Truth time - I tested this easy peach coffee cake with crumb topping at least 3 extra times - it was just that good! It's like a bite of peach cobbler for breakfast. Perfect for lazy mornings or special occasions like Christmas, Mother's Day, or Easter. This recipe is sized for a large group so everyone can enjoy a slice! Vegetarian.
I love a good, tender coffee cake and the cinnamon and fresh peaches in this peach crumble coffee cake are delicious! We layer the ingredients; coffee cake dough, fresh cinnamon peaches, more dough, and a cinnamon crumb topping, for a moist, fruity, refreshing breakfast treat - perfect for holidays or company.
Is it a buckle or a coffee cake?
A buckle is a cake that has fruit in the batter and a streusel topping.
A coffee cake is a cake, with or without fruit, that is intended to be eaten with a hot beverage - like coffee or tea!
So this peach streusel coffee cake recipe is a buckle AND also a coffee cake!
Jump to:
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Streusel and peach filling
Soft butter. We use soft butter in our crumb topping recipe. Many recipes use cold butter for the topping but we've found soft butter ensures that all dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed together with the butter, eliminating any dry spots in the final result.
For more info on making streusel topping, see this post for Cinnamon Crumble Topping.
Peaches. We like fresh peaches for this recipe (peeled, pitted, and sliced). However, you can use frozen or canned peaches.
Cinnamon. We like the cinnamon mixed with both the peaches and the crumb topping, but if you're not a cinnamon fan like us, feel free to reduce the amount to align with your tastes.
Coffee cake ingredients
Butter. The key for the batter is to use COLD BUTTER. When you cut cold butter into dry ingredients, it forms tiny flour-coated fat pockets that do two important things. First, it limits gluten development, resulting in a softer, more tender bite of cake. Second, as the cake bakes, the butter melts and releases steam, giving the coffee cake lift and moisture - without making it dense. NOTE: We use unsalted butter in our baking so we can control the amount of butter in the dish.
Greek yogurt. We love the addition of Greek yogurt in this peach coffee cake recipe. It helps keep the cake moist, soft, and tender. Its natural acidity works with baking soda to create extra lift when baking, helping the cake stay light and fluffy.
All-purpose flour. We're keeping it simple with all-purpose flour. We've found there really is a difference in flour brands - we use King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill for the best texture in our baked goods.
Use a kitchen scale! Measuring flour by volume (in cups) is notoriously unreliable, so if you must measure the flour in cups, use the scoop and level method for best results. Our recipe lists the gram measurements, followed by the volume measurements, in the ingredients list.
Some favorite riffs
Use berries (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries), pears, or apples instead of peaches. Substitute buttermilk for the vinegar and milk. Add some fresh lemon zest to the batter for more of a lemon coffee cake with peaches recipe.
Add some toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans to the streusel topping before layering it over the batter. Once the coffee cake has cooled, finish with a drizzle of cream cheese glaze, a powdered sugar glaze, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
How to make peach coffee cake
Make the streusel topping
Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter together with a fork until you have a crumbly mixture. You want all the ingredients to be well mixed, no dry bits left, and the mixture to hold together when pressed between your fingers. Set this aside.
Prepare the peaches
Mix the peach slices (peeled and pitted) with the cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir until everything is well combined and place on the stove over medium-low heat.
Cook the peaches, stirring frequently, until they soften and thicken up - this should only take a few minutes, so keep an eye on them. Remove from the heat and set aside while you mix the batter.
- Frozen peaches can go straight from the freezer to the pan or be thawed first. If using them frozen, expect a longer cook time and stir frequently to help them thaw evenly.
- Canned peaches (preferably with no added sugar) should be drained before cooking. Since they're typically sweeter than fresh peaches, consider reducing the sugar in your filling.
Make the batter
What does cutting in butter mean?
Cutting in butter, or fat, is a common baking technique where cold butter (fat) is mixed into dry ingredients until small, flour-coated butter pieces are evenly distributed - ensuring a more even texture and crumb in the baked goods. The goal is to keep the butter solid - not melted or fully blended. As it bakes, the butter melts and releases steam, creating air pockets that give your baked goods a flaky, lighter, and more tender texture.
You can 'cut in' butter using a pastry cutter, a fork or knives, your hands, or a food processor. If using a food processor, be careful not to over-mix the fat and dry ingredients leaving a fully blended mixture which will lead to a drier, less flakey result.
Since this is a large batch recipe, we're using a Cuisinart to cut in the butter with the flour and sugar - it's a major time saver compared to using a pastry cutter or our hands. That said, either of those methods will work just fine if you're not using a food processor.
Fit the Cuisinart bowl with the steel blade. Add flour, sugar, and small cubes of butter to the bowl. Fit the lid on the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. Don't pulse too long or you will not have a soft, tender coffee cake.
Pour flour-butter mixture into a large mixing bowl. Rub any remaining large pieces of butter between your fingers ensuring the butter is well cut into the flour and sugar. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt - stir to combine. If the butter is soft, place the entire bowl into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm up the butter before continuing.
Combine the Greek yogurt, egg, apple cider vinegar, and milk into a large measuring cup or bowl and whisk to combine. Add the milk mixture to the flour-sugar mixture and stir with a spoon just until combined.
Assemble the coffee cake
We're going to layer the batter, peaches, and streusel to create this old-fashioned peach coffee cake. Start by placing about ⅔ of the batter into your prepared dish. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly over the bottom of the dish. Note: This will be a thin layer, but should cover the entire bottom of the dish.
Spread the prepared peaches evenly over the batter in the baking dish. Drop the remaining batter on top in small scoops. Use an offset spatula and spoon to gently hold and stretch the dough (connecting the scoops of batter, like connect the dots) spreading the dough over the top of the peach layer. It's fine if a few peaches peek through - just aim to cover most of them.
Spread the crumb topping over the batter topped peaches. Use as much or as little as you like, we use all of it in this recipe giving us a great texture and flavor on this peach coffee cake.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is baked all of the way through.
Make ahead and time saver tips
Make the streusel ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month or freeze for several months.
Prepare the peach filling up to 3 days in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container. No need to reheat before assembling the coffee cake.
Want to bake this fresh in the morning? Follow this prep timeline to have this ready to bake in no time.
- Make the streusel up to a month ahead and the peach filling up to 3 days in advance. Store both in airtight containers in the fridge.
- Cut the butter into the flour and sugar, then stir in remaining dry ingredients up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- On baking day, mix the wet ingredients, combine with the prepped dry mix, assemble the coffee cake, and bake.
How many pieces do I get in this recipe?
This peach crumb cake is meant to serve a large group and can be cut into as large or small of pieces as you like. We've cut it into 15, 18, 20, 24, and 30 pieces. If you plan on serving a variety of pastry items, we recommend cutting into smaller pieces. Guests love trying a little of everything!
Storing leftovers
This peach coffee cake will last 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 4-8 minutes or until warm. Cover the coffee cake while heating to keep it from drying out too much.
We don't recommend freezing this coffee cake as the peaches can make the dough gummy as it thaws.
Other favorite breakfast pastries
Love coffee cakes? Try our Blueberry Coffee Cake for a Crowd!
FAQ's
We don't recommend this, the batter has leavening agents that will become active once the liquid is added. You can prepare each item the night before, mix wet and dry ingredients and assemble in the morning (see post for more on this). You can also bake this the day before and reheat in a low oven until warmed through.
We don't recommend freezing this coffee cake once it has been baked. The peaches will make the cake mushy once thawed.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!
Print📖 Recipe
Peach Coffee Cake - For a Crowd
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 15-30 pieces 1x
Description
This peach coffee cake is a delicious blend of buttery cake, juicy peaches, and a cinnamon streusel topping—like peach cobbler for breakfast! Perfect for holidays or brunch with a crowd, this easy, make-ahead treat is always a hit. Vegetarian.
Ingredients
Streusel topping
- 120 grams brown sugar (⅔ loosely packed cup)
- 90 grams flour (¾ cup)
- 11 grams ground cinnamon (1 ½ Tablespoons)
- 98 grams unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (about 7 Tablespoons)
Peach layer
- 570 grams fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced (20 ounces - 2-3 medium)
- 12 grams corn starch (4 teaspoons)
- 25 grams sugar (2 Tablespoons)
- 7 grams cinnamon (1 Tablespoon)
Coffee cake batter
- 18 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter (2 ¼ sticks)
- 400 grams all purpose flour (3 ⅓ cup)
- 201 grams sugar (1 cup)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 28 grams Greek yogurt (2 Tablespoons)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 30 grams apple cider vinegar (2 Tablespoons)
- 227 grams milk (1 cup)
Instructions
Prepare streusel topping - This can be done in advance (see post notes for more info.)
- Add softened butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a mixing bowl.
- Mix with a fork or pastry cutter until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Set aside.
Prepare peaches - This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
- Stir together peeled, sliced, fresh peaches, cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan.
- Heat over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens, 4-8 minutes.
- Set aside.
Prepare batter
- Heat oven to 350 °F.
- Prepare (grease and flour) a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
- Cut the butter into smaller cubes, about 1 inch x 1 inch
- In the bowl of a Cuisinart stir together flour and sugar.
- Add the cold cubed butter to the bowl and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. This should only take a few pulses. Work quickly so the butter stays cold! Don’t over pulse and don’t leave running steady as it will over mix the butter into the flour.
- Transfer the flour-butter mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
If prepping in advance for a morning of bake, make to this point and store in the fridge (in an airtight container) until ready to bake. Then remove from fridge and continue with remaining instructions.
- In a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, egg, apple cider vinegar, and milk. Whisk until completely combined.
- Add the milk mixture to the flour-butter mixture and stir just until combined. NOTE: This will be a 'rough' batter and not smooth so be careful not to over mix.
Assemble the coffee cake and bake
- Evenly spread ⅔ of the batter in the prepared 13 x 9 baking dish. An offset spatula makes this step easier. NOTE: It will be a very thin layer, but you want the entire bottom covered.
- Top batter with the peach mixture and spread out evenly.
- Add small scoops of the remaining batter over the peaches and spread each small scoop across the top, kind of like connecting the dots as you spread the batter from one scoop to the other.
- Top with the prepared streusel, breaking up the crumble topping as you go, so the pieces are more uniform in size and cover the entire top of the coffee cake.
- Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until cake is bake through.
Notes
Flour is the most unreliable ingredient to measure by weight, so, if you have a kitchen scale, please use it! Measuring flour by volume (in cups) is notoriously unreliable. No scale? Use the scoop and level method for best results.
Substitutions and additions. Add some toasted, chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) to the crumb topping. Drizzle a quick cinnamon glaze or sprinkle powdered sugar over the top before serving. Use berries, pears, or apples in place of the peaches.
Keep the butter in the streusel topping soft, but not melted. For best results, use a fork, not your hands, to mix. The warmth from your hands can cause the butter to melt, affecting the final texture of the streusel. If it starts to soften too much, chill it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm it up before continuing.
We prefer fresh peaches but you can also use frozen or canned peaches. Put frozen peaches straight into the pan, cook at a lower heat until they are thawed - it will take longer to cook the peaches. If using canned peaches, drain them before adding to the pan. Try to find peaches packed in their own juice versus those with added sugar. If the peaches are extra sweet, you may want to decrease the sugar in the filling.
What kind of pan should I use? We made this in a 13" x 9" glass baking dish so there would be enough for a crowd. Cut the size pieces you desire, anywhere from 15-30 pieces (15 large pieces, 24 medium pieces, or 30 small pieces.)
Reminder: Do not place a cold glass or ceramic dish into a hot oven. The temperature difference can cause the dish to break.
To prep ahead of time and bake in the morning:
Prepare the streusel and peach filling up to 3 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, add leavening agents and salt, and store in an airtight container up to 2 days in the fridge. When ready to bake, continue with instructions above (adding wet to dry ingredients and layering coffee cake).
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 16.9 g
- Sodium: 74.9 mg
- Fat: 12.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.9 g
- Protein: 3.2 g
- Cholesterol: 39.8 mg
Rhonda says
Not gonna lie - this recipe blew me away with how good it was! We test, test, and test again, but I did this one 3 extra times just because I wanted to eat it again! Craving it again already.
Meg says
I used my cuisinart but all that flour and butter barely fit! I had to pulse multiple times to get it to form clumps! Mixing the dry ingredients with the wet was difficult! Had to overmix everything!
Cake still turned out ok but not sure about the directions!
Would not bake again!