This peaches and cream cake combines 2 layers of soft & fluffy vanilla sponge with fresh cream, peach jam and plenty of juicy fresh peaches. Light, fruity and perfect for summer this peach cream cake is a beautiful cake for celebrations or a summery tea time treat.
This fresh peach cake would be lovely as part of a summer-themed afternoon tea at home.
🔍 Recipe Snapshot: Peaches and Cream Cake
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 28 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 58 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 12
- 📊 Calories: 456 kcal per serving
- 🔥 Cook Method: Bake in the oven.
- ❄️ Frozen Option: ✅ Cake can be frozen prior to filling with cream and fresh peaches.
- 👩🍳 Flavour Profile: Vibrant peach, soft vanilla & rich cream.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
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Why I Love This Peach Cream Cake
- Classic summer flavour: Peaches and cream screams of summer.
- Quick & Easy: Hands on time is around 30 minutes only and there's no fancy decorating skills required.
- Feeds a crowd: Expect around 12 generous servings from this cake.
Don't miss my chocolate cream cake or my classic vanilla sponge cake. Both are also lovely when filled with fresh cream and jam of your choice (perhaps some Amaretto cherry jam).
Ingredients Notes
Butter/ Baking margarine: Use butter for a richer flavoured cake, but to maximise the light fluffy texture, go with baking margarine.
Flour: I used plain flour plus baking powder. You can use self-raising if that is what you have, just remember not to include the baking powder if you do so.
Vanilla extract: Use real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste in the cake batter. Do not use vanilla flavouring as it is usually a significantly inferior product.
Peaches: Use peaches that are nicely ripe with a bit of 'give' when lightly squeezed in your hand.
Jam: I used my homemade spiced peach jam but you can omit the spices when making it if preferred or use a store-bought version.
Cream: Use double cream (or an equivalent with fat content of around 48%).
Insider Knowledge: The Seperated Egg Method
When I was tiny my mum taught me how to make sponge cakes using the separated egg technique. It's a 2 step procedure:
- The egg yolks are beaten into the cake batter before the flour is added.
- When the flour has been incorporated the egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks and then folded into the cake batter.
The result is a soft, fluffy, bouncy sponge cake. This method remains my preferred technique when baking cakes so I advocate it whenever I can. If it's new to you, give it a go when making this peach cream cake.
How To Make Peaches and Cream Cake (Step-By-Step Instructions)
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Use electric beaters to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then beat in the vanilla extract and the egg yolks.
Step 2. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl, sieve half into the batter and fold it in.
Now stir in the milk and then sieve the remaining flour into the bowl and fold in.
Step 3. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks (using clean beaters). Stir a large spoonful into the cake batter and then fold the remaining egg white in.
Step 4. Divide the cake batter between 2 prepared baking tins and cook for approximately 27-30 minutes until a cocktail stick poked into the centre comes out clean.
Step 5. Spread the jam over 1 layer of sponge cake. Whip the cream to soft peaks and spread half of it over the jam.
Step 6. Top with the remaining layer of sponge cake. Pile the rest of the cream onto the top and spread it out. Cut the peach into 16 wedges and arrange around the cake evenly.
Storage Instructions
As this cake contains fresh cream it must be stored in the fridge if it is not going to be eaten within a couple of hours. Bring it out 1 hour before serving to allow the chill to come off the sponge cake.
I do not recommend freezing the fully assembled cake as the texture of the cream will be adversely affected. You can, however, make the sponge cake layers ahead of time and freeze them until required. Simply defrost them for a few hours (at room temperature) and proceed to fill & top the cake with the jam, cream and fruit.
Expert Tips
- Use ripe peaches: Ensure your peaches are sufficiently ripe. If they are hard they will not be so pleasant to eat. Ideally use peaches with a little 'give' when squeezed very gently. They will be juicy and soft throughout.
- Preheat the oven and prepare the baking tins before baking commences: The sooner cake batter gets into the oven once it is mixed the better the rise of the cake will be.
- Always grease and line your baking tins: Even if tins are non-stick, this is the best way to ensure your cakes never get stuck in the pans.
- Measure your ingredients accurately. Using grams (along with a set of digital scales) is a much more accurate measuring system than cups. For this reason, I never list cup measurements.
- Use the correct tin size: For this recipe you will need two 8-inch round tins. Don't use tins that are too small or large as bake times will vary, the batter may overflow as it cooks and the thickness of the finished cakes may disappoint.
- Use baking bands for an even rise: You can make your own baking bands or purchase a set of baking bands online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can. I recommend choosing peaches tinned in juice rather than syrup to retain that fresh taste to your cake. Drain them well before using on your cake. Tinned peaches are ideal to use in this peach sponge cake recipe when fresh peaches are out of season.
Yes, you can. Chop the peach onto small pieces so that it is easy to cut the cake into slices. If you include large segments in the middle of the cake they will be more likely to fall out as slices are taken.
Yes, you can. You'll end up with a nectarine and cream cake instead, but it will be equally delicious.
Variations
- Peach and lavender cake: Add 1 tablespoon of homemade lavender syrup into the cream before whipping it and garnish with a couple of stems of fresh or dried lavender.
- Peach melba cake: The classic combination of peaches and raspberries works well in this cake. Decide between peach or raspberry jam and then include a mix of both fruits on the top (and in the middle).
- Strawberry & peach cake: Use a combination of fresh strawberries and peaches and pick between filling your cake with strawberry jam or peach jam.
- Peach & Mango Cake: Use equal quantities of fresh peach and fresh mango to top (and fill) your cream cake. Mango jam is hard to find, so go with the peach jam.
- Blueberry peach cake: Use St Dalfour blueberry fruit spread in place of the peach jam and include a few fresh blueberries on top of the cake along with the fresh peaches.
- Peach & blackberry cake: Try blackberry jam along with the peaches - it's a great way to add a little berry tartness to your fresh peach cake.
Have you made this peaches and cream cake recipe? Please rate the recipe or leave a comment - I love hearing how you get along with my creations.
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📖 Recipe
Peaches And Cream Cake
Equipment
- 2 x 8-inch (20cm) sandwich cake tins
Ingredients
- 240 g Butter or baking margarine room temperature
- 240 g Caster sugar
- 4 Eggs large, free range
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Tablespoons Milk
- 240 g Plain Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 4 Tablespoons Peach Jam
- 400 ml Double Cream
- 1 Peach or 2 peaches if you would like to cover the top entirely
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170℃/ 340℉ and grease and line your baking tins (grease the sides and bases and line the bases with baking parchment).
- Use electric beaters to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy - approx 2-3 minutes.240 g Butter or baking margarine, 240 g Caster sugar
- Separate the egg whites and yolks. Reserve the whites for later. Beat the yolks into the creamed ingredients along with the vanilla extract.1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract, 4 Eggs
- Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl, sieve half into the batter and fold it in using a large metal spoon.240 g Plain Flour, 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- Now stir in the milk and then sieve the remaining flour into the bowl and fold in. It will be relatively thick compared to regular cake batter, but don't worry.3 Tablespoons Milk
- Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks (using clean beaters). Stir a large spoonful into the cake batter and then fold the remaining egg white in until no streaks remain.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between 2 prepared baking tins, spead it out and attach baking bands to your tins if desired (these give an even bake). Cook for approximately 27-30 minutes until a cocktail stick poked into the centre comes out clean.
- Let the cakes rest in the tins for 2 minutes then carefully turn them out and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
- When cold spread the jam over 1 layer of sponge cake.4 Tablespoons Peach Jam
- Whip the cream to soft peaks and spread half of it over the jam then top with the remaining layer of sponge cake.400 ml Double Cream
- Pile the rest of the cream onto the top and spread it out. Cut the peach into 16 wedges and arrange around the cake evenly.1 Peach
Notes
- Use ripe peaches: Ensure your peaches are sufficiently ripe. If they are hard they will not be so pleasant to eat. Ideally use peaches with a little give when squeezed very gently. They will be juicy and soft throughout.
- Preheat the oven and prepare the baking tins before baking commences: The sooner the cake batter gets into the oven once it is mixed the better the rise of the cakes will be.
- Always grease and line your baking tins: Even if tins are non-stick, this is the best way to ensure your cakes never get stuck in the pans.
- Measure your ingredients accurately. Using grams (along with a set of digital scales) is a much more accurate measuring system than cups. For this reason, I never list cup measurements.
- Use the correct tin size: For this recipe you will need two 8-inch round tins. Don't use tins that are too small or large as bake times will vary, the batter may overflow as it cooks and the thickness of the finished cakes may disappoint.
- Peaches not in season? Tinned peaches (in juice not syrup) are ideal to use in this peach sponge cake recipe when fresh peaches are out of season.
Variations
- Peach and lavender cake: Add 1 tablespoon of homemade lavender syrup into the cream before whipping it and garnish with a couple of stems of fresh or dried lavender.
- Peach melba cake: The classic combination of peaches and raspberries works well in this cake. Decide between peach or raspberry jam and then include a mix of both fruits on the top (and in the middle).
- Strawberry & peach cake: Use a combination of fresh strawberries and peaches and pick between filling your cake with strawberry jam or peach jam.
- Peach & Mango Cake: Use equal quantities of fresh peach and fresh mango to top (and fill) your cream cake. Mango jam is hard to find, so go with the peach jam.
- Blueberry peach cake: Use St Dalfour blueberry fruit spread in place of the peach jam and include a few fresh blueberries on top of the cake along with the fresh peaches.
- Peach & blackberry cake: Try blackberry jam along with the peaches - it's a great way to add a little berry tartness to your fresh peach cake.
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