This cake with figs and peaches is a showstopper at any party! Peach layer cake with cream cheese frosting, decorated with homemade tempered chocolate shards, fresh and dry fruits. Looks amazing, and tastes great!
It’s great as wedding or birthday cake. It is not too sweet, super moist and super fruity with chocolate, so anyone will love it. Even my dog loved this, because just a little piece for her was a must.
By the way, it is our 100 recipe on the blog. Wohooo! Thanks for stopping by and hope you will continue this journey with us.
How to make a layer cake with cream cheese frosting
Well, what if I told you it is easy? I’m not a pastry chef, but I had time and patience to make this peach and cream cake. You need to make 4 sponges, cream, jam, frosting, put everything together, decorate and that’s it!
The prep time was roughly around 200 minutes. I was so excited, I actually started 2 days ahead.
- Start with making and baking cake sponges. leave them to cool overnight. You can make peach and fig jam and leave it to cool the same day.
- Next day make cream frosting and peach cream, blend the jam. Assemble the cake and cover with cream cheese frosting. Leave the peach cake in the fridge. Make tempered chocolate, pour it on the trays and set aside until morning.
- Next day just decorate and the cake is ready!
I will write about every step so you can understand how to make this peach cake with cream cheese frosting. And if you have any questions, leave in comments below, I will help you!
Cake sponges
The sponge recipe is the same I used in our Cherry layer cake. I love how moist and soft they are. Just make sure you bake them trough, they should be moist but firm to touch to hold all the delicious layers of peach and cream!
You can have this sponge cake instead of morning bread, actually. Made only with 3 ingredients – egg whites and egg yolks, granulated sugar and flour. Whisk eggs with dry ingredients until double in size with electric mixer. If you love vanilla cakes, you can also add vanilla extract. Add a teaspoon vanilla or almond extract at the end of whisking.
Pour cake batter in preheated oven until browned and cooked through. Let them cool in oven in the pan, then transfer on wire rack.
There are 2 bigger sponges and 2 smaller. Cool in spring form pans in oven, then cool completely on wire rack. Later cut sponges in half lengthwise.
Peach and fig cake filling
Peaches and figs are best friends when they decide to go together in your stomach! So these fruits go into jam that you put in the middle of the cake and of course for decoration. This peach filling is so delicious, you should make some more just to smear on your morning toast!
The jam is pretty simple, actually. To make it easier I used only 6 big fresh peaches and 4 figs. Cut the fruits, add a little bit of water and start cooking. Moreover, I added nutmeg, cinnamon and half cup of brown sugar or less. The amount of sugar depends on how sweet the fruits are, so don’t forget to taste the peach and fig jam! I also added lemon juice at the end of the cooking.
Also leave another half of the peach and half of the fig for decoration. Other – blend it in the fig and peach puree, but don’t make it too smooth.
You can definitely use peach preserve or frozen peaches for this cake. Just make sure, if you are using canned peaches, you may want to add less sugar. Moreover, it is possible to regulate the sweetness also by adding lemon juice. If peach puree is too runny, you can add a teaspoon of cornstarch and cook on a low few minutes, stirring. And if you’re using frozen peaches, defrost them and leave the defrosted liquid for other recipes like smoothies.
By the way, if you’re not a fan of this fruit combination or it is not in season, make another jam. Strawberries, cherries.. name it and make it! Make sure it is thick and spreadable, as the sponge cakes will soak almost all of it. But it shouldn’t be watery, so that sponges will be too moist. Can the cake be too moist? Well you don’t want it to collapse (only in your mouth).
The cream filling for the peach cake
Here goes unsalted butter (it is important that it is unsalted), Turkish yogurt, a little bit of peach and fig jam we made earlier, a little bit of chai spices. I also use Vanilla cream powder to make my cream and frosting thicker. You can also add a little vanilla extract here.
The difference between Turkish and Greek yogurt
To make this cake a little bit healthier I used thick yogurt instead of using more cream cheese. I love Greek yogurt so much, but recently I discovered Turkish yogurt. It is almost the same strained Greek yogurt, but much creamier and thicker. It reminded me slightly of whipped cream, but more dense, with…yogurt aftertaste, if it makes sense!
So I decided to use Turkish yogurt for the white peach filling. You can use the cream cheese mixed with a little bit of Greek yogurt to loosen it, too.
Anyway, both yogurts are high in protein, low in lactose and sodium. Both are great for breakfast, but Turkish yogurt has more fat.
Find this yogurt section strange, when looking on this cake? Well, I actually ate this cake for breakfast, too!
Cake with cream cheese frosting
The frosting is made with cream cheese, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, Vanilla cream powder. I also added whipped cream in the end. It is important to cool the frosting before putting it on the cake. If you see your frosting becomes too soft while working, just put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Cover the cakes with cream cheese frosting, using the spatula in two batches. You can also add peach jam to cream cheese frosting, to make peach frosting. However it will slightly change the outer color of the cake. You can try to mix aside a small amount of peach and cream to see how it works. Anyways, peach frosting sounds great!
How to assemble layer cake
I used 4 inch/10 cm plastic straws to hold the layers of this peach cake with cream cheese frosting together. You can also use long wooden toothpicks, but plastic ones are easier and safer to use.
Insert straws in the middle of the frosted bigger cake. Carefully put the smaller peach cake in the middle of the cake. You need your peach cakes with cream cheese frosting to be as perfectly even as possible. You can add a little bit more cream cheese on the cake to make even layers. You can even cheat a little and add a peace of peach between the layers, if you need to slightly lift one side up.
How to decorate this peach cake with cream cheese frosting
Well this is the best part. So everything is done, layers upon layers, frosted. It’s time to decorate peach cake with cream cheese frosting! It reminds me a white board for the artist, just here we use fruits instead of paint.
Fruits and berries: I used fresh peaches and figs as my main elements, but also added red colors from fresh and dry strawberries. Oh, and blueberries and grapes looks and taste great together with this cake, so I added them, too!
Chocolate! All cakes should have chocolate (I think so). We had come up with great idea to decorate the cake with chocolate inserts all around this cake with cream cheese frosting. You can buy decorations like these, but you can make it yours by tempering a big bowl of dark chocolate. Tempering the chocolate helps it be more smooth, glossy and crisp. You can watch a video on tempering chocolate in this post.
Pour tempered chocolate on a flat surface like baking trays, layered with parchment paper for easier cleaning. Then drizzle with white sugar icing. I used bread brush, but you can use a teaspoon, too. Let it set overnight. Crush the chocolate with your hands and insert in the cake, starting from top and moving around till the bottom. Chocolate also adds more sweetness to this cake, which is essential, as the cream cheese frosting is not too sweet.
It seems like a lot of chocolate, but it makes easier to temper this quantities. Also you can choose the best snapped pieces for decoration and leave leftovers to make gifts or just for yourself!
What you need to make this peach layer cake from scratch
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Determination and patience (you can make it too!). Better start 2 days ahead.
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4 round cake pans. I used spring form pans 2 x 8 inch/20 cm and 2 x 9.5 inch / 24 cm to make sponges. I baked in two batches, because I was able to fit it in my oven.
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Offset spatula (you can use the back of your cake server too!) to spread the frosting.
- 3 plastic straws to help hold your cake together.
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Stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or two of them) or a hand electric mixer with whisk attachment. You will need to whip the frosting, the cream filling and most importantly – the eggs for the sponges.
- Stand or hand blender, or even food processor will do a good job of making fig and peach puree.
- Food thermometer to temper the chocolate and preferably kitchen scales to measure ingredients.
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Peach Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 x 8 inch / 20 cm spring form pans
- 2 x 9.5 inch / 24 cm spring form pans
- parchment paper
- 2 flat trays (baking trays)
- bowls and spoons for mixing
- a pot with a heat-proof bowl to place on top
- whisk and spatula
- hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- sieve or flour sifter
- blender or food processor
- sauce pan or pot
- 3 straws
- food thermometer for tempering chocolate
- off-set spatula or cake server
- baker brush
- Oven
- 6 eggs
- 180 g sugar
- 180 g flour all-purpose + extra
- 4 eggs
- 120 g sugar
- 120 g flour all-purpose + extra
- 6 peaches
- 4 figs
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 650 g Turkish yogurt or other thick yogurt
- 400 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 5 tsp vanilla cream powder (such as Dr. Oeteker cake cream powder)
- 1 tbs chai spices or mix equal quantities of ground nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and sugar
- 10 tbsp icing sugar or more
- 200 g unsalted butter (room temperature) + extra for greasing
- 1600 g cream cheese
- 10 tbsp vanilla cream powder (such as Dr. Oeteker cake cream powder)
- 400 ml heavy cream (cold)
- 1 kg dark chocolate
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 cups mixed fruits (peach half, fig, blueberries, grapes, strawberries etc)
- 1-2 tsp dried strawberries (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 350 F / 170 C.
- Whip eggs with sugar for 15-20 min until pale and triple in size. I recommend preparing one sponge at a time. Or use multiple stand mixers.6 eggs, 180 g sugar, 4 eggs, 120 g sugar
- Sift in flour in two batches and gently and slowly fold into the eggs.180 g flour, 120 g flour
- Layer the bottom of 2 x 8 inch / 20 cm spring form pans and 2 x 9.5 inch / 24 cm with parchment paper. Grease the edges with shortening, and, preferably dust with flour. Remove the excess flour.
- Pour batter into prepared spring form pans.
- Bake about 30-40 min smaller sponges and 50-60 min bigger sponges until top is golden and inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Don’t open the oven door for at least 30 minutes!!!
- Preferably cool the sponges in slightly open oven for 10 minutes.
- Cool the sponge in the room temperature for 20 minutes, then release the edges of the pan and remove parchment paper.
- Cut peaches and figs in chunks. Add water and fruits in pot. Add sugar, spices, lemon juice and cook until bubbles. Set the gas lower and cook 15 minutes more until fruits are soft and easy to cut with knife. Let it cool. Leave 6 tbsp if fruits aside, other – blend until smooth.6 peaches, 4 figs, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- Start with whisking butter until it is soft and fluffy (use mixer with a whisk attachment). Slowly add Turkish yogurt, Vanilla cream powder, chai spices and 2 tbsp of fig and peach jam that you blended before. When everything is smooth, chill it in the fridge.* If your cream is too runny, start adding powdered sugar or more Vanilla cream powder until your consistency is spreadable. You can also use half cream cheese and half Greek yogurt instead of Turkish yogurt.650 g Turkish yogurt, 400 g unsalted butter, 5 tsp vanilla cream powder, 1 tbs chai spices
- Whip heavy cream until it is thick (around 5 minutes) leave in the fridge.400 ml heavy cream
- Whisk butter with sugar until fluffy and pale (use mixer with whist attachment).200 g unsalted butter, 10 tbsp icing sugar
- Add cream cheese and Vanilla cream powder and whisk just until combined.1600 g cream cheese, 10 tbsp vanilla cream powder
- Using a spatula, fold in whipped cream. Let it chill in the fridge.*If your frosting is too soft after chilling, add more cream cheese and icing sugar (use 1/2 tbsp icing and 50 g cream cheese).
- You will need to cut every sponge in half lengthwise.
- Start assembling bigger sponges. Put first sponge on a cake stand. Put 2-3 tbsp of fig and peach jam in the middle. Put few fruits in the middle. Spread cream filling around to the edges. Put another sponge on top. Repeat until the last sponge.
- Start frosting the cake, then leave in the fridge.
- Do the same steps with smaller sponge cake. And leave in the fridge.
- Cover bigger cake with another layer of frosting until it is even and white. Insert 3 straws in center of the cake.
- Temper the chocolate. Place 70 % of good quality dark chocolate on a double boiler (a pot with boiling water with heat proof bowl on top). Set your food thermometer (46 C / 115 F) and melt it, stirring, until it reaches needed temperature. Then immediately remove it from heat and add remaining dark chocolate. Keep stirring. Reset your thermometer (31 C / 88 F). Stir until the chocolate cools and reaches needed temperature. You can use ice bath and save you time.1 kg dark chocolate
- Spread chocolate on 2 baking trays, layered with parchment paper. Spread evenly with off-set spatula or cake server.
- Mix sugar with milk until it is thick liquid. Dip baker brush and sprinkle and drizzle all over the chocolate like drawing. Let it set completely or overnight.1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbsp milk
- Crush tempered chocolate with your hands and insert in the cake (see photos in the post). Decorate with fruits, berries and sprinkle dried strawberries on top.2 cups mixed fruits, 1-2 tsp dried strawberries
This is so beautiful! Looks like the perfect sweet treat for any special occasion!
Thank you! You’re right!
This cake is very pretty! It also looks yummy! I wish I could make one.
Thank you! You can make it too, Sharon!
This cake is absolutely beautiful and sounds delicious too with all the added fruit flavors! The first word that came to mind was grand, but I was happy to see that it’s actually not that difficult to make 🙂
Thank you! I’m not pastry chef, but with a little time and desire, anyone can make it step by step.
Wow! What a beauty! I must check the Turkish yogurt in our store!
Thank you! Turkish yogurt is our favorite along with Greek yogurt.
This cake looks and sounds absolutely amazing! I wish I could bake like you, maybe I’ll give this a try at some point as you’ve given detailed instructions on how to make it.
It doesn’t require special skills, just patience and love for baking and decorating!
This cake is absolutely stunning! I love the sound of the fig and peach jam filling. I would also make extra to have on my toast! Pinning this for a special occasion!
Absolutely! Fig and peach jam is great for morning toast and for special occasion – like filling for the cake. Thanks for pinning and rating!