High Altitude Peaches and Cream Cake
This 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.
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.
Notes
As an alternative to a vanilla cake, I have also made this cake with my White Velvet Cake recipe, which people love.
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