Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
This buttery peach cake is one of my favorite ways to make the most of sweet summer peaches. The cake is tender and warmly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, with juicy peaches nestled into the batter and a crunchy pecan streusel to top it off.
The recipe was inspired by a summer tradition with my friend Dana: every July, we take a day trip to Middleburg, Virginia, for wine tastings, antique shopping, and wandering the charming streets (all things our husbands are more than happy to skip!). One year, we passed a roadside stand piled high with fresh peaches, and of course I came home with far more than we could eat. This cake was the delicious result.
It’s lovely for brunch or dessert, especially with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yellow peaches work best here—they hold their shape as they bake and look beautiful 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
You’ll need all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, unsalted butter, granulated and dark brown sugar, pecans, an egg, vanilla extract, milk, and yellow peaches.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the streusel topping. Combine the flour, melted butter, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt and mix well.
Mix the dry ingredients for the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Set aside.
Combine the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla: 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.
Pro Tip: If your butter isn’t quite room temperature, cut it into cubes and let it sit out for 15 minutes.
Add the dry ingredients and milk: Beat on low speed until evenly incorporated. (The batter will be quite thick.)
Assemble the cake: Transfer the batter to a springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Arrange the peaches on top in concentric circles, pressing them partially into the batter.
Pro Tip: If you’re using very juicy peaches, pat the slices dry with a paper towel before arranging them on the batter to prevent excess moisture from making the cake soggy.
Add the streusel: Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the peaches.
Bake the cake: Bake in a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center, and a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool and serve: Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake, then let cool for about 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 you like. 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 Fruit Desserts You’ll Love
Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel
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
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ lb peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced about ⅓-in (8-mm) 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 (175°C). Spray a 9-in (23-cm) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Delicious. I was halfway thru mixing this and forgot I was out of eggs. Substituted 4 tablespoons of applesauce and it worked!
Hi Jenn, is it necessary to peel the peaches? Can I skip that step & still reach the same result? Thanks!
Hi Liz, I would definitely recommend peeling them for this. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn, I made this recipe and peeled the peaches as you instructed. It was devoured by family! Thanks for yet another delicious dessert!
I did not peel the peaches, and it was delicious, no problem at all.
Can I use frozen peaches in this recipe?
Sure, Bonnie, frozen peaches should work here. Enjoy!
Could you provide the weight equivalent for the flour?
I assume you’re asking about the flour in the streusel? If so, it’s 40 grams. Hope you enjoy!
Delish, followed recipe and cake looked beautiful and tasted amazing! My house smelled like home. Love your cake recipes with fruit. Mmmm…. Thank you for sharing.
I love cakes that are not too sweet. I made this with only half of the topping recipe and only baked it on one side, leaving the other side plain (just with the peaches). For those wanting a bit more sweetness on the plain side can always dust with confectioner’s sugar at serving time. Reminded me of a Peach Topped Coffee Cake that when I used to make that everybody loved it cause it was tasty without being sweet. I’ve also made this with canned apricot halves, placed upsidedown on the top.
I’ve already made a couple recipes from Jenn’s blog, while everything tasted great this peach streusel cake is phenomenal. It came out perfect on first try and smelled so good while it was baking in the oven! I followed the recipe exactly and didn’t change a thing, will be making this again in the future for sure!
Another winner from Jenn. Key is to make sure the peaches are firm enough to peel.
This is fabulous BUT I had to bake it for an extra 25 minutes until it was no longer raw in the middle. Other than that, amazing. I didn’t have cardamom so I substituted ginger.
Fantastic! I wasn’t sure how I would like the pecan and peach combo in a cake like this, but it was fabulous. I made this cake and the Blueberry Coffee Cake, and my husband wasn’t sure which one he liked more because they’re both so good! I think I give this one a slight edge though. So flavorful!
Very, very good!
The cake had a lot of peach flavor and the pecan streusel topping was perfect! Excellent!!
A wonderful desert for an August weekend! 🍑