Strawberry Peach Cake

This straightforward, crowd-pleasing Strawberry Peach Cake is made with Greek yogurt, resulting in a light and fluffy texture. With just 20 minutes of prep and 60 minutes of baking (idle time), it's a breeze to whip up for Spring and Summer brunches, potlucks, picnics, and parties! You'll be amazed how such a simple recipe can create a delicious dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword strawberry peach cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 276kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups white granulated sugar
2 oz salted butter melted (¼ cup) or 4 oz (½ cup) - SEE NOTES!!
1 large egg
1 cup plain Greek yogurt or plain Kefir
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted or aerated - see note below)
2 teaspoons baking powder
16 oz fresh strawberries hulled and halved
2 medium yellow peaches

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. If your oven has a convection setting, use a convection bake setting. Line the bottom of the 9x3-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides and the bottom of the springform pan with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine white sugar, melted butter, and egg, and whisk vigorously with a metal whisk for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Mix in Greek yogurt and vanilla extract and whisk for 1 more minute until well incorporated.
Add the flour and baking powder gradually to the wet ingredients and mix with the whisk until combined. Do not over-mix. The cake batter will be thick (the reasoning behind it is that fresh peaches and strawberries release a lot of moisture when baking).
Add the cake batter (by dropping dollops of it) into the parchment paper-lined springform pan. Densely arrange ⅔ of the halved strawberries (cut sides down) over the top of the cake, pressing them into the cake batter. Arrange half of the sliced peaches around the strawberries, pressing them into the batter. See the photos below the recipe card for reference.
Place the springform pan with the cake batter on the middle rack (this is especially important for non-convection ovens). Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes in total (no more!). Remove the cake from the oven after about 25 or 30 minutes of baking, using oven mittens. The cake batter would've risen and covered some peaches and strawberries. Arrange the remaining ⅓ of the fresh strawberries and the remaining half of the sliced peaches on top of the cake. Place the cake back in the oven (using oven mittens) and continue baking it until the tester (or toothpick) inserted in the center of the cake (away from the fruit) comes out clean. The total baking time should be around 50 or 60 minutes.
Clarification note: The cake should be done as long as the top of the cake is all set (not liquid and not wobbly) and the tester toothpick comes out mostly clean (when inserted away from the fruit). If the top is not set (liquid and wobbly), bake it for 5 or 10 more minutes. But the cake should be done in a maximum of 60 minutes. When you take it out of the oven and cool it off for 40 minutes (see next step), the cake will continue baking in residual cake outside of the oven. If you bake it over 60 minutes, the cake will dry as it cools off.
Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool in a springform pan on a wire rack. After cooling the cake for about 40 minutes, release the cake from the springform pan. At this point, if the cake is cool enough, you can slide your hand (or a large wide spatula) under the cake, between the parchment paper and the bottom of the pan, and transfer the cake with the parchment paper attached to its bottom onto a cake plate.
When serving, dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve it as is or with whipped cream or plain vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Note about liquid to dry ingredients ratio:

Just a heads-up: since this cake uses two very moist fruits (strawberries and peaches), it needs less liquid overall. I used 2 oz (¼ cup) of butter, and it turned out beautifully—the fruit stayed on top and baked perfectly. If your fruit is super ripe and juicy, 2 oz is usually enough. The batter will be dense, but that’s totally fine—the fruit releases moisture as it bakes. If your fruit isn’t very ripe, you can use up to ½ cup of butter.

How to aerate (and measure) flour using measuring cups

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. Then, level it off with the knive. This will prevent the flour from overpacking. Using too much flour as a result of overpacking will produce a denser cake texture.

Baking tips

If you have a convection setting in your oven, use that for baking this cake.
If you don't have a convection setting, bake the cake on the middle rack or on a rack right above the middle one.
Ensure the oven is fully preheated to 350 F before placing the cake in the oven.

What baking pans can you use?

I used a 9x3-inch round springform baking pan. I like to line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper, which ensures an even cleaner release.
10-inch or 12-inch round high-sided cast-iron skillet is one of the best baking pans for a moist cake like this one. Baking in a cast-iron skillet creates crispy, golden-brown edges with a soft, moist, and evenly baked center.
9x13 rectangular baking pan. Pour the cake batter into the greased cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Use a 12-cup muffin pan. To turn this cake into muffins or cupcakes, chop the peaches and the strawberries into smaller pieces and fold them into the cake batter. Fill the muffin pan ⅔ of the way and bake for about 30 or 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the muffin.

Other notes

Make it gluten-free. I have tested this strawberry peach cake with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Use it in this recipe without any changes. Depending on your oven, you might have to bake your cake longer. You can also use King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour.
Greek yogurt can be replaced with plain Kefir, regular yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream.

Nutrition