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Louisa's Cake With Peaches

by:
June 21, 2018
4.5
46 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Makes 1 9- or 10-inch cake
Author Notes

A fresh, summery take on one of the most popular recipes on our site. I swapped out the apple in Louisa’s Cake and called in juicy peaches. To compensate for the extra moisture, I added another tablespoon flour. And I increased the salt because always. —Emma Laperruque

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Louisa's Cake With Peaches
Ingredients
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (127 grams)
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (225 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup peeled, very finely diced peaches (213 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour (168 grams)
  • 1 cup fresh ricotta (246 grams)
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 400° F. Butter and flour a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
  2. Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in a standing mixer until light and fluffy, scraping down with a rubber spatula as needed.
  3. On the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down as needed.
  4. Still on low speed, add the peaches, then the baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
  5. Alternate between adding the flour and ricotta, scraping down as needed.
  6. Add the batter to the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for about 30 minutes, until the cake is deeply browned and the sides start to pull away from the pan. (If it starts to brown too swiftly, you can cover the top with foil mid-bake.)
  7. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on the rack.
  8. Sift confectioners' sugar over the top just before serving.
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This Recipe is Featured In:

Our Most Popular Cake Recipe Gets a Peachy Makeover

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Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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67 Reviews

Write a Review
Pinky September 8, 2024
FAB cake! After chopping the peaches and draining them a little they neither looked nor tasted of peaches so I did sub in orange juice concentrate and blueberries I had on hand. The cake baked up perfectly in 30 minutes. Five stars for the cake itself, irrespective of the fruit used
neesh June 16, 2024
Something wrong with the temp/timing of this recipe. Like many below, I baked at 400 (tested oven thermometer) for 35 minutes and center is uncooked. Sorry i didn’t read comments before attempting this cake.
Dariusz January 31, 2024
Fantastic cake. I substituted fresh peach for canned jackfruit (~230 g after draining) and put 185 g of flour. The cake turned out delicious, citrusy and honey-like. It was quite moist, but in a good way.
MitchB August 22, 2022
Great recipe. I preferred a bit of almond extract instead of lemon peel.
nutcakes August 11, 2021
I tried this version today when I didn’t have an apple. I didn’t have a lemon either, so I used nutmeg and a slosh of Grand Mariner to flavor. my batter was thick maybe my ricotta was a bit firm, no bunderstand, real ricotta . regular Louisa cake best.
Vasantha September 2, 2019
Wish I had read the reviews first—I’m at 30 minutes and cake is nowhere near done. Followed the recipe exactly with my scale...
JJGood June 14, 2019
What about using unripe peaches (or really nectarines is what I'm thinking)? If those are firm enough to grate, do you think it'd work without the extra flour?
Tom January 1, 2019
Hi Emma! Thanks a lot for the recipe. I love a good ricotta cake and absolutely love peaches so I was very happy to try out this recipe. Unfortunately I had the same issue as some other bakers mentioned: after 30 minutes the cake was still very wobbly and not set at all in the middle. My oven always works like a charm, so I think it must have something to do with the moisture of the peaches. The taste was good, but not as peachy as I hoped for, and it was super dense. Thanks again for the recipe, but just giving feedback as it always helps to improve recipes!
Emma L. January 1, 2019
Hi Tom, thanks for this—always appreciate feedback! Though we didn't encounter this during our tests, I agree that the peaches sound like the culprit here. With extra-juicy/ripe ones, I wonder if a couple tablespoons more flour would solve the issue.
Aarathi P. December 14, 2018
I added mangoes instead of peaches and half a tablespoon of ground cardamom to give it Indian flavors. Also dusted it with saffron-rose sugar. Was great!
Emma L. December 17, 2018
That sounds wonderful!
Vaishnavi V. May 14, 2019
Hi Aarathi! Wanted to try this with mangos - did you use fresh mangos? Sliced or purée? And did you do anything to reduce moisture? Thanks!!
beejay45 November 3, 2018
Loved this version. I halved and briefly roasted my peaches (collecting any juices to include in the liquid portion). Peaches can be a little shy in displaying their flavor unless you're really lucky, so I do this when baking something other than pie because it really amps up their flavor.
IrishJenn April 19, 2019
Roasting the peaches - I'm going to try that! Did you chop them up first? Time and temp?
Jane October 1, 2018
I liked the regular Louisa’s cake better. Consistency was fine but I really wanted the peachy taste to stand out more.
Jim S. September 15, 2018
A friend made this cake for a picnic this summer. Liked it but wanted it more peachy. Bought a 1/2 bushel of end of season peaches at the farmer’s market and decided to give it a try. I didn’t have any fresh ricotta so substituted whole milk cottage cheese. Cut the sugar down to just a cup, used 1 1/2 C. of peaches and added an extra T. of flour. On a whim, decided to use a little finely chopped fresh basil instead of the lemon zest. Turned out very well!
Emma L. September 16, 2018
So glad it turned out well, Jim, and thank you for reporting back on your updates!
Jen September 10, 2018
Gluten Free worked well (Bob’s GF flour + flax egg). I also used orange zest since I didn’t have lemons. Cooked it for 35 min. It was still very moist (my oeaches were crazy juicy) but everyone really loved the almost custard-like texture. Would definitely make it again.
Emma L. September 11, 2018
So glad to hear it turned out well, Jen—and thanks for reporting back on those adjustments!
Lawyerjen September 9, 2018
This was so good! I made it with halved blackberries instead of peaches, folded in with the last addition of flour. I also added 1/4 tsp. cardamom to the batter. It was delicious--simple and comforting, not too sweet, but with a plush, lovely texture.
Emma L. September 11, 2018
Holy cow does that sound good.
savorthis September 9, 2018
So, it has been 30 minutes and the cake is still totally jiggly. My oven is set to 400...I'm using a 10" pan. Any thoughts? So strange.
Emma L. September 11, 2018
Ack! That is so strange. Is your oven trustworthy? I baked in an oven for months that was ~50° F off-temperature and didn't realize it until a baking disaster. (Another thought: too-juicy peaches?)
Annie F. August 21, 2021
Exact same issue…
Toni D. September 9, 2018
Is the 30 min baking time at 400 degrees working for everyone? I had it in for 45 Minutes and the middle never got done even though the sides pulled away from the pan. Flavor of the cake was good where it was cooked through.
Emma L. September 11, 2018
Hi Toni—sorry to hear that! I didn't experience this timing issue during my tests, so I can't say for sure what the cause is, but curious to hear if it's a problem for others, too.
Annie F. August 21, 2021
Same, but big bummer! I am now at 45 mins, covered with foil and can’t imagine it turning out properly.
Alexis September 8, 2018
Can the sugar be reduced at all? I was hoping to reduce it to 3/4 cup- or is that playing with fire?
Emma L. September 11, 2018
Though I can't say for sure because I haven't tried it—reducing the sugar that much feels like playing with fire, to me. As is, the recipe calls for 18 tablespoons. And 3/4 cup is 12 tablespoons. So maybe meet in the middle at 15?
Anne January 13, 2019
I reduced it to 3/4 cup and it was delicious! :)
Lola August 8, 2018
I don't have a Springboro pan. Would it work in a 9x13 or bundy pan?
Emma L. August 8, 2018
Hi! I haven't tried this recipe in another pan, but I think your best bet would be a 9- or 10-inch round cake pan (ideally that's at least 2 inches deep). You can also line the bottom with parchment for extra insurance. Hope that helps!
Nadia S. August 7, 2018
I picked blueberries over the weekend and made a homemade blueberry jam that we put on top of each slice. It was delicious!
Karen L. July 29, 2018
I've made both of the Louisa cakes now and I really love the peach one too! Thank you for converting it! This is now day 2 and it's phenomenal. Love it! I made this with a hand mixer and it was perfect. It is a perfect snacking cake.