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–+ servings
Fork full of peach cake with brown sugar frosting taken out of a slice on a plate.

Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

An easy peach cake made from a boxed cake mix, jello powder, and peaches, topped with a cooked brown sugar frosting.
Author Amber Brady
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Yields 15 servings

Ingredients

CAKE:

  • 15.25 oz (432 g) box yellow cake mix
  • 3 oz (85 g) small box peach gelatin powder (Jello)
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (237 ml) oil, (canola/vegetable)
  • ½ cup (118 ml) water*
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 lb (0.45 kg) peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped (about 3-4 peaches)

FROSTING:

  • ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, (stick)
  • 2 cups (400 g) light brown sugar, packed
  • ⅔ cup (159 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Whisk together the yellow cake mix, peach gelatin powder, and flour in a large bowl.
  • Mix in the oil, water, and eggs one at time.
  • Pour cake batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan.
  • Place bite-sized pieces of peaches evenly over the cake batter.
  • Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the cake clean, or with a few moist crumbs. The top will be a nice golden brown color. Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

FOR THE FROSTING:

  • Melt the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream in a large 2-3 QT saucepan.
  • Stir occasionally until mixture comes to a full boil. Then set a timer and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
  • Immediately remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Mixture will be quite thin.
  • Place the pan of frosting inside a bowl of ice water. Stir until the frosting cools to room temperature and thickens like caramel. (*See photos.)
  • Use a hand mixer to beat the brown sugar frosting for 5-6 minutes, until thicker and lighter in color, but still pourable.
  • Pour the brown sugar frosting over the cooled peach cake and spread evenly with a spatula.

Notes

    • Fresh Peaches – Peel, core, and slice the peaches. Then cut into thirds, or bite-size chunks.
    • Frozen Peaches – Cut and use from frozen. Bake time will most likely be 5-10 minutes (or so) longer.
    • Canned Peaches – Drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Then cut into smaller pieces.
    • *Water -- Use peach nectar in place of water to boost the peach flavor. Otherwise it's a very light tasting peach cake.
    • Serving -- You can cut and serve this cake immediately if you don’t mind the frosting slightly dripping off of each piece. Or you can let the frosting cool completely to create a crust on top before slicing and serving.
    • Storage -- Cover the pan of brown sugar peach cake with foil and store at room temperature (68-72˚F) for up to 2-3 days. You may refrigerate the cake to make it last up to 5 days.
      • NOTE: The frosting is much sweeter than the cake, and slightly overpowering, but still works well with the peaches.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 287mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g