This extra moist peach Bundt cake is packed with layers of juicy, cinnamon-spiced peaches, and topped with the most incredibly flavorful brown butter icing. If you’re looking to shine a spotlight on summer’s sweet peaches, this is that dessert!
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
One reader, Barb, commented: “I made this last summer for foodie friends. They paid it the highest compliments. I am a novice cook at best, but your recipes are so easy to follow and turn out so reliably good. The brown butter icing was so delicious. I’m making this again next weekend for a dinner party. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Steph, commented: “Oh my gosh, this cake is wonderful! The cake itself is subtly sweet so that the peaches really stand out, and that brown butter glaze is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. Definitely keeping this recipe around! ★★★★★”
You’re looking at one of my very favorite summertime cakes. I’ve been making this every July and August for several years now, and made 2 small updates to the recipe to improve the cake’s texture. (Honestly, it was pretty perfect before, but these small changes are extraordinary.) I added baking soda to help lift the crumb a bit more, and swapped milk for sour cream to introduce tender moisture.
Why So Many Readers Love This Peach Bundt Cake
- Super moist and tender cake filled with juicy cinnamon-kissed peaches
- Perfect way to showcase fresh peaches during peak peach season (aside from peach pie, peach cobbler, and peach crisp, of course!)
- The most delicious brown butter icing—no complicated decorating required (just drizzle it on!)
Tell Me About This Peach Bundt Cake
- Flavor: Delicious juicy bites of sweet summer peaches mingle with warm cinnamon spice, and a brown butter icing takes the cake’s flavor to the next level. What a combination!
- Texture: Thanks to the juice from the peaches as well as the oil and sour cream in the cake batter, this cake is extra moist. It’s soft and dense, but not nearly as heavy as pound cake. Every single slice is absolutely loaded with tender, juicy peaches.
- Ease: In this recipe, you are simply mixing up the batter and layering it with the peaches in a Bundt pan. Bakers of any skill level can handle this cake.
- Time: Prepping this dessert recipe is fairly quick, but the bake time (and cooling time) is long due to the cake’s large size. Don’t be worried if it’s gone past the recommended bake time and the cake still isn’t done—that’s common with super moist, super thick, super supreme Bundt cakes.
Key Ingredients You Need & Why:
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base for this cake’s structure.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: We’re using both leaveners here, for double-duty to lift up this naturally heavy cake.
- Salt: For its flavor-enhancing superpowers.
- Oil: Using oil instead of butter in cakes makes for a supremely moist crumb.
- Sugar: Granulated and brown sugar sweeten the cake batter.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure, stability, and richness.
- Sour Cream: You’ll notice that I use sour cream in a lot of my cake recipes. Sour cream adds moisture and lightens up the crumb of this cake, so it isn’t overly dense.
- Vanilla: Flavor-enhancer extraordinaire!
- Peaches: You need about 2 and 1/2 cups of peeled and chopped fresh peaches. See the FAQs below for more information on the best type of peaches to use.
- Cinnamon: You’ll coat the chopped peaches in cinnamon-sugar before layering them in between the batter. YUM!
Recipe Testing This Cake
Layer the peaches: As noted in the printable recipe below, mix the peach chunks with some sugar and cinnamon, then layer them into the prepared cake pan with the batter. This is how we start peach bread, too. The layering is the TRICK! You see, layering the peaches helps ensure that almost every single bite is loaded with them.
Use a mixer: Even though you’re not creaming butter and sugar together in this peach cake recipe, I strongly recommend using a handheld or stand mixer. The cake batter is thick and there’s quite a lot of it—an electric mixer makes mixing easier, and will help you get that silky texture you’re looking for in this batter.
2 changes made in 2024: Baking powder is strong, but baking soda is stronger. I felt the cake could use the crutch of a little baking soda, so you’ll see that now in the printable recipe below. I also swapped in sour cream for the milk, which helps produce a tighter, moister crumb. You can opt for milk as the original recipe states, if desired.
Let’s Layer
You’ll end up with 3 layers of the creamy-thick batter and 2 layers of the cinnamon-sugared peaches.
Start with a layer of batter and peaches, then layer until everything is used up. You need a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan (I like this one and this one).
If you need a recommendation for a new Bundt pan, I highly recommend NordicWare Bundt pans. I’ve been using them for years… great quality, great price, and they come in so many beautiful shapes. (Not working with the brand, just a fan!) Even though these Bundt pans are nonstick, I always grease them just to be safe; the syrupy peach layers have a tendency to stick to the sides of the pan. I recommend a light dusting of flour over the greased interior to help the cake release cleanly, too. Finally, let the cake cool in the pan for exactly 1 hour and then invert onto a cooling rack or serving platter/cake stand. Trying to invert the cake too soon or after too long always makes it harder to get the cake to release; I find that 1 hour is the sweet spot for this cake.
Absolutely, but I recommend halving the recipe for an 8.5×4.5-inch or 9×5-inch pan. The bake time is similar to this peach bread; use a toothpick to test for doneness. For best success, however, just make the quick bread recipe and top with today’s brown butter icing. Feel free to halve the icing. If you would rather use a springform pan, I recommend this peach cake instead.
You can use any variety of peaches—yellow, white, or even doughnut peaches—but you want slightly firm (not hard) peaches with no soft spots. Your best bet is to purchase or pick about 7 firm peaches, then let them sit in a paper bag for 1–2 days to ripen. Some may have soft spots after this time, so that is why I suggest buying a couple more than you actually need. Eat any overly soft peaches or use them in these peach muffins.
Fresh peaches are the best option for this peach Bundt cake, but you can use frozen if needed. You just don’t want them to be too wet, so either keep them frozen, or, if using thawed peaches, be sure to blot them dry before tossing with the cinnamon-sugar and using them in the cake.
Brown Butter Icing AKA the Best Icing Ever
The finishing touch on this peach cake is the most incredibly divine brown butter icing. Have you used brown butter in a recipe before? Preparing it is easy because all you’re doing is stirring butter as it gently cooks on the stove. It adds a remarkable depth of flavor to so many baked goods, and readers absolutely rave about this icing in particular:
One reader, Shannon, says: “Goodness, this was just heavenly. Cake was very moist and flavorful; the peaches were delicious. And that icing! As others have said, it really just adds something different/special to the overall taste of the cake. ★★★★★”
Because butter is solid at room temperature, the icing eventually sets—kind of like donut icing. I use this brown butter icing on so many tasty treats, including apple blondies, pecan sugar cookies, and these popular brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies. (Though I did make some quantity changes to accommodate this enormous cake!)
Peach Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours
Yield: serves 10-12
Category: Cake
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade peach Bundt cake is super moist and tender with pockets of cinnamon-soaked peaches throughout each slice. Finish it with a delicious brown butter icing that eventually sets on top.
Cake Batter
Peach Layers
Brown Butter Icing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan (I like this one and this one).
- Make the cake batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment (or you can use a whisk) mix the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and beat on medium-low speed or whisk until the batter is completely combined. Batter is thick, yet silky. You should have about 4 cups (1300g) of batter.
- For the peaches: In a medium bowl, gently stir the peaches, sugar, and cinnamon until the peaches are coated.
- Pour and spread 1/3 of the cake batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan. Arrange half of the peaches on top (including any juices), and try to keep them in the center of the batter and not touching the edges of the pan. Pour and spread another 1/3 of the cake batter evenly on top, followed by the rest of the peaches. Again, try to prevent the peaches from touching the edges of the pan. Finally, pour the remaining cake batter on top. Use a spatula or back of a spoon to smooth over any exposed peaches as best you can.
- Bake for 55–70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean (with just a couple moist crumbs). This is a large, heavy cake so don’t be alarmed if it takes a little longer in your oven. As it’s baking, after 30 minutes, loosely cover with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
- Once done, place the cake on a cooling rack and allow to cool in the pan for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan, then invert the Bundt cake onto a cooling rack or serving dish and allow to cool completely.
- Make the icing: Slice the butter into pieces and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring occasionally. After 5–8 minutes, the butter will begin browning—you’ll notice lightly browned specks forming at the bottom of the pan and it will have a nutty aroma. Once browned, remove from heat immediately and pour into a medium heatproof bowl or liquid measuring cup. Allow to slightly cool for 5–10 minutes. Whisk in the rest of the icing ingredients until smooth. Add more sifted confectioners’ sugar for a thicker texture, if desired. Likewise, add more milk to thin out if needed. Taste and add another pinch of salt if desired.
- Immediately drizzle the icing over the cooled cake. (The icing thickens quickly.) Slice and serve.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the entire cake ahead of time (before topping with icing). Cover cooled cake and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before icing and serving. Baked cake can be frozen up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature (if desired) before icing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10- to 12-cup Bundt Cake Pan (I like this one and this one) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Light-Colored Skillet or Stainless Steel Skillet | Whisk | Fine Mesh Sieve
- Mini Bundt Pan: I don’t recommend using this batter for mini Bundts. The batter is too thick and chunky for the mini size.
- Oil: This recipe is best with vegetable oil or canola oil. If you want to use coconut oil, melt it first, and be sure that all of the other ingredients are room temperature. Bake the batter right away, because as the coconut oil begins to cool and solidify, it thickens the batter and could result in an overly dense cake.
- Sour Cream: You can substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream, if needed.
- Peaches: Frozen peaches are OK as long as they aren’t overly wet. You can keep frozen or thaw. If thawed, blot them so they aren’t too wet. Still mix with sugar and cinnamon.
- Peeling the Peaches: I usually peel the peaches for this cake, but feel free to leave the skin on the peaches—it doesn’t make a difference either way.
- Loaf Pan: You can halve this recipe and bake it in an 8.5×4.5-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan. The bake time is similar to peach quick bread; use a toothpick to test for doneness. For best success, however, just make the quick bread recipe and top with this brown butter icing. Feel free to halve the icing.
- Recipe Updated in 2024: The old recipe called for 1 Tablespoon baking powder, no baking soda, and 1/3 cup milk instead of sour cream in the cake batter.
