A delightfully peachy cake made from a cake mix and a packet of Jello, of all things! There are real peaches in the cake, which makes it super moist (ok, and a lot of oil). It is topped with a rich brown sugar frosting! Originally published May 5, 2017.
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GUYS! I’ve been waiting for this day for years. YEARS. (I actually just stumbled on an old blog post of mine from 2013 where I talk about this day.)
My sister Nikki wrote a book and now it’s published! And it’s being released TODAY! You can buy a print copy OR the ebook on Amazon.
Doesn’t it look so cool?
I’ve been reading this book from draft one. Nikki started writing it about 5 years ago and has been working to get it published ever since. It’s finally here!! Want to see the back?
Salem is a shy high school girl whose sister (and idol) was killed in a freak gas explosion. (If that wouldn’t shatter you, I don’t know what would.) But she’s starts to realize that Carrie’s death was no accident. You can read the whole first chapter if you click the “LOOK INSIDE” link right above the book cover on Amazon.
It’s so good!! Check it out! I love this story so much!
Did you know that authors often have very little control over the marketing aspects of their books? Including the back cover synopsis. What it doesn’t mention is that there is a frenemy-type romance that’s pivotal to the story: Cordero, super hot and mysterious gang member, who Salem’s trying to get information from (to answer questions about her sister’s death.) He’s my favorite character!
I asked Nikki what recipe I should make for her book release, and she suggested something with peaches. In the book there is a union strike going on, so none of the peaches in the orchards surrounding the town are getting picked. They’re just falling and rotting. (Spoiler alert, Salem gets rotten peaches thrown at her one time. How fun is that?? Can you imagine?)
Congrats Nikki! You did it! You are officially an author. Dreams do come true! Live it up! You deserve it! I will always be your biggest fan! (Well. Except Mom.)
Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
Have you ever made this Blackberry Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting? It’s a yellow cake mix with a packet of raspberry jello and a pound of frozen blackberries. Sounds weird, but it’s delicious and is a HUGE family favorite around here.
I turned it into a peach cake: yellow cake mix, peach jello, a pound of frozen peaches, and BROWN SUGAR frosting, which almost borders on caramel frosting. The jello is what makes the cake so delightfully orange (or pink, in the case of the Blackberry Cake.) The corners are my favorite part. The edges of the cake get very brown but they do not dry out. Instead they are ultra chewy, the opposite of most cakes. It’s ridiculously easy to make and it’s SO GOOD!
I think it’s an amazing combo. Brown sugar + peaches, HELLO. But if you think it sounds overwhelming, you could swap out the brown sugar frosting for the cream cheese frosting that goes on the Blackberry Cake. (Omit the coconut extract.)
I brought this over to my friend Sarah’s house today and she told me that she hates Jell-O and hates box mixes but she loved this cake. WIN!
It’s also super rich. The cake is sweet and the frosting is even sweeter. It is the same super fudgey frosting that goes on top of Nana’s Famous Fudge Brownies, except I left out the chocolate and used brown sugar instead of white. The result is an ultra decadent, caramel-y icing.
Best Peach Cake Ingredients
Here’s a quick list of everything you need to make this cake. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for complete instructions!
- 1 box yellow cake mix (15 oz.)
- peach Jell-O (2 of the 3-oz boxes, just the powder – not prepared)
- eggs
- oil (light tasting olive oil or vegetable oil)
- frozen peaches (1 16-oz bag)
Brown Sugar Frosting Ingredients
- salted butter
- brown sugar
- heavy cream
- vanilla
How to Make Peach Cake
Cut the sliced peaches in half. That way they’re the perfect bite size in the cake.
This is the frosting. Left: before ice bath. Right: post ice bath.
Beat 3-5 minutes.
Look. At. That. It’s so good! If you’ve never done pourable frosting before this might seem weird, but I promise you, it sets up and has the most incredible texture: soft and creamy on the inside with a light crackle where the frosting has set.
Peach Cake Recipe Tips
This cake is super simple. Here are a few tips to make sure it turns out perfectly every time.
- Make sure your ingredients are the correct size. If you’re using a smaller or larger box of Jello or cake mix than the recipe calls for, your cake isn’t going to turn out right.
- Cool your frosting. If you want your frosting to thicken to the perfect consistency, prepare an ice bath. Set the pot of frosting in the ice bath (don’t get water in the frosting!!) Let the frosting cool in the ice bath, scraping sides occasionally, until the frosting is room temperature and much thicker.
- Sub butter for oil. If you don’t have oil or just prefer butter, you can substitute 2 sticks of melted butter (1 cup or 16 tablespoons).
How to store Brown Sugar Peach Cake
This cake keeps on the counter for a day or two; after that store it in the fridge. Keep the lid on so the cake doesn’t dry out!
This cake freezes well; you can put individual slices into an airtight container or freeze the whole cake. Just make sure it’s well sealed so it stays fresh and delicious.
More fruity cakes you will like I’m sure!
Blackberry Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting << this is the original cake for today’s recipe. I just did peach instead of blackberry! Follow this link to get the cream cheese frosting recipe. It would taste really great on today’s peach cake, if brown sugar frosting isn’t your thing.
Chocolate Cherry Sheet Cake with Fudge Frosting << So decadent!
Strawberry Truffle Cake << You get to make a cake. And then smash it. Then add strawberries. So fun!
Peach Coffee Cake from The Baker Mama
Grilled Pound Cake with Warm Peach Coulis from Noble Pig
Peach Breakfast Cake from Reluctant Entertainer
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Best Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 (15-oz) box yellow cake mix
- 2 (3-oz) boxes Peach Jell-O, not made
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup oil*
- 1 (16-oz) bag frozen peaches, do not thaw**
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, (1 stick)
- 2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ice water, for an ice bath, not to go in the recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9×13 inch cake pan.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together the cake mix, 2 boxes of peach Jell-O, 4 eggs, and the cup of oil.
- Open the bag of frozen sliced peaches. Cut each slice in half so they are a little more bite size.
- Use a sturdy wooden spoon to fold the peaches into the cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased cake pan.
- Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes. Check the center of the cake with a toothpick; if it comes out without batter it is done. (very moist crumbs are ok.) The edges will be quite brown.
- Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cake cools, make the brown sugar frosting. In a 2 quart pot, add butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream.
- Stir together over medium high heat until it reaches a boil (bubbles all the way across the top). Set a timer for 1 minute and stir frequently.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla.
- Prepare an ice bath. Set the pot of frosting in the ice bath (don’t get water in the frosting!!) Let the frosting cool in the ice bath, scraping sides occasionally, until the frosting is room temperature and much thicker. See photos.
- Use a hand mixer to beat the frosting for about 3-5 minutes, until it is thicker but still pourable.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
- This keeps on the counter for a day or two, but after that I would put it in the fridge. Good luck keeping it around that long!
The cake was easy to make, but i think using fresh peaches with more flavor would have made this much better. The recipe for the brown sugar frosting is a keeper.
I freeze peaches every year for my family so I’m going to try this recipe with those. I will need to drain them, tho, as they have a lot of moisture.
I wonder how this would do with a streusel or crumb topping instead of the frosting. I imagine it would be delicious! I might try it. 😋
Hi Ive made this twice and it smells so good and tastes good but it keeps falling in the middle. Any suggestions?
Hi Vickie! So sorry to hear your cake keeps falling. Sometimes cake falls when it’s underbaked; be sure to use a toothpick to check that only crumbs come out, no wet batter. It’s also good to make sure that you only mix it until combined, since over-mixing can also cause your cake to fall. If it still falls, just slather on the frosting ;-) Enjoy!
Can you make this cake the night before?
Yes you can Audrey! It will keep on the counter a day or two and then after that, you can store it in the fridge. Enjoy!
We personally did not care for the frosting. It was way too sweet and kind of gritty. The cake was ok but would have been better with a cream cheese icing or just plain I think. Thanks for sharing so I could try it!
Does it have to be frozen peaches?
Hi Pam! We haven’t tried this recipe with canned or fresh peaches before, but if you do, just make sure they’re very well drained so that extra liquid doesn’t make the cake soggy. If you try either, we’d love to hear how your cake turns out!
Frosting resembled more like caramel until it was cool. I had to add a few more teaspoons of cream as I was whipping it. I probably won’t make this again.
Per other comments, I cut the peaches into smaller pieces so it mixes with the cake a bit better. I also would suggest cutting the frosting recipe in half (or only put half on and use the other half for dip with apples!!) It’s SO good, similar to a caramel frosting my mom makes and puts on chocolate cake! But it’s very sweet and will overpower the cake if you don’t have a huge sweet tooth and want more of that fruit flavor. Also, my frosting didn’t even resemble the pictures frosting at all. Only thing I did different it probably let it boil for longer then a minute because I was multitasking, but it didn’t get fluffy like that at all. From baking experience, I know it’ll crust over just fine but did want to point that out. I also used all melted butter in my cake instead of any other kind of oil.
Making right now and at 40 min it’s still very wet! Any recommendations?
Hi Amy! 40 minutes is the minimum baking time for this cake; you can bake it for 5-10 more minutes, checking the center of the cake with a toothpick to make sure it’s done. I hope your cake turned out well!
I couldn’t find peach jello anywhere, do you think peach pie filling would be ok in this recipe?
Hi Julia! Peach pie filling wouldn’t make a good substitute for the peach jello in this recipe–the jello gives the cake a unique texture and flavor. You can usually buy peach jello from Walmart or Amazon. You can also try this Blackberry Cake, which uses raspberry jello.
It was hard for me to find as well. The Peach jello seems to be the one they carry less of. It was kind of hidden with the orange jello. Hope you found some!
By any chance, should the frosting have powdered sugar in it? I’ve made Brown Sugar frosting for years (I’m 70) and have never seen this without it. I just can’t see it firming up without it. So I’m intrigued. Think of all the fewer calories.
Hi Cathy! The frosting really doesn’t include powdered sugar, just brown! It’s different from what we usually think of as “frosting” but I absolutely love it on this cake. If you try it, come back and let us know what you think :-) Enjoy!
Has anyone made cupcakes with this???
Hi Ashley! If you make cupcakes with this (we haven’t tested that yet) I recommend using cupcake liners since the cake is very moist. You might also want to try dipping the cupcakes in the frosting when it’s pourable, through spreading would work too especially if it has set up a little more. If you try it come back and let us know how they turn out!
Any tips on using a gluten free cake mix? They tend to dry out quickly. Also cook time on an 8×8 pan?
Hi Amanda! This recipe hasn’t been tested with a gluten free cake mix, nor has it been halved and baked in an 8×8 pan. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!