Peach Coffee Cake
This peach coffee cake has a soft buttery crumb, juicy fresh peaches, and not one but two layers of cinnamon streusel. It’s perfect for summer brunch or dessert, served with a cup of coffee.
About this peach coffee cake
This peach coffee cake is one of those recipes I come back to every summer when peaches are at their best. The cake itself is buttery and tender, made with a combination of butter and a little oil to keep it moist for days. I add in Greek yogurt which creates this incredibly soft crumb.
There is a double layer of streusel in there to make it extra delicious. Instead of just piling it on top, half of the streusel goes between the two layers of cake batter and the rest goes on top. This gives you a ribbon of cinnamon crumb running through the middle of every slice.
I love this cake with fresh peaches, but you can also make it with canned or frozen peaches. If using canned, drain them well and pat dry to avoid excess moisture. For frozen peaches, thaw them completely and blot any liquid before folding them into the batter. Note that this coffee cake doesn’t actually contain any coffee. It gets its name from the fact that it’s delicious served with a cup of coffee! My rhubarb streusel cake is another classic coffee cake worth trying.
What you need
Here’s a bit of a run down of some of the key ingredients, but you can find the amounts for everything in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Method
- Combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Cream together butter, sugar, oil and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, followed by the yogurt.
- Mix in the dry ingredients along with milk, and the chopped peaches. It’s going to be a thick batter.
- Spread half the batter into a prepared pan.
- Sprinkle half the streusel evenly over the batter.
- Spread the remaining batter on top. Drop dollops of batter evenly over the surface and gently spread to cover.
- Then finish with the remaining streusel and bake.
- After baking, drizzle over with a simple vanilla glaze.
- Cut into squares.
Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the dry ingredients, fold gently until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and can make the cake dense and tough instead of tender.
- Keep the streusel cold. If the butter in the streusel is too soft, it will melt into the batter during baking instead of forming those crispy, crumbly pockets. Chill it in the fridge while you make the batter, and if your kitchen is warm, pop it in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Use parchment paper. Line the pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal of the cake once it’s baked. This is especially helpful with the double streusel layer, as it keeps the slices intact when lifting them out.
- Room temperature ingredients. The butter for the cake (not the streusel), eggs, yogurt, and milk should all be at room temperature. This helps them emulsify properly and creates a smoother, lighter batter.
- Fruit variations. Nectarines are an easy swap, and plums, sweet cherries, or mixed berries all work well too.
- Add nuts. Mix chopped pecans or walnuts in
Storage
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If it’s hot or humid, keep the cake in the fridge for up to 5 days and bring slices to room temperature before serving. The cake can also be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More peach and coffee cake recipes
If you love this peach coffee cake, try my rhubarb streusel cake or my pumpkin coffee cake muffins which have the same double crumb layer in muffin form. For more ways to use fresh peaches, check out this fresh peach pie, peach almond tart, peach cobbler with pie crust, or peach crisp with oatmeal. You can also use canned peaches to make this canned peach pie or peach cobbler with canned peaches when fresh peaches aren’t in season.
Peach Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel
- 130 g soft brown sugar
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 100 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
Cake
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 113 g unsalted butter softened
- 1 tbsp oil
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 120 g Greek yogurt or sour cream, room temperature
- 60 g milk room temperature
- 360 g diced peaches
Glaze
- 60 g powdered sugar
- 1/2-1 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
Streusel
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. 130 g soft brown sugar, 125 g all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, Pinch salt
- Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, in varying sizes. Refrigerate the streusel while you prepare the cake batter. 100 g unsalted butter
Cake batter
- Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 190 g all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, oil, and vanilla until light and fluffy, around 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 113 g unsalted butter, 1 tbsp oil, 150 g granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla paste
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the Greek yogurt until combined. 2 large eggs, 120 g Greek yogurt
- Add half the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula. Add the milk, fold to combine, then add the remaining dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the diced peaches. The batter will be thick. 60 g milk, 360 g diced peaches
Assemble and bake
- Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the chilled streusel evenly over the batter.
- Dollop the remaining batter on top in spoonfuls and gently spread to cover the streusel layer. It’s OK if it’s not perfectly even.
- Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth and pourable. Add the milk a little at a time to reach your desired consistency. 60 g powdered sugar, 1/2-1 Tbsp milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla paste
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
