This Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting is delicious year-round using fresh, frozen, or canned peaches. It’s quick to prepare with a boxed cake mix, a packet of peach gelatin, and sliced peaches. The rich brown sugar frosting tastes like whipped caramel and makes each bite indulgent.
Peach Cake Recipe
This is an easy dessert that starts with a boxed yellow cake mix and a packet of peach gelatin powder. Using a few smart shortcuts makes this cake fast to mix, giving you time to focus on the luscious brown sugar frosting. The frosting is rich and caramel-like, whipped until lighter in texture with a pleasant crust when it sets.
Brown Sugar Peach Cake
Because peaches can be lightly sweet, the brown sugar frosting adds a satisfying sweetness and depth that complements the fruit. For a lighter frosting texture, this version uses heavy cream and is beaten with a hand mixer until slightly airy. The finished topping still forms a thin crust as it cools, which adds a nice contrast in texture.
Ingredients for the Cake
To make the cake you will need:
- Yellow cake mix (a white mix will also work)
- Peach gelatin powder (Jello) – dry powder
- All-purpose flour
- Oil – canola, vegetable, or a light-tasting olive oil
- Water – or peach nectar for more peach flavor
- Large eggs
- Peaches – fresh, frozen, or canned (see notes below)
How to Make Peach Cake with a Cake Mix
- Whisk together the yellow cake mix, peach gelatin powder, and all-purpose flour in a large bowl.
- Mix in the oil, water (or peach nectar), and eggs one at a time until smooth.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Scatter bite-sized peach pieces evenly over the batter.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The top should be golden brown. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Ingredients for the Brown Sugar Frosting
For the brown sugar frosting you will need:
- Salted butter (stick)
- Light brown sugar – packed
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
How to Make the Frosting
- Melt the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream together in a 2–3 quart saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a full boil, then cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla; the mixture will be thin at this point.
- Chill the pan in a bowl of ice water and stir until the frosting cools to room temperature and thickens to a caramel-like texture.
- Beat the cooled mixture with a hand mixer for 5–6 minutes until thicker and lighter in color but still pourable.
Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
Pour the brown sugar frosting over the cooled cake and spread evenly with a spatula. You can serve immediately if you don’t mind a slightly drippy frosting, or let it cool completely to form a thin crust before slicing.
Storage: Cover the pan with foil and store at room temperature (68–72°F) for 2–3 days. Refrigerate to extend freshness up to 5 days.
How to Make It with Different Peaches
Use fresh, frozen, or canned peaches depending on availability:
- Fresh: Peel, pit, and slice, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Frozen: Use frozen peach pieces; baking time may increase by about 5–10 minutes.
- Canned: Drain well and pat dry before cutting into smaller pieces.
More Peach Desserts
If you have extra peaches, consider other peach desserts like peach pie, peach crisp, peach cobbler, or peach sorbet. Many classic fruit desserts pair beautifully with a touch of brown sugar or caramel flavors.
Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 15.25 oz (432 g) box yellow cake mix
- 3 oz (85 g) small box peach gelatin powder (Jello)
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (237 ml) oil (canola or vegetable)
- ½ cup (118 ml) water* (or peach nectar)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 lb (0.45 kg) peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped (about 3–4 peaches)
FROSTING:
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter (1 stick)
- 2 cups (400 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ⅔ cup (159 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.
- Whisk together the cake mix, peach gelatin, and flour in a large bowl.
- Mix in oil, water (or peach nectar), and eggs one at a time.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Arrange bite-sized peach pieces over the batter.
- Bake 35–40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack.
FOR THE FROSTING:
- Melt butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream together in a 2–3 quart saucepan.
- Bring to a full boil, then cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla; mixture will be thin.
- Place the pan in a bowl of ice water and stir until the frosting cools to room temperature and thickens like caramel.
- Beat the cooled mixture with a hand mixer 5–6 minutes until thicker and lighter in color but still pourable.
- Pour the frosting over the cooled cake and spread evenly. Let set for a crust if desired before slicing.
Notes
- Fresh peaches: Peel, pit, and slice, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Frozen peaches: Use frozen; baking time may increase 5–10 minutes.
- Canned peaches: Drain and pat dry before cutting smaller.
- Water: Substitute peach nectar for a stronger peach flavor.
- Serving: Serve immediately for a softer frosting, or allow the frosting to cool to form a crust before slicing.
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature 2–3 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days.
NOTE: The frosting is sweeter than the cake and may be slightly overpowering for some, but it pairs well with the peaches.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.
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