This high altitude peaches and cream cake has three layers of moist and fluffy vanilla cake, filled with homemade peach compote, and frosted with stabilized whipped cream frosting. Make this peach layer cake with seasonal Palisade peaches for the most delicious summer dessert!
Looking for more peach recipes? You’ll love this fresh peach lattice pie, peach upside down cake, and brown butter peach crumb bars.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Versatile Recipe. Make this recipe as a standard layer cake, a smaller 6 inch cake, or as a sheet cake. You can also change up the filling to any type of fruit filling, and the cake will be fantastic.
Moist for Days. With the fluffy cake soaked in milk, the sweet peach filling and the whipped cream frosting, this peaches and cream cake gets even better as it sits in the fridge, soaking up all that moisture.
Not Too Sweet. Instead of a rich, heavy or sweet buttercream, the whipped cream is light and fluffy, and not at all too sweet, making this a wonderful summer dessert for a hot day.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Peach Filling
- Peaches. When in season (usually June through early August), choose ripe, juicy peaches with a sweet, peachy flavor.
- Lemon Juice. Adds a bit of tartness.
- Granulated Sugar. Sweetness.
- Ground Ginger. Complements the flavor of the peaches.
Vanilla Cake
- High Altitude Vanilla Cake. This is a wonderful base recipe for so many cakes, and it works perfectly for this peaches and cream cake. It’s soft, moist and fluffy, and easy to make without a mixer.
Whipped Cream Frosting
- Cream Cheese or Mascarpone Cheese. Stabilizes the whipped cream and adds a rich, sweet flavor and texture.
- Powdered Sugar. Adds sweetness and stability.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. You need the high fat content of heavy whipping cream, not table cream or half and half, to whip into a beautiful frosting.
- Vanilla Bean Paste. Flavor.
Instructions
Cook and Cool the Peach Filling
- In a saucepan, combine the peaches, lemon juice, sugar and ginger. Over medium heat, bring the peaches to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the fruit begins to break down, and the liquid is syrupy. It should be thick and spoonable like jam, and starting to stick to the pan when you scrape up the bottom. If it’s still thin and watery, continue to cook the compote until more liquid evaporates.
- Mash the fruit slightly for a chunky compote. Cool completely. You can make the compote up to 2 days in advance, keeping it refrigerated until needed.
Make the Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
- Prepare the vanilla cake batter as instructed, and divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake the cakes for about 21-25 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a wire rack, and cool for 30 minutes. Brush the cakes with the 6 tbsp milk or cream (2 tbsp per cake layer). The milk helps to keep the cake soft and extremely moist as it’s stored in the refrigerator, even several days after assembling.
- At this point, I like to remove the cakes from the pans and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Then I chill them in the fridge for one hour, to quickly cool them down so I can assemble the cake.
Make the Whipped Cream Frosting
- Only make the whipped cream when you’re ready to assemble your cake. With an electric mixer (stand or hand mixer), beat the cold cream cheese (or mascarpone cheese) and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Gradually stream in the cream, and the vanilla bean paste, and beat until soft, thick, fluffy peaks form that will hold their shape.
Assemble the Cake
- Place one of the cooled cakes on a cake board or cake pedestal.
- Spoon some of the whipped cream into a piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe a “dam” of cream around the edge of the cake.
- Set aside 2 tbsp of the peach compote. Spoon half of the remaining peach compote onto the cake, and spread it out to the edge to fill the space inside the dam of cream.
- Repeat the process with the second layer of cake, then finish with the last layer of cake on top.
- Frost the cake all over with the whipped cream. Add little dollops of the remaining 2 tbsp peach compote onto the whipped cream, and swirl it in.
- Store the cake in an airtight container or cake carrier in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days.
Recipe Variations
6 Inch Layer Cake
Today’s recipe serves about 12-16, so for a smaller cake, you can cut this recipe in half and bake the cake batter in three 6-inch cake pans.
Peaches and Cream Sheet Cake
A sheet cake is a great option for those who aren’t confident in your ability to stack and frost a layer cake, or if you’re planning on making the cake to transport in your car to a party or bbq. If the latter is the case, I strongly recommend making a sheet cake instead of a layer cake, since it will be much easier to move around in hot weather, without fear of the cake layers slipping and sliding.
For a sheet cake, simply bake the cake batter in a 9×13 inch baking pan for about 30-35 minutes. See my vanilla sheet cake post for other baking tips. Brush the cake with the milk, and let cool completely. Top with the peach compote, then slather with the whipped cream, reserving a little compote to swirl into the top of the whipped cream.
9×9 Inch Peach Sheet Cake
Cut the recipe in half, and bake the cake in a 9 inch square baking pan. Follow the above sheet cake instructions for assembly.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, due to the whipped cream frosting, you’ll need to keep your cake refrigerated until ready to serve, and up to 3 days for the leftover cake. The milk brushed over the cake helps to keep it very moist and soft, even when served cold.
Use a good-quality peach jam or preserves for the best flavor.
Sure, frozen peaches work just fine if fresh peaches aren’t in season.
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High Altitude Peaches and Cream Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 8 inch round cake pans (x3)
Ingredients
Peach Filling
- 1 ½ lbs ripe yellow peaches (about 4 large peaches), peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp ground ginger, optional
Vanilla Cake
- 1 recipe High Altitude Vanilla Cake
- 6 tbsp milk or cream, for brushing over the baked cake layers
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese or mascarpone cheese, cold
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
Peach Filling
- In a saucepan, combine the peaches, lemon juice, sugar and ginger. Over medium heat, bring the peaches to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the fruit begins to break down, and the liquid is syrupy. It should be thick and spoonable like jam, and starting to stick to the pan when you scrape up the bottom. If it's still thin and watery, continue to cook the compote until more liquid evaporates.
- Mash the fruit slightly for a chunky compote. Cool completely. You can make the compote up to 2 days in advance, keeping it refrigerated until needed.
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
- Prepare the vanilla cake batter as instructed, and divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake the cakes for about 21-25 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a wire rack, and cool for 30 minutes. Brush the cakes with the 6 tbsp milk or cream (2 tbsp per cake layer). The milk helps to keep the cake soft and extremely moist as it's stored in the refrigerator, even several days after assembling.
- At this point, I like to remove the cakes from the pans and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Then I chill them in the fridge for one hour, to quickly cool them down so I can assemble the cake.
Whipped Cream Frosting
- Only make the whipped cream when you're ready to assemble your cake. With an electric mixer (stand or hand mixer), beat the cold cream cheese (or mascarpone cheese) and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Gradually stream in the cream, and the vanilla bean paste, and beat until soft, thick, fluffy peaks form that will hold their shape.
Assembly
- Place one of the cooled cakes on a cake board or cake pedestal.
- Spoon some of the whipped cream into a piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe a “dam” of cream around the edge of the cake.
- Set aside 2 tbsp of the peach compote. Spoon half of the remaining peach compote onto the cake, and spread it out to the edge to fill the space inside the dam of cream.
- Repeat the process with the second layer of cake, then finish with the last layer of cake on top.
- Frost the cake all over with the whipped cream. Add little dollops of the remaining 2 tbsp peach compote onto the whipped cream, and swirl it in.
- Store the cake in an airtight container or cake carrier in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days.
Catherine
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful recipe! I made it for my third daughter’s first birthday yesterday (requested specifically by her oldest sister after seeing your photos!) at 8000 ft. and was so grateful for the headstart on altitude adjustments, it was beautiful and my cake didn’t fall and it was loved by all.
Heather
Catherine, thank you so much for sharing that! I’m so happy your family loved it. 🙂
Angie
I want to make this as a naked cake, so if I want to place the mascarpone frosting on top of the peach filling between layers, it is possible that the peach mix will run off and ruin the cream? or is it firm enough?
Heather
I can’t say for sure. You could certainly thicken the peach filling a little more with 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch, which would probably help with a naked cake. But with both the mascarpone cream and the peach filling spread between the cakes, it might get a little messy.
Anne
I just made this cake using 4 : 6″ pans and put the extra batter into cupcake tins. I also used frozen Palisades Peaches and added some cornstarch to help thicken the filling. This will be for dessert tonight for my mother in-laws 82 Birthday 🎂