Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel
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Juicy peaches, warm spices, and a crisp pecan topping come together in this easy peach cake—the kind of treat that makes summer feel special.
My friend Dana and I love taking day trips to Middleburg, VA. We visit wineries, pop into antique shops, and wander the charming streets—activities our husbands are more than happy to skip. On one trip, we found a roadside stand piled high with peaches, and I couldn’t resist bringing home more than I could possibly eat. The result was this buttery peach cake, topped with a pecan streusel and generously spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. It makes a delicious brunch cake, topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yellow peaches are best here as they stand out beautifully on top of the cake.
“Absolutely delicious. This is definitely an “impress your friends” kind of recipe.”
What you’ll need to make Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, combine the flour, melted butter, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until evenly combined, then set aside.
Step 2. Mix the dry ingredients for the cake. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Set aside.
Step 3. Cream the butter and sugar. 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.
Pro Tip: If your butter isn’t quite room temperature, cut it into cubes and let it sit out for 15 minutes.
Step 4. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until combined, about 20 seconds.
Step 5. Add the dry ingredients and milk. Beat on low speed until evenly incorporated. (The batter will be quite thick.)
Step 6. Assemble the cake. Transfer the batter to a 9-inch springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
Step 7. Top with peaches. Arrange the peaches on top in concentric circles, pressing them partially into the batter.
Step 8. Add the streusel. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the peaches.
Step 9. Bake the cake. Bake in a 350°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center, and a cake tester comes out clean.
Step 10. Cool and serve. After removing the cake from the oven, run a knife around the edges to loosen it, then let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the springform side and cool completely on a rack. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired. The cake can be made up to 1 day ahead or frozen for longer storange.
Pro Tip: Letting the cake cool at least 20 minutes before removing the springform side keeps the structure intact—peaches and streusel are heavy toppings, and removing the side too soon can cause the edges to slump.
More Fruity Cakes You’ll Love
Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel
With fresh peaches baked into a tender cake and a crisp, nutty topping, this peach cake is the perfect taste of summer.
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
- 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.
- 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.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Set aside.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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 a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
- 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
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- 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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Hi, I would like to make a dairy-free version of this cake. Would margarine be okay in the crumb topping? Or would you suggest something else? Or is a crumb topping not suitable for non-dairy substitutes? (I am completely inexperienced with non-dairy baking!)
Hi Rachel, I’ve never made a streusel topping with margarine, but if you use margarine in stick form (versus the kind that comes in a tub), I think it should work. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Jen, I’ve made this 3 times now in the last month as the peaches in Ontario are the best I’ve ever tasted, and I think this is my favorite of all your fruit cakes, because I’ve made all of them!! So scrumptious. The spices in the sponge, the luscious peaches and that divine topping! The only fidgety part is peeling the peaches. Today, I left half the skin on so I’ll see later how that worked out! And also, it needs more than the 50 minutes in the oven.
Thank you, as always.
Joy
Just delish. I used G Free flour, the 1:1 baking flour, and turned out excellent.
PS. DH asked me to buy some more peaches to make again. That s a first for peaches
Wanted to use up my ripe peaches (peach season here in NC/SC) but didn’t have a pound and 1/2 so used 1/2 frozen peaches. Will use all local peaches next time and more – at least enough for 2 big layers. So – more peach flavor next time. Cake portion was amazingly tasty! Topping was really good, used about 4 1/2 TBS if sugar since other reviewers said it was too sweet at 6TBS – it was perfect. Makes a big cake for 2 so will probably freeze half. A keeper for sure!