This simple, crowd-pleasing stone fruit cake is made with fresh cherries and peaches. The cake is made with Greek yogurt and has a moist and tender texture. It's literally stuffed with stone fruit (without pits, of course) - you can taste the juicy cherry and peach chunks in every bite! Serve it warm, with a scoop of ice cream, or with whipped cream!
Stone fruit cake (with cherries and peaches)
This dessert recipe uses simple ingredients and is literally stuffed with fresh Summer stone fruit (pitted, of course). I used fresh cherries and fresh yellow peaches and baked this cake in a cast iron skillet - which created beautiful golden crispy edges and a moist and tender center. This colorful and vibrant Summer cake is light and fluffy thanks to Greek yogurt. Flavored with vanilla, it will surely become a family favorite while peaches and cherries are in season.
Quick and easy Summer cake
Easy enough to make as an everyday cake on busy weekdays - fancy enough for a special occasion. And, you don't even need to pull out a mixer to make it! Only 20 minutes of prep time. Love Summer stone fruit desserts? Don't miss reader-favorite peach and blueberry cake or this stunning simple cherry cake.
What kind of stone fruit is in this cake?
- Cherries. I used dark fresh sweet cherries that are firm in texture. Use a cherry pitter (I bought a great one on Amazon!) to pit the cherries. Then, slice each pitted cherry in half. Do not use frozen or canned cherries. Sour (tart) cherries won't work in this recipe, either.
- Fresh yellow peaches are the star ingredient here and what you should use in the Summer while they are in season. You can also use white peaches, but yellow peaches make a much better presentation!
What other kind of stone fruit can you use?
- Apricots. Fresh apricots are generally available from May to August. Choose apricots that are plump and firm (or slightly soft) to the touch, with unwrinkled skin.
- Plums are available starting mid-summer in July until late October. There are different varieties of fresh plums: red, purple, or white.
- Nectarines are very similar to peaches, except they have smooth skin (unlike peaches that have fuzzy skin).
Do you have to peel the peaches?
No! In fact, I so much prefer this peach and cherry cake made with peaches with skins on! It adds more texture and helps to keep the peaches from falling apart. Using unpeeled peaches also results in a much better visual presentation! Plus the skin of peaches contains fiber, so you don't want to just throw it away!
What kind of baking pan to use?
You can bake this stone fruit cake in a variety of baking pans:
- A 9x3 inch springform pan.
- A 10-inch or 11-inch cast iron skillet.
- A 10×2 inch round pan.
- You can also use an 11×7 inches rectangular pan.
Can you make it gluten-free?
Yes, you can! I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free flour and it worked great! Just follow the recipe as is. Here are some recipe notes:
- Use a cast iron skillet. If using gluten-free flour, I definitely recommend baking the cake in a cast iron skillet - a cast iron skillet makes baking gluten-free cakes very easy and forgiving.
- Use a slightly bigger amount of gluten-free flour. If using gluten-free flour, don't sift it or aerate it - just pack gluten-free flour in 1.5 cups because this stone fruit cake will have to be dense if using gluten-free flour (as it's packed with fruit which will add extra moisture to the cake).
How to serve it
- Powdered sugar. Lightly dust the cake with powdered sugar for a beautiful presentation.
- Ice cream. Serve the peach and cherry cake as a luscious warm dessert topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream! But, honestly, it's so good and refreshing on its own, without any ice cream!
- Breakfast. Serve it warmed as part of breakfast with your favorite yogurt spooned over on top!
Storage Tips
- Fridge. Store peach and cherry cake for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. After that, the peaches and the cherries in the cake start getting soggy so it's best to consume this cake in 3 days or less.
- Can you freeze this cake? Once the cake is completely cool, freeze it within 2 days of baking. Wrap it tightly in an airtight plastic wrap and transfer it to a freezer bag or a sturdier freezer container.
Other stone fruit cake recipes
- Peach and Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake
- Peach Coffee Cake with Vanilla Glaze
- Peach Cream Cheese Cake with Streusel Topping
- Peach and Blueberry Skillet Cake
Stone Fruit Cake with Cherries and Peaches
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 oz butter softened (4 tablespoons)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 peaches sliced into wedges, with pit removed
- 4 cups fresh sweet cherries pitted and then halved
Instructions
- I used a 10-inch round high-sided cast-iron skillet. You can also use a 9x3-inch springform pan.
- Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Grease the sides and the bottom of the cast-iron pan (or other baking pan) with butter.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, together into a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 2 oz of softened butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 2 eggs until very light in color and fluffy, for about 2-3 minutes. I used a large, stainless steel whisk. I did not need to use a mixer but you can use it, on high speed.
- Add vanilla extract and Greek yogurt and continue beating until very creamy and light in color, for about 1 more minute.
- If using an electric mixer, at this point, keep the speed low, and mix in the flour until combined. Do not overmix.
- Butter the bottom and the sides of the cast iron skillet with butter. Transfer the cake batter to the cast-iron skillet. Top with half of the sliced peaches and half of the cherries evenly on top in the spaces between the peach slices.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and top the cake with the remaining peaches and cherries.
- Bake for 25 or 35 more minutes (depending on your oven), until the cake turns golden, and the tester comes out clean in the center. Total baking time should be between 45 minutes and 1 hour (depending on your oven and the type of baking pan you use).
- When the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool in a cast-iron skillet.
- ⬇️ Below this recipe, I provide step-by-step photos that might be helpful. ⬇️
Notes
- What kind of baking pan can you use? I used a 10-inch round high-sided cast-iron skillet (11-inch can be used, too). Or, use a 9x3-inch springform pan. Or, a 10×2 inch round pan. You can also use an 11×7 inches rectangular pan.
- Use a scale to measure flour or aerate the flour well. Aerate the flour by fluffing it with a spoon and adding it into your measuring cup with the spoon instead of just packing the flour into the cup. This will prevent the flour from overpacking. Overpacking the flour results in a denser cake texture.
- Can you make it gluten-free? I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free flour and it worked great! Just follow the recipe as is. If using gluten-free flour, disregard the above advice about sifting or aerating the flour. With gluten-free flour, just pack the flour into 1.5 cups. You might even have to add a little extra if the batter is too thin. With so much fruit in the cake, the fruit will release juices as the cake bakes, so you will want the cake batter to be dense for a gluten-free cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Step-by-step photos
1) This is raw cake batter topped with fresh peaches and cherries before baking:
2) This photo demonstrates what the cake looked like after the first 20 minutes of baking after I added the remaining half of peaches and cherries because the first half of them (depicted in the photo above) sunk! 🙂
3) This is what the stone fruit cake looks like after it's been completely baked for a total of 45 minutes to 1 hour (will depend on your oven).
4) And this is how I served the peach cherry cake - dusted with a little bit of powdered sugar.
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