Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel

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Whether savored as a brunch coffee cake or an after-dinner treat, this streusel-topped peach cake is simply perfect.

Slice of peach cake on a plate with peaches.

Every July, my friend Dana and I take a scenic day trip to Middleburg, VA. It’s our annual summertime ritual. We hop from one winery to the next, hunt for hidden treasures in antique shops, and leisurely wander the charming streets—activities our husbands don’t generally love to do. On one of these outings, we stumbled upon a quaint roadside stand, overflowing with bushels of luscious peaches in every imaginable variety. I couldn’t resist buying way too many, which eventually led to the creation of this fantastic peach cake. It’s generously topped with a golden, crunchy streusel and comfortingly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. It makes a lovely coffee cake for brunch, but it’s equally wonderful when enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream after dinner. I recommend using yellow peaches if possible, as they stand out beautifully in the cake, while white peaches won’t show up as well.

Collage of scenes from Middleburg, Virginia.

What you’ll need to make Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel

Cake ingredients including baking powder, milk, and sugar.

How To Make Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel

Begin with the topping. In a small bowl, combine the flour, melted butter, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt.

Bowl of unmixed streusel topping ingredients.

Mix until evenly combined and set aside.

Spoon in a bowl of streusel topping.

For the cake, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom in a medium bowl.

Bowl of unmixed dry ingredients.

Whisk to combine, then set aside.

Whisk in a bowl of dry ingredients.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Bowl of creamed butter and sugar.

Add the egg and vanilla.

Vanilla and eggs in a bowl of creamed butter and sugar.

Beat until combined, about 20 seconds.

Electric mixer beating a bowl of butter mixture.

Add the flour mixture and milk.

Dry ingredients, milk, and butter mixture in a bowl.

Beat on low speed until evenly incorporated. (Note: the batter will be quite thick.)

Bowl of cake batter.

Transfer the batter to a 9-inch springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Person spreading cake batter in a springform pan.

Arrange the peaches on top in concentric circles, pressing them partially into the batter.

Layer of peach slices over cake batter in a springform pan.

Using a spoon and/or your fingers, sprinkle the clumpy streusel topping over the peaches.

Streusel topping over peaches in a springform pan.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center, and a cake tester comes out clean.

Peach cake with pecan streusel in a springform pan.

Serve alone or topped with ice cream and whipped cream.

Slice of peach cake on a plate with peaches.

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Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel

Whether savored as a brunch coffee cake or an after-dinner treat, this streusel-topped peach cake is simply perfect.

Servings: 8-10
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 50 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes, plus cooling time

Ingredients

For the Streusel Topping

  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 6 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
  • ¾ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
  • Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch salt

For the Cake

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1½ pounds peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced about ⅓-inch thick (you'll need 3 to 4 peaches)

Instructions

  1. Make the Topping: In a small bowl, mix together the flour, melted butter, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined. (The mixture will be wet.) Set aside.
  2. Make the Cake: Set a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour such as Baker's Joy or Pam Baking Spray with Flour. (Alternatively, grease the pan with butter and dust lightly with flour.)
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined, about 20 seconds. Add the flour mixture and milk, and beat on low speed until evenly incorporated. (Note: the batter will be quite thick.)
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Arrange the peaches on top in concentric circles, pressing them partially into the batter. Using a spoon and/or your fingers, sprinkle the clumpy streusel topping over the peaches. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center, and a cake tester comes out clean.
  6. Right after removing the cake from the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides. Let cool for about 20 minutes, then remove the springform edge, leaving the base in place. Let the cake cool on a rack. Slice and serve warm or room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
  7. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw on the countertop the night before you plan to eat it. If desired, before serving, reheat it for a few minutes in the oven until slightly warmed.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (10 servings)
  • Serving size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 409
  • Fat: 22 g
  • Saturated fat: 10 g
  • Carbohydrates: 52 g
  • Sugar: 32 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Sodium: 188 mg
  • Cholesterol: 59 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Yummy!
    Delicious both warm with ice cream or room temperature on its own.
    Great recipe. Thank you!

  • What a fantastic recipe for fresh orchard peaches. I wanted a simpler cake flavor, so I left out all the spices. I pureed one peach which made about 1/4 cup and topped it off with milk to make 1/2 cup total liquid. I needed to bake it about 9 minutes longer but it turned out perfectly! Yummy. Thank you.

    • Hi Jenn,

      I do not have fresh peaches. Will frozen peaches work?

      Thanks,
      Lisa

      • Sure, they should work fine. Hope you enjoy!

  • This is my favorite cake when peaches are fresh! I have also made this with peaches I froze and made it in the fall to remind us of the summer. A family favorite!

  • Absolutely delicious. This is definitely an “impress your friends” kind of recipe.

    • Hi Jenn

      Will nectarines work with this recipe?

      Just wondering. It looks absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipes. You are the best. Your recipes are so clear and precise. I really appreciate that.

      Thank you.

      Lucy Conway

      • — Lucy Sim Conway
      • Reply
      • So glad you like the recipes! I haven’t used nectarines here but they should definitely work. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

  • You nailed it again, Jenn! This recipe is delicious! It came out perfect! A new family favorite!

    • — Nancy S Dressel
    • Reply
  • I made your delicious plum cake, was going to do it again, it was so good!!!
    Decided to try your peach strudel, searched and searched for correct temperature, did I miss it? Went ahead on 350f, cake was beautiful and even. When I took it out after 50 mins.
    Then it fell. What is the correct temp, if you please?
    I am thoroughly enjoying your recipes
    Thank you so much!

    • Hi Ceebie, Sorry to hear you had a problem finding the oven temp! It’s in the second paragraph of the instructions and you had it correct at 350. If it fell once you took it out of the oven, it may have been a bit underbaked. Or is your baking powder really old or expired?

  • I definitely didn’t cut my peaches into thick enough slices. I had a lot of peach leftover that I wish I would have added another layer-my mistake. Cake was otherwise delicious.

  • simply sensational! I wasn’t expecting anything this good -so frequently this type of cake is very dry when it cools. Not this one. I ate it breakfast, lunch and dinner, and only once warmed it -good anyway you can get it. In fact I went out and bought more peaches!

  • The cake itself was good and moist but there wasn’t enough peach ( and I used 4 very ripe peaches!) flavour throughout. Next time I will add even more peaches, and layer it in between the cake batter.

  • This recipe did not work at all. The results were awful – a wet soggy mess. I made this cake at 10:00 at night to take to a BBQ the next day. The peaches literally got absorbed into the cake and the result was a soggy mess. I told the host of the BBQ to just throw it away. It was inedible. Giving it one star is generous. A waste of time and money.

    • I’m sorry you had such a problem with this – how frustrating! Happy to help troubleshoot – did you make any adjustments to the recipe?

      • I made NO adjustments to the recipe. Is this a cake that should be eaten only right after it comes out of the oven? When the cake came out of the oven, it was perfect. The next morning, the middle of it was sunken in and wet.

        • Hi N.A., I’m sorry that you found this to be sunken on the second day. While I think this should last nicely for a few days, I guess the moisture that the fruit gives off makes this one best if it’s eaten on the day it’s served. Sorry for any frustration!

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