A soft vanilla sheet cake layered with summer’s sweetest peaches, little swirls of raspberry jam, and the most delicious brown butter maple frosting. The cake is lightly sweetened with brown sugar, wonderfully moist, and packed with juicy peaches in every bite.
Finished with fresh raspberries and peach slices, this is everything I want in a summer cake. Just peachy.
A Summer Cake Worth Waiting For
I’ve been so excited to share this cake all summer. Some of you might remember the layered peach cake I shared back in 2018. That recipe has stayed in the back of my mind ever since, and I’ve always wanted to turn those same flavors into an easier sheet cake.
Because easier doesn’t have to mean less delicious.
I waited for those perfect summer peaches—the ones with firm pink and red skin, bright orange flesh, and pits stained the deepest shade of red. The kind of peaches you look forward to all year. Now that we’re heading into August, they’re finally at their best, and this year they’ve been especially sweet.
Honestly, I could eat peach after peach until my stomach protested. Instead, I decided to bake an entire box of them into a cake, which felt like the more responsible choice.
What Makes This Cake So Good
Soft Vanilla Cake
The base is a soft vanilla cake lightly sweetened with both granulated and brown sugar. I use coconut oil in almost all of my cakes because it keeps them incredibly moist and tender.
Juicy Peaches and Raspberry Jam
Fresh peaches are layered throughout the cake, so you get sweet, juicy fruit in every bite. Little swirls of raspberry jam add a bright berry flavor that pairs beautifully with the peaches without overpowering them.
Brown Butter Maple Frosting
And then there’s the frosting.
Nothing pairs quite as beautifully with peaches as brown butter. The frosting is rich, nutty, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup, making it the perfect finishing touch for this summery cake.
It’s also the kind of frosting you’ll probably want to sneak a spoonful of before it ever reaches the cake. I certainly wouldn’t blame you.
These Are the Details
Peach Filling
- Peaches
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Raspberry jam
- Fresh raspberries
Cake
- Coconut oil
- Sour cream
- Large eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Whole milk
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
Brown Butter Maple Frosting
- Salted butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
The Steps
Prep the Peaches
Toss the peaches with the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and a few spoonfuls of raspberry jam. Let them sit while you prepare the batter. As they rest, the peaches will release their juices, which is exactly what you want for a moist, flavorful cake.
Tip: Don’t peel the peaches. The skin adds beautiful color, extra flavor, and plenty of the fruit’s natural fiber and nutrients. If your peaches are especially ripe, keep all those juices too—they’ll bake right into the cake.
Make the Batter
Whisk together the coconut oil, sour cream, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until everything is combined.
Tip: Be careful not to overmix. A few small lumps are completely fine and will help keep the cake soft and tender.
Layer the Cake
Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon half of the peaches and their juices over the batter, then add the remaining batter and finish with the rest of the peaches.
Gently spread the batter where needed, but don’t worry about making it perfectly smooth.
Tip: The layers don’t need to be perfectly even. Some peaches will peek through, and the batter may look a little rustic before baking. Once everything goes into the oven, it all comes together beautifully.
Bake
Bake until the cake is golden and the center is just set. Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting.
Tip: This is one of those times when patience pays off. A completely cooled cake is much easier to frost, and the brown butter also needs time to cool before you make the frosting.
Make the Brown Butter Frosting
Brown the butter until it smells rich and nutty and the milk solids turn golden. Let it cool to room temperature.
Beat the browned butter with the cream cheese, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until light, fluffy, and smooth.
Tip: Don’t leave those little browned bits behind in the pan. They’re packed with that deep, nutty brown butter flavor and are exactly what makes this frosting so good.
Frost and Finish
Spread the brown butter maple frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Dollop the remaining raspberry jam over the top and gently swirl it through the frosting with a knife.
Finish with fresh peach slices and the tiniest raspberries you can find. If fresh raspberries aren’t available, frozen raspberries work beautifully too.
Make It Your Own
There are plenty of easy ways to change this cake depending on what you have on hand. Swap the raspberry jam for peach preserves or apricot jam, or use nectarines instead of peaches.
For a little extra crunch, sprinkle chopped cinnamon pecans over the frosting just before serving.
For Entertaining
Sheet cakes always remind me of my Nonnie. She loved putting one right in the middle of the table so everyone could help themselves, and I still love serving them that way, especially for Sunday dinner.
Serve each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of softly whipped cream. She always did that for my grandpa, and it’s those little touches that made her cooking and baking feel so special.
And don’t worry if every slice looks a little different. That’s part of the charm. Embrace the perfectly imperfect beauty of this cake.
To Store
Cover any leftovers and keep the cake refrigerated. I actually think it gets even better the next day, once the peaches have settled into the cake and the brown butter frosting has had time to chill.
Peach Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
18
servings30
minutes40
minutes448
kcal1
hour30
minutesSoft vanilla cake, juicy summer peaches, raspberry jam, and a rich brown butter maple frosting come together in this easy 9×13-inch sheet cake. It’s tender, moist, and packed with fresh peach flavor, then finished with a swirl of raspberry jam, fresh raspberries, and peach slices.
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Ingredients
- Peach Filling
2 1/2 cups chopped fresh or frozen peaches (about 5 peaches)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup raspberry jam
- The Cake
1 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Very tiny fresh or frozen raspberries
- Brown Butter Frosting
2 sticks salted butter, cubed
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2–3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup real maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
Add the chopped peaches to a bowl and toss them with the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Stir in a few spoonfuls of the raspberry jam, keeping the remaining jam aside for finishing the cake.
Letting the peaches sit for a few minutes helps bring out their natural juices, which adds even more flavor to the finished cake. - Beat together the melted coconut oil, sour cream, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in the milk, then add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix just until everything is combined. There’s no need to keep stirring once the flour disappears—a light hand here helps keep the cake soft and tender. - Spread one-third of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spoon half of the peaches over the batter, then add another one-third of the cake batter.
Layer on the remaining peaches and finish with the last of the batter, gently smoothing the top.
The layers don’t need to look perfect going into the oven. The peaches and raspberry jam will settle into the cake as it bakes, creating little pockets of fruit throughout. - Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely before frosting. This part is worth waiting for—the frosting will spread much more easily over a fully cooled cake. - Melt the butter in a skillet and continue cooking until it turns golden and smells rich and nutty. Let the browned butter cool to room temperature.
Beat the cooled brown butter with the cream cheese, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar as needed until you reach your preferred frosting consistency. - Spread the brown butter frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Spoon the remaining raspberry jam over the frosting and gently swirl it through with a knife.
Finish with fresh raspberries and peach slices, then slice and serve.
The combination of sweet peaches, bright raspberry jam, and nutty brown butter makes this one of those cakes that feels perfectly at home on a summer table.
