Peach Skillet Cake is a dessert made with sweetened fresh peaches that are poured over a batter mixture and topped with turbinado sugar. For another recipe using fresh peaches, try my Peach Crisp. If you want to try the best pound cake ever, try my Peach Pound Cake!
Peach Cobbler?
You may have noticed I called this Peach Skillet Cake instead of cobbler. It is absolutely a cobbler by definition, but when it comes to Peach Cobbler, people have VERY specific recipes in mind – buttermilk biscuits on top. I called it Peach Cake to avoid any confusion.
This dessert starts with my Strawberry Cobbler batter. Then, softened fresh peaches that have been sweetened with brown sugar and cinnamon are added to the skillet. Finally, the dessert is sprinkled with turbinado sugar to add a touch more sweetness.
Ingredients
There are three parts to this dessert–the batter, peach mixture, and sugar topping.
Peaches: Summertime is peak peach season which means it’s the perfect time to make peach desserts! I peeled the peaches for this recipe, and I will give you some tricks to make it as easy as possible. Or, you could leave the skins on if you don’t mind that.
Turbinado Sugar: Turbinado Sugar is a sugar that would fall between granulated sugar and light brown sugar in both color and flavor. It has a yellowish-brown color and with some molasses content left in the turbinado sugar (which gives it the color), it will provide a slight butterscotch flavor and has larger and coarser grains. If you can’t find turbinado sugar, you can use granulated sugar for the topping.
How to Choose Ripe Peaches
It’s best to use ripe peaches for Peach Skillet Cake. Unripe peaches will cause the dessert to not be as sweet. To choose ripe peaches, gently press the top of a peach near where the stem was. If it gives, it is ripe and ready to use. In addition, look for peaches that have bright colors without any green. Store peaches stem-side down at room temperature.
If you can’t wait for the peaches to ripen, you can increase the amount of sugar in the peach mixture by 1-2 tablespoons.
Peeling and Pitting Peaches
Once you have chosen the perfect peaches, it’s time to prepare them for the dessert. As I stated above, I peeled the peaches before coring and slicing them. You do not have to peel the peaches; that is your preference. To peel the peaches, use a paring knife to make a few slits in the peel. Then, the peel usually comes right off.
Another method to peel the peaches is to blanch the peaches. To blanch the peaches, get a pot of water boiling. Put the peaches in the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Then, use a slotted spoon to immediately place the peaches in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. The skins should easily come off with a paring knife (or even just peeled off) after they have been put in the ice water.
To pit the peach, cut into it until you reach the pit. Cut around it and pull it out. Then, slice the peaches to be ready to use in this Peach Skillet Cake.
Can I Use Frozen or Canned Peaches?
Yes, you can substitute frozen (thawed) peaches that have been well-drained or canned peaches, which also need to be well-drained. You can use the same amount as fresh peaches. Generally, one pound of frozen or canned peaches is equivalent to three peaches. However, I would recommend frozen peaches over canned; canned peaches could cause a more ‘jammy’ dessert.
Can I Use a Different Pan?
There really is a difference between making this peach cake in a cast-iron skillet versus a 9×13-inch baking dish. A cast-iron skillet heats more evenly than a baking dish and also gives this dessert a nice, crispy crust. But, you can definitely make this in a baking dish if that is what you have on hand.
Peach Skillet Cake
Ingredients
Batter
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (245 g) milk
Peach Mixture
- 5-6 ripe peaches, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 5 cups)
- ⅓ cup (67 g) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Toppings
- 1½ tablespoons turbinado sugar
- whipped topping, optional
- ice cream, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with nonstick cooking spray. (You could also use a 9×13-inch baking dish.)
Batter
- In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk. Slowly whisk in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the skillet.
Peach Mixture
- Add the sliced peaches, brown sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon to a saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine, simmering for 2-3 minutes until sugar is dissolved and peaches are softened slightly. Add the peach mixture evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 45 minutes. (Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place it on the bottom of the oven to catch any drips.)
Sugar Topping
- After 45 minutes, sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the top and return to oven. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve topped with ice cream or whipped topping.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I made the peach skillet cake yesterday, it was wonderful, it will be my favorite! I used a 2 quart oval casserole, it worked well. Some of the peaches weren’t completely ripe so they weren’t real juicy, so the peaches were too thick, I think that I used too much cornstarch, so next time I will use only 1 tsp of the cornstarch . I loved this recipe and my family loved it too🥰
What is turbinao sugar?
I didn’t have peaches so I used apples. Made it the same way as the recipe called for and it turned out delicious! I will definitely make this again!
This dessert was fantastic!!! Will be making it every summer. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hi Amanda, this afternoon made this skillet peach cake again. I didn’t change the recipe at all, the peaches were fresh, ripe and very juicy. The cake turned it out wonderfully, I used a 9X13” glass dish. This is going to be my Summer go to desert for your recipe. Thank you Amanda, this is so delicious ❤️❤️! Patty
Why hasn’t anyone replied to the query about Turbinao sugar made in January?
The answer is listed in great detail right in the blog post. Please feel free to scroll up.
I made a small change in attempt to make it like Dutch oven peach cobbler, I removed the milk from the batter recipe and instead, after mixing with the butter, I emptied a 29oz can of peaches (in juice not syrup) into the skillet, the put the dry batter on top. Cook at 400 degrees for an hour. The juices and the butter turn the batter into a perfect cake mix, comes out amazing!!!
Super idea, Fletcher!!
I made this with frozen peaches, in an 8”x 8” stoneware dish. It was delicious.
I made this today in a 9×13 pan. I cooked the peach mixture about 5 min to make sure it was heated through. It must’ve cooked too long and I should’ve only had it on the heat for time listed. The cake mixture didn’t come up to the top except for a few edges. It still turned out great. Also, I used 1 tbsp of sugar as I didn’t have the turbinado sugar. The cake part was a light texture and the peach mixture was cooked on top. Quite interesting. My family likes it so I will make it again.
I made this as a quick dessert using ingredients I already had. I used peaches I had frozen over the summer and added a cup of blueberries and chopped pecans I needed to use. It turned out great! The cake bubbled up throughout, was a nice golden brown, and was enjoyed by all! I used a 9×12 baking dish because I needed to transport— just wonderful!