Do you love classic pound cake, but find yourself wanting a little something extra? My easy peach cobbler pound cake recipe brings together the best of both worlds – a tender, vanilla-scented pound cake loaded with fresh summer peaches and topped with a brown sugar crumble that bakes into an irresistible crunchy topping. This cake is perfect for any occasion when you want to impress your guests with a dessert that’s as delicious as it is beautiful.
What Kind of Peaches Work Best?
When peach season rolls around, this cake really shines with flavorful, ripe peaches. Their sweet juice permeates the buttery pound cake batter, while their sunny color provides a pop of brightness. However, I’ve made this cake with great success using frozen peach slices during the off-season. Canned peaches also work, but be sure to get peaches packed in light syrup or juice, rather than heavy syrup, which can make the cake too sweet.
How Do I Get That Crunchy Cobbler Topping?
The secret to an ultra-crispy cobbler topping that provides a delightful contrast to the soft, tender crumb of the cake is using melted butter rather than oil. Butter browns more readily than oil and also helps the mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon crisp up. I like to place the peach slices in the bundt pan first, then sprinkle the buttery brown sugar mixture over them before spooning in the silky pound cake batter. This way, the topping gets nicely embedded and bakes up fabulously crunchy.
What If I Don’t Have a Bundt Pan?
While a fluted bundt pan gives this cake a gorgeous shape, you can also make it in a regular tube pan or even a 9 x 13 inch sheet cake pan in a pinch. You may need to adjust the bake time down slightly since the batter will be spread into a thinner layer. No matter what bakeware you use, be sure to grease it well so this moist batter doesn’t stick. The end result may not look quite as impressive, but I assure you it will taste every bit as good!
Can I Substitute Other Fruit?
The sweet peach flavor pairs so nicely with vanilla pound cake, but this recipe also adapts well to other fruits. I’ve made delicious variations using fresh or frozen nectarines, plums, berries, pineapple, and mango. Mix and match with whatever ripe fruit looks best at the market or what you have in the freezer. The basic method remains the same, no matter the fruit. Just be sure to peel, pit, and chop it before gently folding it into the silky batter.
Let Me Know What You Think!
This peach cobbler pound cake has become a favorite that I make over and over. The recipe strikes the perfect balance between a traditional pound cake and a fresh, fruity dessert. It keeps moist for several days stored at room temperature and also freezes nicely. I hope you’ll give this one a try soon. Let me know how it turns out and what fruit combinations you experiment with!
Peach Cobbler Pound Cake Recipe:
Required Equipment:
- Bundt Pan
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
- All-purpose flour: 3 cups
- Granulated sugar: 2 ½ cups
- Salt: ¼ teaspoon
- Baking powder: 1 teaspoon
- Large eggs (at room temperature): 6
- Unsalted butter (at room temperature): 1 ½ cups
- Cream cheese (at room temperature): 8 oz
- Vanilla extract: 1 tablespoon
- Fresh or frozen peaches (peeled and diced): 1 ½ cups
For the Cobbler Topping:
- Fresh or frozen peaches (peeled, sliced into ¼ inch slices): 1 cup
- Light brown sugar (packed): ½ cup
- Butter (melted): ¼ cup
- Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon (or ½ teaspoon for a lighter flavor)
For the Glaze:
- Powdered sugar: 1 cup
- Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
- Milk: 2-3 tablespoons
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip room-temperature butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add granulated sugar and whip until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition, scraping the bowl after each egg.
- Mix in vanilla extract. Reduce mixer speed to low, adding flour mixture ½ cup at a time, mixing just enough to combine. Scrape the bowl after each addition, avoiding over-mixing.
- Fold diced peaches into the batter.
- For the topping, mix melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place peach slices in the bundt pan grooves, topped with the brown sugar mixture.
- Spoon the cake batter over this layer, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles. Bake in the center rack for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to desired consistency in a small bowl. Add more milk if needed.
This Peach Cobbler Pound Cake recipe, simple yet elegant, is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
