cake pan to make layers for a birthday cake and also can I frost and decorate with buttercream frosting? I plan on making this for my mother in law’s birthday this Friday, she’s pretty excited for it, it has everything she loves in a cake! Hope to hear from you soon, thanks for all your wonderful recipes, we appreciate what you do so much! 🙂
I don’t know how this would hold up as a layer cake – the peaches definitely soften the cake a little bit and I’m worried it would be a bit unstable!
Absolutely delicious! Cake part was moist and rich with the butter. Although the batter poured rather than needing to be spread, it baked well. It did take a bit longer to bake, but that may have been caused by using fresh peaches that were ripe. I put the juice from cutting them into the cream cheese part. I thought 16 oz. of cheese would be too much, but it was perfect.. Will save this recipe and may try using apples this fall as someone else suggested.
I make this cake often and people always ask for the recipe! It’s amazing.
Thank you, Ms. Mel for this wonderful version of this recipe. I do not normally have pudding in my pantry but I always have cornstarch. I’ve made this recipe, verbatim, several times and I love it as is. I also love to play with it; the basic recipe is a great template for my imagination. Several things I’ve done: Substitute some of the vanilla for almond extract; add a couple of tablespoons of bourbon, Grand Marnier, rum, or any other preference and bump up the cornstarch by a teaspoon or two; add to cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling: allspice, ginger, cloves. I’ve also added an 8 oz. package of cream cheese (softened and beaten with the egg and an additional egg before adding to the “flour well”) to make a more supportive batter for the peaches (I do prefer them on top of the batter) or other substitutions such as sautéed apples. It also makes it a little more “cheesecake-ier” ; ). Love your website and many of your recipes. Thanks again.
It’s possible no one but me isn’t overly fond of cream cheese, but I just wanted to say I made many changes to this recipe – reducing the cream cheese from 16 ounces to 4 ounces, adding half a cup of sour cream, adding huckleberry syrup – and it ended up delicious. I definitely recommend it. It turned out more of a cross between peach cobbler and peach cake (slightly gooey).
I’m afraid I didn’t have very good luck with this cake. Despite baking it for over an hour, the cake part still seemed undercooked. Perhaps there was too much moisture in the peaches; I even blotted some of them dry before placing on the cake part. The good news is that my family still liked it. I think I’ll chill the leftovers and we can pretend the rest is cheesecake!
Just made this and it was delicious. Not too sweet but very refreshing. Mine seemed more of a custard/cake consistency and my five guests ate some yesterday warm out of the oven and today cold. We all preferred cold personally. Would definitely make again. Very simple to put together
This is one of my family’s all-time favorite desserts. My mom always made it when we had guests for dinner, which was a few times a month, and it has become my husband’s favorite. Now I’m always asked to bring it to any get-together with his side of the family. I’ve been wanting to find a way to change out the pudding mix for basic pantry items, and now I have the answer. I’m so glad you reposted this recipe today. I’ll make it for the family this weekend and see how it compares with my original recipe.
I am making this cake again as I am writing. I just put it in the oven. The first time I made it, I had to hurry and share it because I found myself getting more and more. Very delicious!
9×13 inch pans aren’t available at all here in Taiwan, so I thought I’d just halve the recipe for an 8×8 inch pan. Do you think I should decrease the baking time or do any changes to the recipe? This cake looks like spring, your photos made me smile 🙂
Angelina – Probably just keep an eye on baking time – maybe a few minutes less. Good luck!
I made this for my Mah Jongg group and it was delicious! I did use fresh peaches as I had some nice ripe ones. After blanching, peeling, and removing the pits, I noticed they were leaving a lot of liquid on my cutting board, so I put them in a bowl to collect that “sauce”. I tasted it and it was sweet, not just watery, so I used that for the peach syrup and it worked out perfectly!
Made this yesterday and it is divine! It was a big hit with my family! It looked just like your picture! I would definitely make this again and again……in fact it would be perfect to serve to guests. I wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks so much, Mel, for this beautiful cake!
Katie – I have no idea. Sorry!
Could you do this in a dutch oven? Any adjustments needed?
Wendi – I store the leftovers in the refrigerator, also.
I’m putting it in the fridge,but do I have to?
Cant tell you how devine this desert is.Its a hit at wok at home everywhere I LOVE IT
Made this cake this A.M. Sooooo good. Added a few blueberries. And shared with friends—-a HIT!
Debbie – I haven’t tried it with a boxed mix. Good luck if you try it!
Was wondering if a box cake mix would work ???
*tablespoons of oil not teaspoons 🙂
Sinfully delicious! Super easy to make too! I used fresh peaches and substituted the peach juice with a light syrup I made by diluting a couple spoons of syrup in water. I used 4 and a half teaspoons of oil in the cake instead of butter and used normal sugar. In the cream cheese topping I used castor sugar instead. Cooking in about 55 mins then took it out to cool. Before it was done cooling my friends and I had already finished a quarter of it. Absolutely delicious! It’ll definitely be a regular. Ill reduce the sugar next time though, it was a tad bit too sweet.
Lauren – sure, I think that would work just fine. You’ll have to sub water or something else for the reserved peach juice (even apple juice might work).
Can you use fresh peaches for this?
Thank you so much!
Amy – thanks for the comment! Yes, you could definitely sub the cake flour for the cornstarch and all-purpose flour. Just use 1 1/2 cups cake flour and it should work out. Good luck!
I just found and LOVE your blog. Reading your ABOUT page- I want to be you when I “grow up” (excuse the fact that I am 42 and have 3 daughters I am blessed to be staying home to raise).
I am so excited to try this cake for Easter. I was hoping you could tell me if I can sub cake flour for the all purpose flour and cornstarch called for in the recipe? I’ve never used cake flour but it is what my husband picked up when I told him I needed flour for a cake.
Any advice would be appreciated. I’m making this for guests and want to get it right.
As usual, your recipes are top notch. LOVED this cake!
I made this cake TWICE within TWO days because it was loved so much at our house! It even achieved teenager Facebooking status with my brother’s status update of, “Oh man this dessert is fantastic!!! Thanks Shay!!!” (And I am not exaggerating the number of exclamation points.) Thank you Mel for making me look so good with another fabulous recipe!
Wow! This cake is SOOOO delicious! I am sending the remaining cake to work with my husband. If I don’t…I will eat the entire 13×9 pan. Your recipes never let me down!
Your Peach Cake looks wonderful & I will be linking to it tomorrow 🙂
This is such a delicious alternative to either peaches and cream, or peach cobbler! We used it for my birthday cake, and it was a hit! It was served with Dryers Peach slow churned frozen yogurt. I think I’ve gained 10 pounds because I could not stop eating this cake!!!! Thanks for sharing!
I made a variation of this recipe THE VERY NEXT DAY! It was awesome. I featured it on my blog today. Thank you for the inspiration 🙂
http://blogfoodbetter.blogspot.com/2011/05/peaches-and-cream-cake.html
I made this for dessert tonight and it was loved by all!! Absolutely delicious!!! Even my young nieces and nephews devoured it! Thanks for the recipe.
Making this cake for a family bbq as I type this. Can’t wait to taste it!
I can’t wait until fresh peaches are in season! Yum, I would love this.
First off… LOVE ALL your recipes! Thank heavens for your website. We had company stay with us this last weekend. I thought this would be perfect for dessert. Plus, I loved that I had all the ingredients already!! It. was. fabulous!! Everyone had seconds! Thanks for the great recipe!
This looks like a perfect summer dessert. Peaches, cake, and cream cheese together- yum!
This turned out good, nice and creamy. Fun treat:)
This is the kind of cake that I says is what dreams are made of. The idea of peaches, which I love and cream cheese in the same cake, is fantastic.
Absolutely delicious!
My sister, Kitty, made this today and it is UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. Light, fluffy texture and not too sweet. This is an excellent dessert, but it would also be perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning.
Mel, this looks totally delish! I love peach anything but it sounds especially yummy in a cake. Great recipe
Do you drain the peaches for your peaches and cream cake?
Faye – I drain the peaches but reserve the peach juice for the cream cheese layer.
can you cake mix
i can’t wait until fresh peaches reach my neck of the woods. i love when they’re so ripe, the juice runs down my chin…but a cake is a much cleaner way to consume them. 🙂
These look so yummy! With summer coming I am getting more and more excited for all the fruity treats I’m going to make (and eat)! Thanks for another great recipe!
Making for my mother-in-laws birthday today! Hope it turns out!
I absolutely love your site!! This recipe sounds amazing. I love that you change things up and make it work. You’re brilliant!
This cake sounds delicious! I just need some in-season peaches.
such a unique cake–yum!
Hey lady. I am loving your recipes! I really am wanting to change our eating habits by cooking more at home. I want to use a lot of your recipes. So thanks for posting all of them. One question though. Do you have a list of what to keep in your pantry. I want to stock my pantry, do you have any ideas?
Hi Teresa – thanks for the comment! I actually did a post a long time ago about my pantry staples – here’s the link: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/02/kitchen-tip-pantry-staples.html
I probably need to go in and update the details but I looked through it and it is still fairly accurate to what I stock my pantry with.
does the peaches and cream cake need to be refrigerated
Probably if it needs to be stored longer than a couple of hours.
this is so what I am making for dessert this Sunday thanks Mel.
What a beautiful cake, Mel! It looks so flavorful and moist and perfect for slicing into on a warm spring day. Great job and thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend. 🙂
This sounds great! My canned peaches are waiting..
Yum!! I just got back from visiting friends and family in Georgia and have had peaches on my mind! Haha! I love peaches and seriously can’t wait to try this…. maybe this weekend at a family dinner.
I opened 16 cans of peaches yesterday to make these tin can treats for the teachers in our church and I was needing something beyond dutch oven peach cobbler to use them in. Thanks for fulfilling my needs! Cream cheese makes everything divine and I love that you got rid of the pudding mix.
Totally want to make this today with my boys:) Thanks for posting so many recipes that have non processed items!! I want to incorporate more of that in my eating style:)
This sound divine!!! What about mashing up some peaches and making your own “syrup” with those and some sugar to mix into the cream cheese? I was thinking something like the blueberry syrup your favorite muffin recipe. In fact these would probably make delicious muffins! I was thinking the peach ones I made needed some kind of cream in them. I can’t wait to try!
It looks so moist and delicate. Absolutely fantastic!
does this cake need to be refrigerated