Name: Lemon and peach cake recipe
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves: 10
Cuisine: Baking, British
Ingredients: 175g butter, softened; 150g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling; Finely grated zest of 2 lemons; 3 eggs; 150g plain flour; 1tsp baking powder; 60g plain yogurt; 3 peaches, stoned and cut into wedges; Creme fraiche or whipped cream, to serve (optional)

By Jessica Ransom

last updated 18 July 2023

in Recipes

This lemon and peach cake is the perfect summer bake and can be enjoyed as an afternoon treat or an easy but impressive dessert.

Lemon drizzle cake is a wonderful bake all year round but during peach season this cake should take priority. You should use peaches that are ripe but still holding their shape otherwise they will collapse completely after baking and could become too juicy for the cake batter. The cake is delicious on its own but can also be enjoyed with cream, creme fraiche, or even a dollop of yogurt.

Ingredients

175g butter, softened
150g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
3 eggs
150g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
60g plain yogurt
3 peaches, stoned and cut into wedges
Creme fraiche or whipped cream, to serve (optional)

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Method

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan/ Gas 4). Grease a 23cm round cake tin and line with a circle of baking paper on the bottom. Put the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Using an electric hand-whisk, beat for 1-2 mins until the mixture is really light and creamy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift in the flour and baking powder and then fold in the yogurt.
Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and scatter the peach wedges on top. Bake for 55 minutes or until cooked and golden.
Cool for 10 mins, then take out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with a little more sugar, if liked and serve with crème fraiche or whipped cream.

Top tips for making lemon and peach cake

The cake will be best on the day it is baked but will last for a couple of days after if stored in an airtight container. It won’t freeze well due to the water content that will remain in peaches even after baking. If your fruit sinks, read our tips below so you have better luck next time.

How do you keep fruit from sinking in cake batter?

Reserve a tablespoon or two of the flour from the recipe and use it to toss the peach wedges. You can also use cornflour instead. It’s also important to get the cake in the oven as quickly as possible once all the cake batter ingredients are combined and the peach slices are on top as the chemical raising agent in the flour gets to work as soon as it makes contact with the wet ingredients.

What can I use instead of peaches?

You could use tinned peaches if fresh ones aren’t in season. You could also swap for plums or nectarines if you like. Try using a combination of stoned fruits for an attractive appearance and more interesting flavour profile.

How to serve lemon and peach cake?

The cake is best served fresh so consider baking it in the morning if you want to serve it for a dinner party. We like it with some creme fraiche as the slightly sour taste compliments the sweet fruit and cake sponge. You can use custard, ice cream or cream if you prefer. For a slightly healthier choice you could use yogurt which is already in the ingredients of the cake too. If you’d like some crunch but don’t want to scatter more sugar on the cake, consider using toasted flaked almonds.

To make this cake quickly and efficiently an electric hand mixer is essential. This cordless mixer from Cuisinart is a nice compact option and because it’s cordless you don’t need to be positioned next to a plug.

Those looking for another fruity lemon cake twist should try this lemon and cranberry cake recipe. Alternatively, our lemon and elderflower cake is a wonderful flavour combination and our lemon lavender cake looks impressive too.

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.