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.
If this is the same recipe I made a few years ago, I am beyond happy I’ve found it. I lost the recipe and was searching the internet for some time now. The picture looks familiar and the ingredients. I have a feeling it’s the same recipe ive been looking for. I can’t wait to make it.
I hope it’s the recipe you’re looking for!
Made this cake and it was AMAZING, just a question, how long does it store? I made it Monday and after it cooled to room temp I’ve been keeping it covered in the fridge
I think it would be ok for a couple of days in the refrigerator (the cake may get slightly soft around the edges where the peaces are the longer it is kept).
I would love to make this using the last of my fresh peaches. Can it be frozen? Will it affect the texture. How would I freeze, thaw and warm it afterwards? Thank you, Lynn
Hi Lynn, I haven’t frozen this, but you could definitely try. It might be a bit softer in texture after thawing and warming.
Can I use fresh peaches?
Yes!
This was a huge hit! I made it yesterday to take to a friends’ house for dinner and all but the very youngest loved it. I forgot the cinnamon and sugar topping which I will not do next time! I’m planning to make this for a book club Thursday – yesterday was my dry run… but I’m looking for some ways to bump up the presentation. Any tips?
Dusting the top with powdered sugar would be a little boost, I think!
I make this cake several times a year. Everyone loves it and it is so easy. I have had numerous people ask for the recipe.
I have taken this cake to numerous parties and everyone loved it. It is one the most requested desserts.
Every year I make this for the holidays and I like to prep the day before. Would I be able to prepare this all the way and then place it it in the fridge the night prior and then bake it the next day?
Sorry for the delay in responding – yes, I think you could prep this the day before and then bake it the next day.
Haven’t made it yet but I’ll post when I do. Looks delicious .
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!