If you’ve had access to fresh, local peaches in the heat of the warm growing season, you know there are few things that compete with their utter juiciness and pure peachy flavor. I absolutely adore biting into a too-juicy peach and needing a bib (or a bowl!) to catch the sweet drippings. The next best thing is finding peach dessert recipes like this peach pound cake that complement and showcase those ultra-juicy, sunshine-y flavors.
Peach pound cake is a tender, moist, not-too-dense cake with little bites of fresh peaches speckled throughout. It tastes best when made with fresh peaches, but you can enjoy this delicious pound cake year-round using frozen peaches, too. Frozen fruit retains the flavors, colors and nutrition of its super-fresh counterparts because it’s frozen shortly after leaving the farm.
Whether you prefer fresh or frozen peaches in your peach pound cake, each forkful offers a hats-off homage to summer.
Ingredients for Peach Pound Cake
- Butter: Start with softened butter that’s not too warm. If you forgot to plan ahead and you need it ready now-ish, you can always soften butter quickly using a box grater.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar (aka white sugar) is the classic baking sugar. You can swap in cane sugar at a 1-1 ratio. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, use light or dark brown sugar for a golden pound cake with a richer flavor.
- Eggs: Room-temperature eggs are the best choice for baked goods like peach pound cake recipes. The eggs will cream with sugar more easily to make an aerated, light batter.
- Extracts: This peach pound cake recipe uses almond and vanilla extracts to create a complex flavor profile. Almond and peach is a classic combination, and with good reason: They’re both classified as stone fruits. Pretty cool! If you’re almond-averse, you can use all vanilla extract.
- All-purpose flour: As one of the most popular types of flour, all-purpose flour provides just enough structure while keeping the cake tender.
- Baking soda: Leavening agents like baking soda give baked goods their rise. Make sure to check the expiration date before mixing the batter to ensure yours isn’t expired.
- Salt: A pinch of salt brings out all the other flavors in the cake. Use a bit more if you want a little more oomph.
- Sour cream: Sour cream adds moisture and richness to sweet and savory recipes. Go for the full-fat version to add the most creaminess to your batter.
- Fresh or frozen peaches: When it comes to fresh vs. frozen peaches, fresh is the way to go if they’re in season and you can find them. Otherwise, go ahead and use frozen peaches. You won’t need to thaw them before adding them to the batter.
- Whipped cream: You don’t have to top your pound cake with whipped cream, but why wouldn’t you? It’s like eating a sweet, fluffy cloud atop another sweet, fluffy cloud. We can’t pass that up.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the butter mixture
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan, and set it aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the almond and vanilla extracts.
Editor’s Tip: You should wait until your oven has fully preheated before you start on the batter. That way, the oven will be hot and ready as soon as you finish it.
Step 2: Prepare the flour mixture
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Editor’s Tip: You don’t need to use a whisk to stir the flour mixture, but doing so will ensure you’ve eliminated any lumps in the dry ingredients. A random lump of baking soda in a slice of cake can ruin dessert.
Step 3: Complete the cake batter
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, beating well after each addition. Fold in the peaches.
Editor’s Tip: You want to beat the batter only until everything is combined, and no more. Overbeating the batter can lead to an overly dense cake with too much chew. And fold ingredients with a careful, gentle hand—especially when it comes to the peaches.
Step 4: Bake the pound cake
Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, carefully remove the cake, transfer it to a wire rack, and let it cool completely. If desired, serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and additional peaches.
Editor’s Tip: It can be tricky to figure out how to get a cake out of a Bundt pan. It should come out easily if you greased the pan properly, but it may need a little assistance. Try gently banging on the pan’s edges to loosen the cake.
Peach Pound Cake Variations
- Add berries: Blueberries, raspberries or blackberries would be excellent complements or replacements for the peaches. You can use any ratio of peaches to berries you like or simply try the cake with only berries.
- Switch up the extracts: Replace the almond or vanilla extracts with different flavors. Lemon or coconut extract are fun to experiment with, especially in the summertime.
- Add citrus zest: Zest will add flecks of vibrant color and a bright, citrusy flavor that can really bring out the peach’s juicy fruitiness. Try lemon zest, orange zest or lime zest.
How to Store Peach Pound Cake
To store peach pound cake, first let it cool completely. Wrap it whole (or in slices) in storage wrap, and place it in an airtight container. As with other cakes and baked treats, it’s best to store pound cake at room temperature or in the freezer. Refrigerating pound cake is doable, but it will dry out in the fridge, so we don’t advise it.
How long does peach pound cake last?
Peach pound cake will last for up to four days at room temperature. Storing it in the refrigerator will extend its life to up to one week but at the risk of the cake losing its tender moistness. Bakers beware.
Can you freeze peach pound cake?
You can freeze peach pound cake, either whole or as slices. Let it cool completely, then wrap it and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. It should keep in the freezer for up to six months. When you’re ready to enjoy the frozen cake, let it thaw at room temperature.
Peach Pound Cake Tips
How do you make a glaze for peach pound cake?
You can make a quick vanilla glaze in just five minutes by whisking together confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla extract. To make it more interesting, add drops of food coloring to create a glaze with pastel hues. Or use a different extract, such as lemon extract, for a different profile.
For a totally different type of glaze, try a jam glaze. Heat 1/2 cup peach or apricot preserves with 1 tablespoon water or flavored liqueur. Add additional liquid as needed to reach the desired consistency. Then, pour the glaze over the cake.
Do you need to peel the frozen or fresh peaches?
When a recipe doesn’t specify whether to peel the peaches, that means it’s up to you. Peeled peaches will yield softer, juicier bits of fruit, while unpeeled peaches will give slightly more contrast of color and texture in each bite. Go with whichever of those sounds better.
