Peach Picnic Cake

4.25 from 4 votes
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Peach season is here, and to me that means peach salads, jams, cobbler, and simple, summery cakes like this one: my gluten-free peach picnic cake.

Peaches are one of my favorite fruits. This might be partly due to their elusiveness as they’re in season for a mere month or two up here in Connecticut, and truthfully that is the only time I eat them during the year. Unlike apples or pears, for instance, when it comes to taste, in-season peaches are miles apart from out-of-season peaches – and I don’t believe in settling!

So when the end of July comes, I always get excited for my long-awaited golden friends to make their appearance at the markets, and to satisfy my tastebuds with staple recipes like this one!

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😍 Why You’ll Love My Peach Picnic Cake

This is the kind of throw-together cake that summer calls for – it’s no fuss, gluten-free and dairy-free optional, and looks impressive on every spread. You’re sure to have most, if not all of the ingredients on hand, and its so forgiving you can get the kids involved!

🗒️ Ingredients

Cardamom – A warm, aromatic spice that is traditionally paired with bright, summery flavors to create depth!

Raw Cane Sugar – You are welcome to substitute this sugar for granulated sugar, but if keeping your refined sugar low is on your agenda, raw cane sugar is your friend.

Eggs – Creamed together with the sugar, eggs incorporate air into the recipe making it light and fluffy!

Kosher Salt – Kosher salt is a chef’s favorite and is roughly half as salty as table salt, so if you’re reaching for table salt instead, remember to half the amount!

Almond Milk – Adding some creamy moisture to this cake, almond milk is not a must (swap out for whole milk if you would prefer) but perfect foor making sure this cake can be enjoyed by all who walk through your door!

Vanilla Extract – Vanilla is to baking what salt is to cooking – it enhances all the wonderful flavors in a baked good, and keeps your creations from tasting bland.

Peaches – Undoubtedly the star of this cake! Soft, juicy, moreish in-season peaches top this cake giving it that impressive look that will have your friends asking for the recipe.

👩‍🍳 How to Make My Peach Picnic Cake

🔥 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

✔️ Spray a 9 inch deep dish pie pan or 10 inch regular pie pan with nonstick spray. You can also use a round cake pan of the same size.

🥣 In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, cardamom, and salt with a fork.

🧈 In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

🥛 Add eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat for 10 seconds or until just combined.

✋ Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix together by hand until just smooth.

🫗 Pour mixture into the prepared pie pan.

🍑 Arrange peach slices on top of the batter in concentric circles, working your way all over the cake until all of the slices are used. You will need to overlap a bit to fit them all in. 

✨ Top the peaches with the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar.

⏲️ Bake cake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 Degrees F and bake cake until golden on top and the tester comes out just clean, about 45-55 minutes. 

🌬️ Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before turning it out onto a plate, flipping back over, and continuing to cool.

🍽️ Serve warm or at room temperature by itself or with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

🥳 Enjoy!

🌟 Variations

This cake is the definition of versatility – the base provides an invitation to all sorts of fruits and can be adapted to include: plums, strawberries, apples, pears… the list goes on! Picnic cake all year round? Sign me up!

🤲 Substitutions

This picnic cake can be thrown together in just a few minutes – and in that same spirit, you can use what you have on hand! That means that instead of…

  • Gluten-Free Flour: If you are not gluten-free, swap in the same amount of your favorite all-purpose flour.
  • Almond Milk: Whole cow’s milk can be subbed in for the almond milk here. Oat or other plant-based milks should also work well.
  • Cardamom: I quite like the subtle warmth of the cardamom in this cake, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can certainly omit it.
  • Butter: if you want to make this cake vegan/dairy-free, use vegan butter!

📓 Best served…

  • With a dollop of Cool Whip or whipped cream
  • With ice cream while still warm
  • With fresh fruit and berries
  • On its own, slice by slice!

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Reach for your favorite air-tight container and store this moreish picnic cake for another day! I recommend keeping it for no longer than a week, as with the added moisture of the fruit on top, it can go off quickly – especially in hot climates.

🧠 Common Questions

Do I have to use gluten-free flour?

If you are not gluten-free, swap in the same amount of your favorite all-purpose flour.

What milks can I use in this recipe?

Whole cow’s milk, almond milk here, Oat or other plant-based milks will also work well.

Do I have to use cardamom?

No! I quite like the subtle warmth of the cardamom in this cake, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can certainly omit it.

4.25 from 4 votes

Peach Picnic Cake

This moist, summery cake is flecked with fragrant cardamom and studded with peak season peaches, making it a welcome addition to any potluck or picnic menu.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 Slices

Equipment

  • 1 9 or 10 inch pie plate

Ingredients 

  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup all purpose GF flour blend, (such as King Arthur or Cup 4 Cup)
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 3/4 cup raw cane sugar, or granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, or regular cow's milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 lb ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
  • 2 tbsp demera or granulated sugar, for topping before baking

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Spray a 9 inch deep dish pie pan or 10 inch regular pie pan with nonstick spray. You can also use a round cake pan of the same size.
  • In a large bowl, whisk flours, Baking powder, cardamom, and salt with a fork.
  • In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl with handheld mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Add eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat for 10 seconds or until just combined.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix together by hand until just smooth.
  • Pour mixture into the prepared pie pan.
  • Arrange peach slices on top of the batter in concentric circles, working your way all over the cake until all of the slices are used. You will need to overlap a bit to fit them all in.
  • Top the peaches with the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar.
  • Bake cake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 Degrees F and bake cake until golden on top and the tester comes out just clean, about 45-55 minutes.
  • Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before turning it out onto a plate, flipping back over, and continuing to cool.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature by itself or with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 512IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 Slices
Calories: 253
Keyword: birthday cake, peaches, summer
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4.25 from 4 votes

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8 Comments

    1. I’m so glad you loved it, Pam! It really is the perfect way to use summer peaches, in my opinion.
      Enjoy,
      Kat.

  1. 5 stars
    Now I know how Iโ€™ll be using all my peaches – an easy, beautiful cake thatโ€™s not too sweet!

  2. 2 stars
    Not sure what went wrong but this cake was so dry and bland. The only subs I made were to use AP flour instead of gluten free and cow’s milk instead of almond. I’ve been obsessed with Kat’s apple thyme cake so I thought this was going to be a knockout too but unfortunately didn’t turn out well.

    1. Hi Mili, it sounds like maybe too much flour was packed in. Are you using a scoop to transfer the flour into the measuring cup? It also sounds like you needed less time in your oven.
      It’s a different type of cake than the torte youโ€™re referring to – the torte is more moist, sweet, and flat by nature so know you can also use peaches in that recipe!
      Kat.