This moist and tender vanilla peach cake with mascarpone buttercream frosting is the perfect summertime cake!
Vanilla Peach Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream Frosting
Summer’s in full swing. And that means it’s peach season. And what better way to eat peaches than to put them in a cake, right? Yep, that’s what I thought too!!
The cake base for this recipe is a simple and super tender vanilla cake. Between the layers is a jammy peach filling made from ripe white peaches and flavored with a bit of cardamon (you could also use cinnamon). It’s then covered in a simple mascarpone buttercream frosting and topped with right-off-the-tree peaches along with some pretty, fresh raspberries.
Vanilla Peach Cake Baking Tips:
This peach cake is fairly simple to make but here are a few prep and baking tips.
- USE ROOM TEMPERATURE BUTTER, EGGS & BUTTERMILK: Just a little reminder that using room temp ingredients will help ensure your cake turns out moist and tender!
- CAKE FLOUR: For this recipe, I use cake flour, which is lighter and contains less protein than all-purpose flour. If you don’t have any cake flour, you can try making your own.
- HOW TO SUB INGREDIENTS: No fresh peaches or mascarpone or cardamon? You can use a high-quality peach jam in place of the fresh peach compote. You can swap out the mascarpone for cream cheese. And don’t have or don’t like cardamon? You can use cinnamon instead.
- FROSTING TIPS: Make sure your cake is completely cooled before trying to frost it. If the cake is still warm, it will melt the frosting. Also, it’s helpful to add a crumb layer to your cake before icing it. To do this, first, add a thin layer to a cooled cake and then let it chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes (the cake will look like a naked cake). This process seals in all those cake crumbs, allowing you to get that smoother texture when you add the final layer of frosting.
- DECORATING OPTIONS: Take note that if you’re using fresh sliced peaches to the top of your cake, the peaches will quickly start to brown, and they’ll also start to release their juice. So, if you’re not serving the cake immediately, I’d go with another option for decorations like fresh (edible!) flowers like garden roses.
- HELPFUL BAKING TOOLS: Stand Mixer | Off-Set Spatula | Cake Decorating Comb
Looking for more summer dessert ideas? Try some of my all-time favorite and easy-to-make recipes!
EASY ATLANTIC BEACH LEMON PIE
YUMMIEST CHERRY ALMOND RICOTTA CAKE
THE BEST CITRUS ALMOND AND OLIVE OIL CAKE
LEMON COCONUT OLD-FASHIONED POUND CAKE
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Vanilla Peach Cake with Marscapone Frosting
- Yield: 9-inch cake/ approx. 12 servings 1x
Description
This pretty, three-layer vanilla cake is layered with a fresh white peach jam and covered in mascarpone frosting.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs plus 2 additional egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 3 and 2/3 cups cake flour, spoon and leveled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
For the Filling:
- 3 cups ripe peaches (about 3 peaches), peeled and diced. You can also use frozen peaches.
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (or cinnamon)
For the Frosting:
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9-inch cake pans (I use a baking spray), line the pans with parchment paper and then spray the parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment beat together the sugar and butter on high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, if needed.
- Mix in the eggs, egg whites, and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just combined. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the buttermilk and continue to mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter evenly into cake pans. Bake until the cakes are baked through and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 25 minutes. To test if the cake is cooked, insert a skewer or a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done!
- Allow the cake layers to cool completely in their pans set on a wire rack. Remember, the cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling. If they aren’t, the frosting will melt!
For the Filling:
- Add the peaches, brown sugar, and cardamom to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
- Using a potato masher or a fork, smash the peaches until the mixture is mostly pureed and only small chunks of fruit remain. Continue to cook until the jam has reduced and slightly thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool. It should thicken as it cools.
For the Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Scrape down the bowl, if needed.
- Add the mascarpone cheese and mix until combined. If the frosting seems too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk (half & half or heavy cream) and mix until smooth.
To Assemble:
- Place one cake layer onto your cake plate (or cake turntable, if you’re using one). Using an offset spatula, evenly cover the top with about 1/4 of the frosting. Top that with about 1/4 cup of the peach filling.
- Top that with a 2nd cake layer. You might want to invert this layer so the top of the cake is flat and smooth. Cover this layer 1/4 of the frosting and 1/4 cup of the peach filling. Repeat with the third layer.
- Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides, using a bench scraper to get that smooth finish.
- You might want to add a crumb coat (a very thin layer of frosting) to the cake before adding your final layer. This will seal in all those crumbs. If you do want to do this, just add the thin layer and then put the cake in your fridge to chill for about 10-15 minutes before adding your final layer of frosting.
- Refrigerate that cake for about 30 minutes before slicing. Then just add your decorations and serve.
- You can store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
5 Comments on The Best Vanilla Peach Cake with Marscapone Frosting
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Yes to using ripe peaches in cake! And this one’s so yummy!
Super delicious! Had to make this dairy free, so I made my own vegan buttermilk and used vegan butter. Used the linked recipe for making the cake flour and it came out wonderful! A great summertime cake.
I am so glad to hear you liked it! And that it turned out so well using vegan products. I am going to have to test it that way.
Hi! Can you sub frozen peaches for the fresh ones called for in recipe?
Hi, yes you can use frozen (thawed) peaches in the filling. I’d be careful using them as decoration on top of the cake, though, since they might not look as fresh.