Brown Sugar Peach Layer Cake
Prep time: 60 min | Cook time: 50 min | Total time: 1 hr 50 min
Summer desserts don’t get much better than this Peach Layer Cake! It starts with soft and fluffy peach cake layers, made with fresh puréed peaches, then filled with homemade peach jam and finished with a silky brown sugar cream cheese frosting. Every bite is light, sweet, and full of real peach flavor!
Whether you’re baking for a summer get-together or just want something seasonal and special, this cake is a beautiful way to highlight fresh peaches while they’re in season.
Brown Sugar Peach Layer Cake
Prep time:
60 min
Cook time:
50 min
Total time:
1 hr 50 min
Summer desserts don’t get much better than this Peach Layer Cake! It starts with soft and fluffy peach cake layers, made with fresh puréed peaches, then filled with homemade peach jam and finished with a silky brown sugar cream cheese frosting. Every bite is light, sweet, and full of real peach flavor!
Whether you’re baking for a summer get-together or just want something seasonal and special, this cake is a beautiful way to highlight fresh peaches while they’re in season.
– know before you bake –
Traci & Caylie’s
Recipe Highlights
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If you’re anything like us, summer baking always starts with fresh peaches — and after testing more peach cakes than we can count, this one quickly became a favorite. It’s soft, moist, and packed with real peach flavor in every bite. No artificial shortcuts, no weird textures — just the kind of cake you’ll want to make on repeat while peaches are in season.
We wanted something that felt homemade in the best way but still impressive enough to bring to a summer get-together. And this one checks every box. The cake layers are made with sautéed puréed peaches (trust us, it makes all the difference), filled with homemade peach jam, and finished with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting that’s whipped to silky perfection.
It’s sweet, a little rustic, and just the right amount of special — exactly what a summer cake should be.
Traci & Caylie Crossland
We’re the mother-daughter duo behind Bakers Table, sharing from-scratch recipes made with love, experience, and a serious passion for baking. Traci brings decades of baking expertise, while Caylie brings a fresh perspective and a love for all things creative. Together, we test every recipe to make sure it’s easy to follow and absolutely delicious. Read more about us and our blog →
“Our kitchen is where memories are made — and we’re so glad you’re here baking with us.”
There Are 3 Elements to This Cake
What makes this peach cake so special? It’s all about the layers — and each one plays a role in creating the ultimate summer dessert.
- The Cake – We knew the cake itself had to taste like fresh peaches. To keep the texture light and smooth, we sautéed and puréed the peaches before folding them into the batter. It’s the best way to get peach flavor in every single bite.
- The Filling – To take it up a notch, we added a layer of homemade peach jam between each cake layer. It adds a little texture, even more peach flavor, and helps keep everything perfectly moist.
- The Frosting – Cream cheese frosting and peaches are a classic combo. For this cake, we used our no-fail cream cheese frosting recipe but swapped the powdered sugar for brown sugar. The result is a subtle caramel note that complements the peaches beautifully.
Fresh Peaches Are Key
To get the best flavor, fresh in-season peaches are essential — they make all the difference, from the jam to the sautéed fruit folded into the cake.
The jam itself is simple: just peaches, sugar, and lemon juice cooked down until thick and glossy. The better your peaches, the better your jam will taste.
The sautéed peaches are tossed in a mixture of bourbon, brown sugar, and nutmeg. It might sound like those flavors would overpower the peaches, but it’s actually the opposite. The warmth from the bourbon and spices enhances the fruit, adding depth without masking the freshness.
A Very Simple Cake
We wanted this cake to be tender, moist, and simple in flavor so the peaches could shine. The base is made with pantry staples:
- All Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Whole Milk
- Large Eggs
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract
And the best part? You only need two bowls. Whisk the dry ingredients, whisk the wet ingredients, mix them together, and bake. It’s that easy!
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
We developed this cream cheese frosting specifically for this cake. Swapping powdered sugar for brown sugar changed the texture completely, so we whipped heavy cream before adding the cream cheese — it helps the frosting stay stable and silky enough to frost the whole cake.
How to Assemble and Decorate This Cake
You don’t need to be a professional cake decorator to make this look beautiful. We’ve broken it down step-by-step:
- Assembling the Layers: Place the first cooled cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Dollop some frosting in the center and spread an even layer to the edges. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge and fill the center with half of the jam. Add the next cake layer, pressing down gently. Repeat with the remaining filling and top with the final cake layer.
- Frosting the Cake: For a clean finish, do a crumb coat first (a thin layer of frosting that locks in crumbs). Chill the cake for 15-20 minutes, then frost the outside with the remaining frosting.
- Decorating: We kept it simple with fresh peach slices, a few raspberries for color, and edible flowers for a soft summer finish.
Need a little more guidance? Check out our How to Frost a Cake tutorial for step-by-step tips on getting smooth, bakery-style results at home.
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When you make this Brown Sugar Peach Layer Cake, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Happy baking!
x, Caylie
Fresh Peach Layer Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Peach Jam
- 3 cups chopped peaches
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2½ Tablespoons lemon juice
Cake
- 1½ Tablespoons salted butter
- 3 medium ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 3 Tablespoons bourbon
- 1½ Tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 4½ cups all purpose flour
- 1⅞ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ Tablespoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1⅛ cups vegetable oil
- 2¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 2 cups cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine peaches, sugar, and lemon juice.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Set aside.
Cake
- Melt butter in a large skillet.
- Add peaches, bourbon, brown sugar, and nutmeg.
- Sauté over medium low heat until peaches are soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Let cool.
- Transfer into blender and purée until completely smooth and no chunks of peaches remain. Set aside.
- Heat oven to 350℉/177℃.
- Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, oil, vanilla, and peach purée.
- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients.
- Whisk until well mixed.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake tests done.
- Allow to cool in pans before turning out.
Frosting
- With an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream to medium stiff peaks.
- Add cream cheese, one cube at a time.
- Beat until smooth.
- Mix in sugar and salt.
- Add vanilla.
- Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Assembly
- Level cake layers, if necessary.
- Spoon frosting into piping bag, or large zip-top bag.
- Snip off end.
- Place 1 cake layer on serving plate.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting over top of cake.
- Pipe a border of frosting around the edges of the cake, leaving a ⅛ inch rim.
- Fill center of cake layer with ½ the jam.
- Place next layer of top, pressing down slightly.
- Repeat filling.
- Top with final layer.
- Frost top and sides of cake.
Notes + Tips!
- Refrigerator: Once your cake is frosted and decorated, store it in covered cake plate in the fridge. This will keep your cake moist for up to 3 days!
- Freeze: For longer storage, the unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe container or bag. When you’re ready to enjoy your cake again, simply thaw the layers overnight in the refrigerator before frosting and assembling.
- You can use store-bought jam to fill the cake!
- Don’t have fresh peaches? You can use frozen or canned. Just be sure to use plain peaches. No peach filling or sweetened peaches! It also may not have as much flavor as fresh in-season peachs.
- If desired, the bourbon can be omitted from the sautéed peaches. Instead, you can add about 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Depending on how your jam cooks down, you may have a little extra jam. You will need about 1 cup of jam divided in half between each layer.
- Be careful to not over-mix the cake batter.
- When dividing the cake batter, it’s best to use a ladle and a scale to help ensure each cake layer is even!
- If you’re unsure if the cake is baked, you can use a cake tester or a toothpick to test the cakes. If it comes out clean, the cake is fully baked!
- Let the cake layers cool COMPLETELY before assembling the cake.
- Depending on how the cakes bake, you may or may not need to level the cake layers.
- If you’d like, when frosting this cake, you can do a crumb coat to help ensure a clean and crumb-free frosting.
- To get clean slices, wipe your knife after each cut!
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Let Me Introduce You!
Hi and welcome! We’re Traci and Caylie, a mother-daughter duo with 30+ years of combined experience in baking, recipe development, and food photography. Our expertly developed and delicious recipes have led us to be featured in publications such-as: Costco, Crate & Barrel, & more!
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Disclaimer
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We use Baby’s Breath for photographic purposes only. Do not consume any parts of the plant.
I made this for my mother’s birthday. I chose a buttercream frosting to frost with and seasoned it lightly with a little peach extract. I did not use bourbon and instead substituted with vanilla. The crumb was good, but i felt that the cake itself is slightly dense. I also added a little black pepper to the peach jam to bring out the flavour of the peaches more. Everyone loved the cake, once assembled though.
Hi Juju! I’m glad to hear everyone enjoyed the cake. I’m sorry it seemed a little dense for you. That could be due to many factors. If you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know! x, Caylie
How many cupcakes would this make?
Hi Kristina! Since we didn’t make this as cupcakes, all I can do is give you a guess. I would say about 3 dozen. Let me know if you have any other questions.
How many cups should the pur’ee be? I had large peaches.
Hi Theresa! You will need about 1 1/2 cups sliced peaches. That should cook down to about 1 cup of puréed peaches. Let me know if you have any more questions.