This recipe combines a soft but dense classic pound cake with peaches and a cobbler topping. The vanilla batter has a thick layer of fresh peach slices, creating a biscuit-like crust as it bakes. Make it ahead and keep it refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a month.
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This old-fashioned peach cobbler inspired this cake and is a great alternative to make when summer peaches abound.
But keep in mind that it also works with canned peaches when peach season is over.
A rich buttery pound cake is topped with fresh peaches and crowned with a biscuit topping. Exactly what the name implies: a sweet dense crumb with soft peaches and a crunchy topping. So delicious and different!
The batter is versatile and can be customized with different flavors. We love orange because it goes well with peaches.
It's a great peach pound cake to serve as is, making it perfect for picnics, potlucks, road trips, or as a snack.
Ingredients
- Peaches: fresh fruit is always my first choice, but you can use frozen peach slices or canned peaches. They will probably soften more during baking. This is a great way to use not overly ripe peaches that lack flavor and are not the best to eat fresh.
- Unsalted butter.
- Sugar: white granulated sugar is the traditional one to use for pound cakes, but you can use light brown sugar for a deeper color and more caramelized flavor.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Flour: all-purpose flour or cake flour, both work.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Baking powder: make sure it's not expired as it's what helps the cake rise in the oven.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
- Orange zest: you can omit it if you don't have any oranges around, but it rounds up the flavor beautifully.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.
Substitutions
This is a recipe that can be customized a little to adapt to your palate or fruit that you have at home.
- Nectarines - they are very similar to peaches but have thinner skin that you don't need to peel off. At least, I don't.
- Other stone fruit - this recipe does very well with plums, cherries, and apricots.
- No cream cheese? You can use regular sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese, the same amount. The crumb will be a tad less dense and a smidge tangier. They both add great moisture and tenderness.
- Light brown sugar - use it instead of white sugar for a caramel flavor and darker look.
- Topping - instead of milk, you can use plain yogurt or buttermilk.
How to make a peach pound cake
This cake has three components: the pound cake batter, sliced peach layer, and cobbler biscuit topping.
- The first thing to do is preheat your oven and have all ingredients ready.
Butter and sugar should be well creamed before eggs are added, one at a time.
Flavorings are added after the creaming is over.
Flour is added in parts. Don't overbeat at this point!
Cream cheese is added in between the flour additions for better mixing.
Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. Don't overmix.
Spread cake batter in the pan, top with peach slices, and biscuit topping.
Variations
- Types of pans: pound cakes are traditionally baked in loaf pans, but you can make this recipe in a square 8 or 9-inch pan, or make muffins.
- To serve a crowd: use a sheet pan and double the recipe. Serve it plain at room temperature or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Bundt cake: you can easily double this recipe and bake it in a bundt pan or tube pan. You'll need a 12-cup bundt pan.
- Spiced: add a ground spice like cinnamon or ginger that pair well with peaches. A few grindings of nutmeg are also a good idea. Or add a tablespoon of your favorite liquor to the cake batter.
- Almond peach cake: these flavors go well together, so you can add ½ teaspoon of almond extract to the batter and some sliced almonds to the topping before baking.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Peaches: I encourage fresh fruit, especially when in season, but you can use frozen. It's a great recipe for not-yet ripe or mushy peaches.
- Storage: this cake keeps well for a day or two (always well wrapped) at room temperature if the space is not hot and then in the fridge for 2 more days before starting to dry up. Fruit starts to ferment at some point and that will ruin the whole cake. You can freeze it for a month, always covered in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or in an airtight container.
- Glaze: this is a good cake to drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze if you like a sweet coffee cake feeling and flavor. You can use milk or orange juice.
Related recipes you might like:
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Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
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This cake combines a soft but dense peach pound cake with a cobbler topping. The vanilla batter has a thick layer of fresh peach slices and creates a biscuit-like crust as it bakes. For a potluck or picnic use a rectangular pan and cut it into squares. Make it ahead and keep it refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a month.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose, or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- ¼ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 large peaches, about 2 cups cored and sliced
For the cobbler topping:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar + 1 teaspoon, for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Butter or spray a 9x4 inch (10x24 cm) loaf pan and, if you want, add a strip of parchment paper to cover the bottom and two shorter sides. It will help you lift the baked cake to easily remove it.
- If removing skin from peaches: follow instructions for how to peel peaches. It doesn't take long and you just need a pot of boiling water and a large bowl with ice water.
- Slice the peaches and reserve.
For the cake:
- Beat the softened butter for 20 seconds in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the sugar gradually while you continue beating at medium speed, and then for 3 more minutes at high speed after adding all of it. The mixture should be light in color and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl regularly.
- Add vanilla extract and mix.
- Sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder) together in a medium bowl, or have them measured and sift them directly over the butter mixture.
- Add the flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the cream cheese in 1 part. That means you start and end with the dry ingredients.
- Mix and integrate everything well, but don't beat much at this point. After adding flour, a cake batter should not be beaten too much or it will develop gluten and toughen the baked cake.
- Put the cake batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Add the sliced peaches, overlapping them and covering the batter. It might look like too many peaches but it's not.
- Drop teaspoons of the topping mixture (instructions below) on top of the peaches. Lightly spread the mounds but don't cover the whole thing. There should be space for the cake to grow.
- Sprinkle with the extra teaspoon of sugar.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until it rises, the topping dries, and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Pound cakes are dense so make sure it's fully baked. If the top is browning too quickly but the middle is not done, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum paper and continue baking.
- Cool on a wire rack and remove carefully from the pan, removing the strip of paper.
For the cobbler topping:
- Mix flour and sugar in a small bowl.
- Add the melted butter and milk and stir until combined. Don't beat or mix too much.
Notes
Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Peaches: I encourage fresh fruit, especially when in season, but you can use frozen. It's a great recipe for not-yet ripe or mushy peaches. Nectarines - they are very similar to peaches but have thinner skin that you really don't need to peel off. At least I don't. Other stone fruit - this is a recipe that does very well with plums, cherries, and apricots.
No cream cheese? You can use regular sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese, the same amount. The crumb will be a tad less dense and a smidge tangier. They both add great moisture and tenderness.
Light brown sugar - use it instead of white sugar for a caramel flavor and darker look.
Topping - instead of milk, you can use plain yogurt or buttermilk.
How to store this cake: this cake keeps well for a day or two (always well wrapped) at room temperature if the space is not hot and then in the fridge for 2 more days before starting to dry up. Fruit starts to ferment at some point and that will ruin the whole cake. You can freeze it for a month, always covered in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or in an airtight container.
Glaze: this is a good cake to drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze if you like a sweet coffee cake feeling and flavor. You can use milk or orange juice.
Did you try this recipe?Mention @vintagekitchennotes or tag #vintagekitchenrecipe on Instagram and I'll share it!
Suzanne F. says
Already submitted comment. Just forgot to rate.
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks Suzanne!
Suzanne F. says
Love fresh peaches and decided to bake this cake one afternoon. It's delicious and was easy to prepare. My baking time was a full half hour longer but the cake was very moist with a golden topping. This is a keeper and will be prepared in times to come.
Paula Montenegro says
Happy to know this Suzanne! Have a great week.