This Peach Cobbler Cake is perfect for a peach lover. It has three fluffy vanilla cinnamon cake layers filled with a brown butter frosting, homemade peach filling, and brown sugar streusel. Top this show stopping cake with roasted peaches and more streusel. This dessert will wow everyone you share it with during peach season!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Peach Filling – This cake is filled with a homemade peach filling made with fresh peaches. This is the best part of this Peach Cobbler Dessert!
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Streusel – A quick streusel packed with warm flavor is used between the cake layers and on top!
- Brown Butter Frosting – The depth of flavor in this frosting is incredible and pairs so well with the flavors of the cinnamon and peaches.
- Vanilla Cinnamon Cake – These cake layers are fluffy and delicious!
Ingredient Overview
- Peaches – Be sure to use good, ripe peaches (preferably from a farmers market over the grocery store). Ripe peaches will have a little give, but won’t be super mushy.
- Sour Cream – Use full fat sour cream, at room temperature.
- Butter – I prefer salted butter, but use whichever you prefer. Let it come to room temperature before baking.
- Eggs – This recipe uses a mix of egg whites and whole eggs to create the perfect vanilla cake. Let them come to room temperature first.
- Milk – Just like our other cold ingredients, your milk needs to be at room temperature. I use 2% milk.
- Vanilla extract – Use a good quality, real vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Frozen Peaches – If peaches aren’t in season, use frozen peaches. Do not thaw them first. Canned peaches would work too, but use ones without sugar added if possible.
- Sour Cream – You can substitute greek yogurt for sour cream. Be sure to use plain, full fat.
How to Make this Recipe Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Make the peach filling. Cook diced peaches in a medium saucepan with sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and a splash of lemon juice. Add cornstarch at the end to gently thicken the sauce. Let the sauce cool completely before using.
Step 2: Make the cake batter. Cream together the butter and oil. Then, beat in the granulated sugar for two full minutes. Add the eggs, then the sour cream and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients with the mixer on low. Then, slowly repeat with the milk.
Step 3: Bake the cakes. Fill your cake pans with the batter and bake as directed in the recipe card below. Let the cake layers cool completely before frosting and assembling the cake.
Step 4: Make the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Streusel. Stir together melted butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Bake this on a sheet pan and let cool completely.
Step 5: Make the Brown Butter Frosting. Mix together brown butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and a splash of heavy cream for the most delicious, creamy frosting!
Step 6: Assemble the Cake. Frost the bottom layer with an even layer of frosting, and pipe a border of frosting around the cake layer, and fill with the peach filling and streusel. Repeat this with the 2nd layer, then add the final layer.
Step 7: Apply a light layer of frosting all over the cake and smooth with a cake scraper. This is the crumb coat. Chill for 20-30 minutes, then cover the cake with the remaining frosting. Chill for at least 30-40 minutes before serving!
Serving + Storing this Recipe:
Let the cake chill for at least 30 minutes before slicing, or up to overnight. If you’re chilling it overnight, let the frosting firm up in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes, then wrap snugly in plastic wrap. Let the cake come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, top with extra peach filling (make an extra half batch) or top with a batch of my cinnamon roasted peaches. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect summer dessert! This isn’t one of the easiest desserts to make, but the incredible flavor in every bite is SO worth it!
Expert Success Tips:
- Peeling Peaches – I never peel peaches because the peels don’t bother me, but feel free to do so if you like.
- Avoid a Dense Cake – Be sure to follow the directions in the recipe when mixing the cake batter for the best results. It’s important to mix things in gently, and for as long as specified to ensure the best possible cake texture.
- Creamy Frosting – Beat your butter and cream cheese together for a full 2 minutes before adding powdered sugar for the creamiest frosting – no sifting needed.
- Prepare your Cake Pans – Prepare your baking pan as directed in the recipe to prevent sticking.
Recipe Variations:
- Other Fresh Fruit – This cake would be delicious with other stone fruits like plums or nectarines!
- Frosting – Feel free to make the frosting without browning the butter if you’re in a pinch.
- Cake Layers – In a pinch, use a boxed yellow cake mix to save time and make the remaining elements yourself.
FAQs & Make-Ahead Tips:
Can I make any of these elements ahead? Yes!
- Cake Layers: You can make the cake layers, let them cool, then store them on dinner plates wrapped securely in plastic wrap for 24 hours before assembling the cake.
- Peach Filling: Make this up to 2 days ahead and store in the fridge.
- Streusel: This can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
How do you peel peaches?
- Here’s a video that shows how to do this!
Special Tools:
- Offset Spatula – Offset spatulas make frosting this delicious dessert so easy! They can also be used for spreading cake and brownie batters evenly in your pan.
- Cake Turntable – If you make at least a few cakes a year, a cake turntable makes the frosting process a breeze!
- Piping Bag & Piping Tip – I like to use a reusable piping bag and a Wilton 1A or 2A piping tip, but you can use a plastic bag with the corner snipped off in a pinch.
More Fresh Peach Desserts to Love:
- Blueberry Peach Cobbler
- Peach Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Salted Caramel Peach Hand Pies
- Peach Cobbler Cheesecake
- Easy Peach Cobbler Dump Cake (Cake Mix Cobbler)
- Nectarine Peach Crisp
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment!
Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with your photo! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make!
Peach Cobbler Cake
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Vanilla Cake Layers
- 3 and 2/3 cup cake flour 422 grams
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of ground cloves
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature 2 sticks, 18 tbsp, or 226 grams
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 and 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature
For the Peach Filling
- 4 large ripe peaches, diced Peel if desired
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 2 tsp water
For the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Streusel
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the Brown Butter Frosting
- 2 cups + 5 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 5 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 5 and 1/3 cups powdered sugar plus an extra 1/3 cup to taste
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For Topping
- an extra half batch of peach filling or a batch of roasted peaches (recipe linked below)
Instructions
- Prep: Brown the butter ahead of time – it needs to chill in the fridge. In a nonstick pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Turn the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the butter, stirring constantly. The butter will get frothy, then turn golden, then get foamy and start to turn brown and develop a nutty/caramely aroma. Once it reaches a deep golden amber color, remove from the heat and pour into a container. Chill in the fridge to re-solidify.Make-Ahead Tip: The brown butter can be made up to a week ahead and stored in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make the Peach Filling: Add the diced peaches, brown sugar and granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes. It will be quite bubbly. Stir the corn starch and water together in a small bowl and stir into the peach mixture. Cook for 1 minute, then remove from the heat immediately and transfer to a medium bowl to cool completely in the fridge.
- Make the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Streusel: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Melt the butter in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining streusel ingredients. You should have a crumbly mixture. Crumble onto a parchment-lined pan and bake for 12-14 minutes, until deep golden brown. Set aside to cool. Some will go in between the cake layers, and the rest on top.
- Prep the Cake Pans: Prepare three 8-inch cake pans. Rub shortening all over the inside of each pan, coating each evenly. Cut a round of parchment paper to fit inside each (tracing is the easiest way). Place this on top of the greased pan bottom, then grease over the parchment paper. Add a handful of flour, and tap the pan around to coat the inside with flour, tapping out any excess.
- Make the Cakes: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with a hand mixer for about 30 seconds, until creamy. Add the vegetable oil and cream together with the butter for 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 full minutes. The mixture will be fluffy. Add the eggs, two at a time and then the last one on its own, beating on medium low speed between each addition, until just combined. Don't over mix! Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix in on medium low speed until just combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients with the mixer running on low speed. Mix just until the last streaks of flour are disappearing into the batter, then turn off the mixer and use a spatula to make sure everything is folded in. Slowly pour in the milk while the mixer runs on low speed. Mix until just combined – don't over mix!
- Bake the Cakes: Divide batter evenly between the pans. (You can eyeball this or use a kitchen scale.) Bake the cakes, the first two pans together, and then the 3rd pan on its own after the first two are done. This will ensure the most even bake. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will pull out moist crumbs and the cakes shouldn't jiggle in the center when you move the pan.Let cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, invert onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting and assembling.
- Make the Brown Butter Frosting: Cream the browned butter and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl for 2 minutes. Ad the powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing between each addition. Add the last 1/2 cup to taste. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, and mix until just combined.Note: You'll need to let the chilled brown butter come back to room temp. You can speed this up gently in the microwave – pop the solid brown butter out of your tupperware and into a large mixing bowl. Microwave 6-8 seconds on each side, just until softened.
- Assemble the Cake: Place the first cake layer on a cake stand protected with wax paper strips, or a turntable. (A turntable is the easiest!) Use 3/4 cup of frosting to top the first layer, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula. Pipe a border of frosting around the cake layer and fill with half the peach filling. Add a generous handful of the streusel. Place the second cake layer on top and chill for 5-10 minutes to set things so the layers don't slide around. Repeat with the second layer. Add the final layer and give the cake a thin layer of frosting on top and on the sides. Use a cake scraper to smooth out and remove excess frosting. This is your crumb coat, so don't fret if it isn't perfect. Pop the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to set the frosting. Then, apply the remaining frosting, using the cake scraper to smooth the top and sides of the cake. Chill the entire cake in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until the frosting is set before covering it (with plastic wrap or a cake lid) or serving it.Tip: If your frosting is getting too soft at any point from sitting out, pop it back in the fridge for a bit to firm back up.
- Serve + Store: Decorate the top of the cake with fresh peach slices, roasted peaches, or make an extra half batch of peach filling, and the rest of the streusel. Serve the cake once it's chilled as directed above. Slice into as many slices as desired! Store leftovers, tightly covered, in the fridge for 2-3 days. The cake will naturally start to dry out a bit once it's been cut and put back in the fridge, so just be sure to seal and store it tightly.
Cindy says
If you use a yellow cake mix, this replaces the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, right? So you would use the rest of the ingredients or just mix as directed on box?
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Cindy! Correct, the cake mix already has the baking powder/soda and salt. Let me know how you like the cake! Happy thanksgiving.
Coty Stalnaker says
I’ve made this cake and have gotten Raves beyond Raves about it, everyone loves it. I’ve made this gluten/dairy free as well and still amazing. I just recently, today entered this cake into a baking competition with the city I work for and it won hands down, it was literally devoured. I did omit it slightly, I swapped out the salted butter in the batter/streusel for unsalted, I browned the butter for the batter and added some crisco to the frosting to prevent crusting. Thank you very much for sharing this with us.
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks so much for this super sweet comment, Coty! I’d love to hear how you modified this to make it gluten-free and dairy-free – it’s always helpful to hear that. 🙂