This is an easy to make, single-layer peach shortcake cake that’s perfect for two. We take a tender vanilla cake and top it with homemade whipped cream and fresh brown sugar macerated peaches.
This mini peach shortcake cake is an easy summer dessert that’s equal parts pretty and delicious. Start with a tender vanilla cake, add whipped cream, and top with fresh brown sugar macerated peaches. While not quite a ‘shortcake’, the vanilla sponge is soo moist and tender. It’s a buttermilk cake that’s made through reverse creaming (similar to my peach upside down cake), that’s the perfect base for whipped cream and peaches. I guess this is more of a ‘shortcake-vibes’ type of cake lol.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It looks impressive but it easy to make
- Reverse creaming to make the cake ensures a tight crumb and tender texture that stands up to the fresh peaches
- The mini 6” cake is perfect for two (or have it all to yourself)
- You can add a splash of bourbon to the peaches to kick the flavor up a notch
- It’s a great summer cake recipe for when we’re in the peak of stone fruit season
Ingredients Needed
Vanilla Cake
- Cake flour: cake flour results in a softer cake with a finer crumb, and is perfect for making a great vanilla cake base for the peaches and cream.
- If you do not have cake flour, a quick substitute is to use all-purpose flour and replace 2 tbsp of flour with 2 tbsp of cornstarch.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness
- Unsalted butter: this is an all-butter cake, similar to shortcake. Use soft butter and cut it into slices.
- One egg, at room temperature: quickly warm up the egg by soaking it in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract and salt: to flavor the cake
- Buttermilk: adds moisture and tenderness
- Baking powder: rises the cake
Peaches and Cream
- Fresh peaches: select ripe peaches that are not yet mushy. They should be soft and still have a bit of firmness, but should not feel like a marble.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: for sweetness
- Ground cinnamon: cinnamon adds a lovely flavor to the peach topping
- Lemon zest and lemon juice: adds brightness to the sweet flavors
- Heavy whipping cream: to make the whipped cream cream
- Optional: a splash of your favorite bourbon
How to Make It
Make the Cake: Beat the dry ingredients together with butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Then, beat in an egg, vanilla extract, and the buttermilk to create a smooth batter. Finally, bake the cake in a 6″ round cake pan until a toothpick comes out clean. You can follow the instructions in the recipe card for more details on this process!
Prepare the Peaches: Slice peaches to your preferred thickness. No need to peel them! Toss them with sugar, lemon zest, and ground cinnamon and let them rest while you prepare the whipped cream. You can also prepare the peaches while the cake cools—note that the longer the peaches rest, the juicier they will be. As a result, if they’re sitting out for a while you may need to strain out some of the liquid.
Make Whipped Cream: Beat heavy whipping cream, a little bit of sugar, and vanilla extract together in a mixer using the whisk attachment. Look for a fluffy cream with stiff peaks. Do not over beat the whipped cream, otherwise it will split.
Assemble the Cake: Ensure that the cake is completely cool. Warm cake = melted whipped cream. From there, pile the whipped cream on the cake and spoon the peaches on top.
Tips for Success
Use room temperature ingredients for the cake: cold ingredients do not incorporate together well, which has a negative impact on the cake’s texture. To make the best vanilla cake, bring the eggs and buttermilk to room temperature before baking. Soak the eggs in hot water to warm them up and use the microwave to give a quick zap to the buttermilk.
Keep the whipping cream cold: To make the best whipped cream, ensure that the cream and tools are very cold. You’ll notice that whipped cream melts when it gets warm, which conversely means warm cream won’t whip up properly. I like to freeze my mixer’s whisk attachment for a few minutes beforehand, and even the bowl (if there’s room in my jam packed freeze lol).
Make ahead to save time: you can make the cake layer the day before and then store it tightly wrapped in the fridge. I find that the peaches and cream are best when they’re fresh, so I recommend making those right before serving.
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Happy baking and hope you LOVE your peach shortcake cake!
Mini 6" Peach Shortcake Cake
An easy to make 6", single layer, peach shortcake cake. Tender vanilla cake, whipped cream, and brown sugar peaches layer to form a perfectly summery dessert.
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 1 cup cake flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
Brown Sugar Peaches
- 2 medium peaches, sliced
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Whipped Cream
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 6" round cake pan.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Start adding the butter, a little bit at a time. It is helpful if your butter is pre-cut into slices. Continue beating for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until the mixture looks like a thick paste.
- While running the mixer on low speed, start streaming in the buttermilk until it is fully incorporated and you have a smooth batter. Pause to scrape down the sides of your bowl halfway through.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 28-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake layer fully cool.
- Once the cake is cool, toss the sliced peaches in a bowl with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let it macerate while you make the whipped cream.
- Make the whipped cream. Fit a mixer with the whisk attachment. Make sure that the bowl and whisk are cold. Pour in the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Do not over whip.
- Dollop and spread the heavy cream on top of the cake. Spoon the peaches on top of the cream. Feel free to add a spoonful or two of any juices from the peaches on top of the cake as well.
- Cut into slices and enjoy, or just dig in with a fork! It may be a little messy but that's part of the fun. This cake is best enjoyed same-day, as the peaches and cream do not keep well.
Notes
Peaches: For the best texture, use peaches that are ripe, but not mushy. They will have a soft-firmness to them, similar to a ripe avocado. Also, do not store peaches in the fridge! They will dry out in there.
Reverse Creaming: The cake batter uses the reverse creaming method. This yields an extra tender cake with a tight crumb, which is the perfect base for the whipped cream and peaches.
Turn it Up: Add a splash of bourbon to the peaches to level up the flavor.
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