This bourbon peach pound cake is a soft, dense cream cheese pound cake studded with juicy peaches, made just a little boozy with a splash of bourbon whiskey. It’s easy to make in a bundt pan, and a perfect grown-up summer dessert for a special occasion!
I could eat peaches for days, and I always look forward to turning them into delicious summer desserts, whether that’s cake, peach pie, or homemade ice cream.
Come to my house during peach season, and you’re almost guaranteed to be greeted by the sweet smells of this bourbon peach pound cake baking! This is actually (yet another) variation of my grandmother’s pound cake recipe. This time, I’ve added bourbon whiskey and fresh summer peaches and swapped out some butter for cream cheese. I even turned the leftover peach juice into the most incredible glaze.
Things to Love About This Peach Pound Cake Recipe
- Unbeatable texture. This is a dense, soft bundt cake with tender bites of peach in each bite. I love the fruity, peach-forward flavor balanced by the sweet bourbon glaze.
- A boozy twist on a classic. My peach bundt cake has just enough bourbon to bring out the flavors, but not enough so it’s overpowering at all. You can just as easily bake this cake without alcohol.
- No soggy pockets in the cake! I share my tips on how to peel, dice, and drain fresh peaches for the batter and the glaze. The finished pound cake is studded with juicy peaches without being overly soggy or dense.
Ingredient Notes
While this peach pound cake is not a traditional pound cake recipe in the sense that it uses one pound each of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter, it is denser than your typical vanilla bundt cake due to these specific ingredients. I’ve included important recipe notes below. You’ll find the full ingredients list and amounts in the recipe card after the post.
- Dry Ingredients – For consistent results when baking cakes, weigh the flour and sugar using a kitchen scale or use the spoon and level method.
- Cream Cheese – Cream cheese adds flavor and moisture to this pound cake, like it does in my cream cheese pound cake recipe. Soften the cream cheese before you start.
- Bourbon – I use Jim Beam Bourbon, but you can use whichever brand you prefer (just make sure it’s a bourbon you’d like to drink. Flavor matters!). You’ll need about 2 tablespoons for the cake batter and 1 tablespoon for the glaze, combined with 1 tablespoon of peach juice reserved from dicing the fresh peaches, see below.
- Peaches – I like yellow peaches in this cake, but you can use white peaches, too. The key here is that they’re ripe. Riper peaches will be easier to peel than firm, underripe peaches. See below for details.
- Glaze – I reserve the juice from the peaches and whisk it with bourbon and powdered sugar to make the glaze.
Make This Cake Alcohol-Free
For a non-alcoholic version, I’d recommend adding an extra 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cake (for 2 teaspoons total) and replacing the bourbon in the batter with whole milk. When making the glaze, substitute 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in place of bourbon.
How to Peel Peaches Quickly
To peel peaches easily, blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water, then immediately transfer them to an ice bath for 1 minute. Afterward, the skins should peel right off.
I tested this cake with very ripe, soft peaches and firm, unripe peaches. The verdict: Unripe peaches are harder to peel and don’t produce as much juice as ripe peaches. So, the riper the peaches, the better.
How to Make a Bourbon Peach Pound Cake
You can bake this cake in a 12-cup bundt pan, which is what I use here, or a smaller 10-cup bundt pan. Just make sure that you don’t over- or underfill the pan. I recommend filling the pan with 1 inch of room at the top. It won’t overflow, but it may reach the edge, then collapse a little during cooling. A fuller bundt pan produces a more attractive cake.
Julianne’s Tip: Drain the Diced Peaches
When dicing the peaches (I diced mine into ½ inch pieces), I reserved 1 tablespoon of juice for the glaze. To strain the juice, place the diced peaches in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and leave them to sit for a while to collect the juice. Afterward, blot the peaches with paper towels to remove any remaining liquid.
Alternatively, if you don’t have access to fresh peaches, you can use frozen peaches instead. Thaw them completely, then drain them and pat them dry as directed. Extra juicy peaches will create pockets of extra-dense, moist cake around the peach pieces in the cake. Depending on the moisture of the peaches, there may be some spots of the cake that are more dense than others.
Prepare and Bake the Bundt Cake
- Then, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese, then the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between. Then, add the bourbon and vanilla extract.
- Mix the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter, being careful not to overmix. You want the flour just incorporated. Lastly, fold in the diced peaches.
- Fill the pan and bake. Transfer the batter to a greased and floured 12-cup bundt pan. Bake for 75-90 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
- Cool and invert the cake. After baking, allow the pound cake to cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. Afterward, invert he cake to let it cool completely.
Add the Glaze
- Mix the icing. Combine the peach juice from earlier with bourbon in a bowl. Next, whisk in the powdered sugar until you have a smooth, thin consistency. You can thicken it up with extra powdered sugar if you prefer.
- Glaze the cake. Finally, pour the bourbon peach glaze all over your cooled peach pound cake. Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing.
Learn From My Mistake!
I glazed the cake in the photos too soon after baking, and it melted right into the cake! It still tasted delicious, but I realized that I could have waited and also made the glaze slightly thicker. To thicken the glaze, add more powdered sugar, a little at a time until it’s a pourable consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! In a previous version of this recipe, I used Lucky Leaf peach pie filling instead of fresh peaches. It cuts down on some of the prep work in a pinch. You’ll still need to strain the juices to reserve for the glaze.
Yes. You can bake the cake batter in a 9×13-inch pan instead of a bundt pan if you’d like. Note that if you change the pan size, you’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
How to Store
- At room temperature. You can store this peach pound cake covered at room temperature for 3-4 days. If you keep it in the fridge, I recommend bringing the cake back to room temperature before serving.
- Freeze. Wrap the cake (either whole or in slices) tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw it at room temperature when it’s time to serve.
More Pound Cake Recipes
Bourbon Peach Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 75-90 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 12-16 slices
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy peach pound cake is studded with fresh, juicy peaches and made a little boozy with a splash of whiskey in the cake and bourbon peach glaze!
Ingredients
For the cake
- 5 ripe yellow peaches, peeled and diced (550g or 2 ½ cups)- reserve 1 tablespoon of peach juice (for the glaze)
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups (570g) granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (Jim Bean or something similar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze
- 1 tablespoon peach juice reserved from dicing peaches
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (71g) powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cake
- Prepare the peaches. Blanch them for 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water, then transfer to a large bowl is ice water for about 1 minute, then peel away the skin. Dice into half-inch pieces and place in a colander over a large bowl, allowing any extra peach juice to drip into the bowl (this may take some time). Reserve 1 tablespoon of juice for the glaze and discard the rest.
- Transfer the peaches to a sheet pan lined with a paper towel to absorb any additional moisture.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 12-cup bundt cake pan with cooking spray, then dust with flour. Set the pan aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the bourbon and vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed until all the flour mixture is just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix the cake batter.
- Fold in the diced peaches so that they are evenly distributed. Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake the cake for 75-90 minutes or until a thin knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Let the cake rest for 30 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a large cake stand, platter, or plate. Let it continue to cool to room temperature before glazing.
For the glaze
- Pour the peach juice and bourbon into a small bowl. Whisk in the powdered sugar until the glaze is smooth and has a thinner consistency. For a thicker glaze, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, and serve.
Notes
- Extra juicy peaches will cause the cake to be extra dense and moist around the peach pieces in the cake. Take the time to allow the extra moisture to drain from the peaches or soak into a paper towel.
- I tested with both very ripe and soft peaches and firm, unripe peaches. The unripe peaches are harder to peel and don’t produce as much juice as ripe peaches.
- For a non-alcoholic cake: Use an extra 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for the cake (2 teaspoons total), and use 2 tablespoons of whole milk instead of bourbon. For the glaze, use 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead of bourbon.
Storage
- Store peach pound cake covered at room temperature for 3–4 days, or freeze (whole or sliced) wrapped tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap for up to 3 months. If refrigerated or frozen, bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 627
- Sugar: 59.6 g
- Sodium: 196.7 mg
- Fat: 28.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 85.1 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 8.1 g
- Cholesterol: 162.9 mg
Hello
I know this will be delicious and can’t wait to make it for my friend’s birthday next week. Think I’ll use peach schnapps for a more peachy boozy flavor.
Thank you❣
Carmel
That sounds like a wonderful idea!
It was like straight out of magazine! I wish you lived closer so I could share desserts!
Dude. Yes. I am a total carb loader.