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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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
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!
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!