I’m excited to share this peach breakfast cake recipe with you guys. The perfect use for ripe summer peaches, or use frozen and make it any time of year.
This easy peach coffee cake comes together quickly using The Muffin Method, and it bakes up nice and tender, scented with vanilla, almond, and lemon.
Bake it as-is, or gild the lily with some streusel topping and/or a lemon glaze. You can even go wild and serve breakfast cake for dessert, too.
You may also enjoy my brown butter blueberry buckle, which is a similar cake and the springboard for this one. For ease of browsing, you can find all my muffins and quick breads in one place. Let’s get started!
You’ll Like This Cake If…
Not all recipes are for all people, so take a quick look to learn about this breakfast cake so you can decide if you want to make it.
You’ll like it if you enjoy:
- sweet cornbread: this cake is made with some cornmeal in it, so it’s a bit similar to a sweet cornbread
- moist cake: Lots of yogurt plus melted butter make for a moist cake
- a dense, almost custardy, texture: the cake does have some crumb, but especially around the pieces of juicy peach, the batter is almost custardy. It’s especially dreamy when warm
- lots of peaches: I couldn’t call it a peach breakfast cake if it didn’t have a very ton of peaches in it. Three large peaches diced and folded into the batter plus another large peach thinly sliced to cover the top of the cake equals All The Peach Flavor
- warm cake: Some cakes can taste too eggy when served warm. This guy only has 1 egg, so that’s not an issue at all. In fact, I much prefer the texture of this cake when slightly warm, either straight after baking or warmed up over the next few days.
- cake for breakfast: whether you call this a peach coffee cake or a breakfast cake, you have to be a fan of the borderline-subversive desire for cake for breakfast. Making this cake slightly less sweet than a dessert cake, and packing it with yogurt and peaches allow you to enjoy this guy for breakfast with a clear conscience!
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If you already know how to perform the muffin method, go ahead and skip straight to the recipe. If not, you can review it here.
If you need a refresher and some helpful pointers, continue reading, and the recipe will be at the end of the post.
How to Make
First up, here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this cake. I’ll provide substitutions where applicable.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- melted butter: Melted butter does double duty here both as the shortening in the batter and the cooking medium. Melted butter lends a lot of flavor and moisture and carries all the flavorings while butter melted in your cast iron skillet ensures the cake bakes up with a deep golden, crunchy crust, not unlike cornbread
- plain Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt, when mixed with water, approximates the tang and body of buttermilk. If you have plain “regular” yogurt, you can use that in the same amount as Greek yogurt. If you do happen to have buttermilk on hand, use a full 9 oz and omit the water.
- water: For mixing with yogurt
- egg: Lends structure, moisture, tenderness, and assists in browning
- vanilla extract: I use a mixture of both vanilla and almond extract. Feel free to alter the amounts of either for a total of 1 1/2 teaspoons of extract. Keep in mind that almond extract is much more potent than vanilla, so I personally wouldn’t use more than 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- almond extract: Almond is a great flavor pairing with peaches, but it can be overpowering. You don’t need much to bring the warm sweetness of almonds to this recipe
- salt: Brings all the flavors into focus. Please don’t leave it out unless you have a medical need to do so
- lemon zest: Brings bright, floral notes to the batter. It’s not strictly necessary, but it really is a lovely addition
- sugar: Lends sweetness, tenderness, and assists in browning. To bring this squarely into dessert territory, increase the sugar called for by 2 oz.
- all-purpose flour: Provides structure and bulk for the recipe
- fine cornmeal: I relied on a lot of natural pairings for this recipe. Peaches and corn/cornmeal is another excellent flavor combination. If you don’t like the flavor and/or texture of cornmeal, substitute the 3 oz of cornmeal for 2.5 oz additional all-purpose flour
- baking powder: provides bubbles for leavening
- baking soda: Acts as a leavener and also works to counteract a little (not all) of the tang of the yogurt
- peaches: Ripe, juicy peaches work best here, either fresh or frozen. You’ll need 4. 3 peeled and diced for the batter and an additional peach, peeled and sliced thinly, for topping the cake.
Procedure
This is a very easy cake to put together.
In short:
- Whisk dry ingredients together
- Whisk wet ingredients together
- Add diced peaches to dry
- Pour wet over dry
- Fold batter together
- Top with more peaches
- Bake
Here are a few how-to photos and explanations for those of you who appreciate visual information.
Place all your dry ingredients in a large bowl: sugar, flour, fine cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda.
Whisk together melted butter, room temperature egg, room temperature yogurt, room temperature water, vanilla, almond extract, salt, and lemon zest.
Peel and dice 3 medium-to-large peaches and dump them in on top of the dry ingredients.
Peel and thinly slice another peach for decorating the top of the cake.
Once you have everything ready, it’s time to mix the batter together and get your cake in the oven.
Fold the diced peaches evenly into the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients.
Fold the ingredients together with a silicone spatula.
Jenni Says: When baking in a cast iron pan, set the pan on a baking sheet and preheat the pan. Right before baking, add a 1/2 stick of butter and let it melt before adding the batter. This will give you a nice, crisp and buttery crust.
Melt butter in a preheated cast iron skillet set on a baking sheet to catch any spills, then scrape the batter evenly into the pan.
Now all that’s left to do is smooth the top of the batter and decorated it with the sliced peaches before baking.
Baking in Cast Iron vs a Cake Pan
While I love the rustic look and flavor of a crisp-edged cake, not everyone likes that. Or maybe you don’t have a cast iron pan. Either way, you can certainly bake this cake in a regular cake pan.
I recommend either a 9″ x 2″ straight-sided cake pan or a 9″ springform pan.
Line the pan with a parchment circle then spray the sides of the pan.
You can skip the step of melting butter in the pan.
Also, bake at a lower temperature. The recipe calls for baking in cast iron at 375F, but with a thinner pan, you’ll want a lower temperature. Bake at 325F-350F instead. See Recipe Notes for specifics.
Variations
This cake lends itself to all sorts of fruity possibilities. Use fresh berries or a mixture of fresh berries and sliced plums and/or peaches. No other changes need to be made.
Make this a peach crumb cake by adding a layer of streusel on top of the peaches before baking.
Make it sweeter by either adding an extra 2 ounces of sugar or by using vanilla Greek yogurt rather than plain.
Add a lemon glaze by thinning out powdered sugar with freshly squeezed lemon juice until you get a nice texture for drizzling.
You could also lean into the almond by making a glaze with powdered sugar, a splash or two of milk, and a little almond extract.
Gild the lily by sprinkling lightly-toasted sliced almonds on as well.
Turn the batter into peach muffins by leaving off the sliced peaches and filling paper-lined muffin cups to the top. Bake at 425F so they rise up into lovely, muffin-y peaks. Keep an eye on them. Baking time should be around 15-20 minutes.
You can also take a look at my jumbo blackberry muffins recipe and substitute peaches for the blackberries.
Equipment You May Need
If you like the look of my cast iron skillet (it’s one of my favorite pans, both for the size and the sloped sides), this is the exact one I use:
The sloped sides of this skillet make it really easy to serve from. I use mine not only for shepherd's pie but also for frittatas for two. Take care of it well and the non-stick properties get better and better, too.
You’ll need a large bowl to mix the batter, a large liquid measure (or a medium-sized bowl) to whisk up the wet ingredients, and a silicone spatula to spread the batter.
And if you don’t have a sturdy balloon whisk, please get one. You’ll use it all the time.
With a rounded shape and a lot of tines (wires), this balloon whisk makes short work of whipping cream or combining ingredients in a bowl. I use OXO products and trust the name. This is a great buy--you will find yourself reaching for this whisk again and again.
Jenni Says: My rolling schedule is make the dough, chill it for an hour, Make the butter packet and enclose it in the dough, do 2 turns. Chill one hour, do two more turns. Chill two hours. Do the last two turns and then roll out to 1/4″. Done!
Tips and Tricks for Success
To keep the butter from hardening up when added to the other liquid, make sure the yogurt, water, and egg are all at room temperature before whisking the melted and cooled-to-warm butter in.
Since the cake bakes at a relatively high temperature for about an hour, too prevent over-browning, loosely tent it with foil after the first 35-40 minutes of baking.
Breakfast Cake Q & A
Store it, covered, at room temperature for a day. After that, refrigerate it for up to 4 additional days. Warm slices in the microwave or bring them to room temperature before heating them in a 350F oven until heated through.
Yes. After the cake has cooled completely, slice it and wrap the slices in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag for up to two months. Thaw in the fridge then follow the reheating instructions above.
Yes. You can also increase the sugar by 2 ounces for a total of 7 oz sugar/1 cup. That will yield a much sweeter cake that feels much more like a dessert than a breakfast.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this cake as-is, but a huge dollop of extra creamy vanilla Greek yogurt is a spectacular garnish.
You can also top it with whipped cream, lightly sweetened sour cream, peach jam, or vanilla (or peach) ice cream.
I am sure there are other ways to enhance peach cake, and I trust you’ll try them and let me know how it goes!
Other Tasty Peach Recipes
I love some peaches, y’all, so I’m happy to welcome peach breakfast cake into my peach offerings.
You may also really like my peaches and cream cobbler, which is what would happen if you were carrying peach cobbler and you ran into someone who was carrying a cheesecake. Tada!
There’s also a cobbler-like dessert that is native to North Carolina called a sonker. I have a great peach and strawberry sonker for you, too.
If you’re a little adventurous with your peaches, you may want to give my peach bacon jam or tomato peach jam a try. Both are great additions to a cheese plate or as part of a glaze for pork or chicken.
Too much? Try something a bit more traditional with this fantastic peaches and cream pound cake from Pook’s Pantry.
Questions?
A Note About Measurements
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
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Peach Breakfast Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 5 oz granulated sugar 142 grams or about 2/3 cup
- 6 oz all-purpose flour 170 grams or about 1 1/2 cups
- 3 oz fine cornmeal 85 grams or a scant 1/2 cup
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 1 stick 113 grams or 4 oz unsalted butter, melted
- 6 oz plain Greek yogurt, room temperature 170 grams or about 3/4 cup
- 3 oz room temperature water 85 grams or 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoons salt to taste
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon almond extract start with the smaller amount
Peaches!
- 4 medium-large ripe peaches or frozen peaches
For Baking in Cast Iron
- ½ stick unsalted butter 57 grams or 2 oz
Instructions
Getting Ready
- 45 minutes or so before baking, measure out yogurt and water and get out the egg so everything can come to room temperature.
- Melt the stick of butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Let cool down to warm.
- Set oven to 375F and set a rack and half sheet pan in the center of the oven.
- Right before you start getting the batter together, place a 10" cast iron skillet on the sheet pan in the oven so it will be nice and hot.
Making the Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
- In a 1 quart pitcher (or similar), whisk together all the wet ingredients. (I like to add the salt to the ingredients with fat in them since fat carries flavor.)
- Peel and dice 3 peaches and dump them on top of the dry ingredients.
- Peel and thinly slice the last peach and set aside.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the peaches and, using a large silicone spatula, gently but thoroughly fold the batter together until you no longer see any pockets of dry ingredients. The batter will be thick.
Baking
- Drop the second amount of butter into the cast iron skillet and let it melt (about 3 minutes). Using an oven mitt, pull out the rack, and tilt the pan so the butter spreads evenly. (See NOTES for instructions for baking in a cake pan)
- Scrape the batter into the pan right on top of the melted butter, and use a spatula to spread it out smoothly.
- Arrange the thinly-sliced peach on top of the batter, push the rack back in, and close the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan (rotate the whole tray, if that's easier).
- Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes. Time will vary based on how juicy your peaches are. When the edges are as brown as you'd like, loosely tent foil over the cake to prevent over-browning.
- Bake until the center of the cake is firm, the edges are nicely deep-golden brown, and the internal temperature of the cake is 195F-200F.
- Remove the cake to a rack to cool until warm. Slice and serve from the pan. To make it Extra Breakfasty, serve with a big old dollop of rich vanilla Greek yogurt.
- Once completely cool, slide the cake out onto a rack to prevent your cast iron from rusting.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Make It a Crumb Cake
Add a basic streusel to the top of the cake before baking. To add more texture, add chopped nuts to enhance your chosen fruit (pecans or almonds are both solid choices for most fruits)To Substitute for the Cornmeal
Omit the 3 oz cornmeal and add an additional 2.5 oz (71 grams) all-purpose flour for a total of 8.5 oz (241 grams). No other changes are needed.To Bake in a Cake Pan
Omit the butter for the pan and line a 9" x 2" cake pan or springform pan with a round of parchment. Spray the sides of the pan, and bake at 325F-350F for about an hour, or until the center reads 195-200F on an instant-read thermometer. Tent loosely with foil to keep the cake from over-browning.To Store
Store at room temperature, covered, for a day. Refrigerate for an additional 4 days. For longer storage, freeze individual slices. Thaw in the fridge before bringing to room temperature and reheating to serve.Variations
Use any stone fruit or summer berries in place of the peaches. And feel free to combine different fruits to equal about 2 cups for the batter and an additional cup for placing on top of the cake.
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Very coincidental that this showed up in the mailbox today. The cornmeal addition is brilliant, and I’ll def be trying it.
I was thinking about dump cakes recently. Those awful ones that I’m sure you’ve seen at many potlucks? Canned pie filling topped with cake mix powder and sliced butter? Way, way oversweet.
I thought I might try fresh peaches sliced with just a TB of sugar and pinch of cinnamon, topped with a box of raw Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix and grated butter. Just to see what happens. And while I’ve got the peaches I’ll make your cake too.
Maggie, hi!! I have a reimagined dump cake on the site, but the recipe needs revisiting as well as the procedure. I dig your idea of using Jiffy Mix, because corn and peach is such a lovely combo. Please report back, and I hope you like the breakfast cake as well. 🙂