When life hands me peaches, I like to turn them into a recipe — and this healthy peach coffee cake recipe fits the bill. Light enough to pair with your morning coffee for a simple breakfast yet decadent enough to accompany a scoop of ice cream for dessert, this coffee cake is the peach de résistance of your summer sweets.
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When life feels hectic, I travel to my inner tranquil sanctuary – the lush, green garden of my imagination. Here, time slows down as I lounge in the sun with a good book and a chilled glass of iced tea, and dig into a generous slice of peach coffee cake. What could be better?
On the heels of peach season, this dream can be our reality — at least part of it, starting with the peach coffee cake. Trust me, this soft cake with tender chunks of peaches and a mouth-watering streusel crumb topping is the sweetness protocol of peach season, in your secret oasis or in your actual kitchen.
The recipe I share today is a healthier version of this beloved dessert. I offer wholesome ingredient options to make the peach cake lighter, and share how you can modify the recipe to be just as tasty outside of peach season.
I'm excited to share with you how I make my favorite fresh peach coffee cake — so you can watch it disappear before your eyes. Life really is this sweet!
For more delicious, but healthier coffee cake recipes, check out my Blueberry Coffee Cake, Raspberry Coffee Cake, and Vegan Coffee Cake.
Why You'll Love This Peach Coffee Cake Recipe
- Better For You: Packed with nutrient-dense ingredients, like Greek yogurt, avocado oil, and whole wheat pastry flour, these peach coffee cake ingredients are lighter, healthier options that won't sacrifice moisture or texture.
- Enjoy year-round: Celebrate peaches (nature's candy!) in every bite, no matter the season. While fresh peaches will pack an unrivaled punch, canned peach slices or frozen peaches will do the job, so you can enjoy this coffee cake 365 days out of the year.
- Versatile: Pair with your morning coffee for a simple peach breakfast recipe, serve alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a decadent dessert, or shovel into your mouth as a midnight snack to silence your sweet tooth. Not speaking from experience or anything...
Ingredients and Substitutions
Flour: This recipe calls for all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour. Accuracy is important when measuring out the flour, so use a food scale if you can. If not, level off the top of the measuring cup before adding to the mixing bowl.
Peaches: The Belle of the Ball! Like I shared earlier, there's nothing like using fresh peaches for peach crumble cake. But if you don't have them or are baking out-of-season, canned (drained) or frozen (thawed) peaches will do the trick.
Greek yogurt: This is my go-to ingredient for adding moisture and a little bit of flavor. If you don't have Greek yogurt on hand, you can use sour cream.
Oil: Another healthy option! As much as I love melted butter, a neutral-flavored oil like avocado, grapeseed, or canola oils won't weigh you down the same way — and will save some calories. My favorite oil to bake with is avocado oil.
Sugars: White and brown sugars for the cake, and brown sugar for the streusel topping (keep scrolling for the recipe!).
Eggs: Best at room temperature, eggs keep the cake batter smooth and structured.
Vanilla Extract: Flavor to complement the tartness of the peaches. Pure vanilla extract is best!
Cornstarch: This will absorb the excess moisture from the fresh, juicy peaches, helping the ingredients to adhere and the texture to stay light.
Warming Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg balance the sweetness and deepen the flavor. Be careful not to overdo it.
Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt: These are your leavening agents that will ensure the cake rises, stays fluffy, and maintains flavor.
Streusel Topping Ingredients
Flour: All-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour will maintain the streusel topping's structure and cohesion.
Brown Sugar: Added sweetness and an extra bit of crunch!
Butter: Room-temperature butter will make the course sand-like crumbs that are the staple of a peach crumb cake topping.
Cinnamon and Salt: Salt for flavor and cinnamon for warmth!
How to Make Peach Coffee Cake
For the complete recipe and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease it with butter.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla, light brown sugar, and white sugar together until combined.
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold in until just combined and a few streaks of flour remain.
Step 5: Add the diced peaches to a small mixing bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of flour until combined.
Step 6: Fold the peaches into the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 7: To make the streusel topping, add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to a small mixing bowl. Whisk until combined. Add the softened butter and work it in with a fork or your fingers until the mixture resembles pebbles.
Step 8: Spread batter in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over it. Bake the coffee cake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the coffee cake from the oven and cool it on a wire rack until it reaches your desired temperature.
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Don't overmix! Overmixing your batter will result in a heavy, dense cake — and who wants that?
- Weigh the flour, or scoop the flour into measuring cups and level off the tops. Scooping flour directly into the measuring cup can add up to 15% more, resulting in a dry, dense cake that we want to avoid at all costs.
- Lightly toss the peaches with flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. A flour coating will keep the peach suspended in the mixture.
Recipe Variations
- Nuts: Add ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Gluten-Free: Swap 1-to-1 gluten-free flour and let the batter rest for 30 minutes before baking.
- Vanilla Glaze: Mix 1 ½ cups powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk or half-and-half and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth (see more Notes on the blueberry coffee cake post).
- Peach Blueberry: Toss 1 cup each of fresh or frozen blueberries and chopped peaches before stirring into the batter.
High-Altitude Adjustments
Follow these simple adjustments for a peach coffee cake that exits the oven flawlessly, no matter the elevation you're at.
- Decrease the white sugar to 3 tablespoons (keep the brown sugar the same).
- Increase the flour to 2 cups (250g).
- Decrease the leavening agents to ½ teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda.
- Increase the oven temperature to 365°F.
Storage Directions
- Storage: Keep up to 3 days at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Once cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Save this Recipe for Later on Pinterest
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
- 8x8 Metal Baking Pan
- Silicone Spatula
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
More Peach Baking Recipes
- Peach Muffins
- Peach Bread Pudding
- Blueberry Peach Crisp
- Peach Dump Cake
- Cast Iron Peach Cobbler
- Peaches and Cream Pie
Recipe Card
Peach Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Peach Coffee Cake
- ½ cup avocado oil canola or grapeseed oil
- ½ cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 large eggs brought to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 ¾ cups (220g) whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon for flouring the peaches
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups diced peaches fresh, canned (drained), or frozen (defrosted)
Cinnamon Streusel
- ⅔ cup (80g) whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large pinch of salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease it with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla, light brown sugar, and white sugar together until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold in until just combined and a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add the diced peaches to a small mixing bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of flour until combined.
- Fold the peaches into the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to a small mixing bowl. Whisk until combined. Add the softened butter and work it in with a fork or your fingers until the mixture resembles pebbles.
- Spread batter in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over it.
- Bake the coffee cake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the coffee cake from the oven and cool it on a wire rack until it reaches your desired temperature.
Notes
- Storage: Keeps up to 3 days at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Once cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Don't overmix! Overmixing your batter will result in heavy, dense cake — and who wants that?
- Weigh the flour, or scoop the flour into measuring cups and level off the tops. Scooping flour directly into the measuring cup can add up to 15% more, resulting in a dry and heavy cake, which we want to avoid.
- Lightly toss the peaches with flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. A flour coating will keep the peach suspended in the mixture.
