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Caramel Peach Dump Cake – the easiest, sweetest dessert to make this summer. This is soon to be on repeat! Sweet summertime peaches baked with butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. As the peaches bake, the sugar melts into the butter creating a luscious caramel-like butter sauce. So delicious. A simple vanilla cake batter is then poured over the caramel peaches and baked with cinnamon sugar until the cake forms a sweet golden crust. Perfect for summer nights that crave an easy (peachy) dessert. Enjoy this dish right out of the oven with an ice cream scoop over top. Just scrumptious.
When August finally shows up on the calendar, there’s nothing I want to bake more than my Nonnie’s peach dump. It’s always so loved and adored by everyone who gets the chance to eat it. Not only that, it’s one of those cozy, easy, no-effort recipes that Nonnie was a pro at.
This is the second recipe this week inspired by my Nonnie. I’ve found that every year that goes by, I come back to her way of cooking, entertaining, and even shopping more and more.
And this summer, I’m basically living with Nonnie’s mindset – simple everything!
The one thing that Nonnie’s peach dump is missing is a sweet cake element. Her caramel peaches don’t need a cake topping, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a little more delicious with a cake-like topping.
With that thought in mind, I knew this was the summer to make a peach dump cake. Only my peach dump cake would have self-sauced caramel peaches under the soft and sweet vanilla cake.
Yes, this is easy. But more importantly you all, this really is so delicious.
Now these are the details
Step 1: make the peaches
Take your peaches and cut them into quarters. Then put them in a baking dish or use a cast iron skillet. Sprinkle over lots of brown sugar and add a good amount of butter.
Bake the peaches for 30 minutes. As the peaches bake, the butter melts into the brown sugar, creating a buttery caramel-like sauce that bubbles up and caramelizes around them.
It’s almost magical the way the sauce forms as the peaches soften and become even sweeter than before.
Nonnie always left her peaches whole, but with this recipe, I felt it best to quarter each peach first.
Step 2: Optionally, you can brown some butter
If you have time, brown one stick of butter on the stovetop. If you don’t feel like taking this extra step, that’s okay, too! It will add a little extra flavor, of course, but it’s not a necessary step by any means.
Step 3: make the batter
This is all made in one bowl. You’ll mix the wet ingredients with the dry, and that’s it. I used maple syrup as the sweetener because I LOVE the warming flavor it adds to baked goods. You could also use honey, which would be great, too. The melted butter creates the perfect soft cake, and the vanilla adds flavor.
Melt the butter with an egg. Add vanilla, maple or honey, and some milk. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix it up until just combined.
Step 3: pour the batter over the peaches
Next, pour the cake batter over the peaches. Sprinkle the top of the cake batter with cinnamon sugar. Now bake another 30 minutes. You want the edges of the cake to be caramelized.
It’s going to smell so delicious. Sweet peaches with brown sugar and hints of cinnamon. Someone needs to make that into a candle.
Step 4: add ice cream and enjoy
All that’s left to do now is add a few scoops of ice cream, let the ice cream get a little melty, and then enjoy the cake with a spoon. Make sure you scoop up all the yummy caramel sauce under the cake and peaches. It’s the best part!
I’m so happy it’s finally peach season; let’s live it up while it lasts.
Looking for other summer peach desserts? Here are some favorites:
5 ingredient Raspberry Peach Sherbet
Nonnie’s 5 Ingredient Peach Dump
Cinnamon Maple Brown Butter Blackberry Peach Crisp
Lastly, if you make this Caramel Peach Dump Cake. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Caramel Peach Dump Cake
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 392 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Peaches
- 8 peaches, quartered
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, cubed
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cake
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.2. Arrange the peaches in a large baking dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar and butter over the peaches. Add the vanilla. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling up around the peaches.3. Meanwhile, make the batter. In a bowl, stir together the melted butter, maple syrup (or honey), egg, vanilla, and milk until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined. 4. Remove the peaches from the oven and pour over the batter, do not stir. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the center is just set and the edges begin to brown.5. Serve the cake warm or at room temp with ice cream.
This post was originally published on August 2, 2024
This was delicious!
Hey Christy,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it! xT
Hi! Just made this for my small family and have a lot of leftovers! How do I store it?
Hi Lauren,
Thanks so much for making this recipe! You can store in an airtight container in the fridge:) xT
Hi, can i replace regular milk with cocounat milk?
Hi Renata,
Sure, that would work for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Hi, Just wondering if I could do the first step, take it out of the oven and cover it and then several hours later put it back in the oven to heat and do the last step?
Hey Cammie,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This is amazing!! So yummy!! Thank you!!
Hey Laura,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great weekend:)
I have not made it, but it’s going to be great.
Question: how could this be modified for a slow cooker?
Thanks so much, Brian!! So sorry, I have never tested this recipe in the slow cooker so I am not sure how it would turn out for you! xT
Love the simplicity of this recipe! Mine did not turn out quite right, I think it was because
-I was short on brown sugar
-I probably should have waited to add the dry ingredients to the batter just before topping the cake (would’ve given the butter time to cool as well)
-maybe mix the cinnamon sugar in the batter?
It smells amazing, the cake just came out too dense. Will try again!
Hi Megan,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your notes! Glad to hear you enjoyed the flavors here, let me know if something else works better next time! xx
Made this tonight using Bob Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 flour. SO GOOD!! Entire family loved it. Followed the recipe exact. Always a hit with halfbakedharvest recipes!
Thanks so much, Jenna:) So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I appreciate you making it! xT
The caramel peaches in this recipe are absolutely divine! I found the cake batter to be quite thick so it’s didn’t cover the entire surface of my 9×13 baking dish. It reminded me of a cobbler dough. Next time I will try baking it at 350° as I found the cake dried out a bit at 375°. Thank you for sharing a lovely summer receipt, Tieghan!
Hi Samantha,
Thanks so much for trying this dessert and sharing your comment:) Glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Made this for my son’s birthday and it was a huge hit! Perfect as-is
Hey Roxanne,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it! Happy Birthday to your son! xx
Hello,
Have you tried using tinned peaches? Would that work?
Hi Tamara,
So sorry, I have not tried that! I think frozen or fresh peaches are your best option here:) x
Ok, so I tweaked and made a boo boo. I didn’t have enough peaches, but I did have 2 nicely ripe mangos and add those to peach mixture. Then I accidentally added the cinnamon sugar to cake batter instead of sprinkling over cake before baking…aaahhh! But it was ALL GOOD!! Definitely will be making this again…with the mangos, lol.
Hey Liz,
Well so glad to hear that this turned out well with the mangoes:) Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! xT
Hello, do you think this recipe would freeze ok if made ahead? Thanks!
Hey Hannah,
I would probably just recommend freezing your peaches and then making this the day you want to serve:) I hope this helps! xT
Do you peel your peaches for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Roseanne,
I did not peel my peaches for this recipe, but you absolutely can if that is your preference! Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xx
What size baking dish, please and thank u!
Hey there,
You can use a 9×13 baking dish or a large skillet:)
Just made this and it’s delicious! I put mine in a 13×9 and it turned out perfectly 🙂
Hi Kaitlin,
Awesome! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment! So glad it was a hit! xT
Teagan, I have yet to make one of your recipes that isn’t 5 stars and this did not disappoint. In my opinion the perfect dessert! I can’t wait to recreate it throughout the seasons with different fruit!
Aww, thanks so much, Laura! I really appreciate you making so many recipes and your feedback! Have a great week! xx
Made this tonight. So delicious and easy. I didn’t have regular sugar for the cinnamon-sugar mix and used brown sugar instead and still tasted great. I will definitely make this again!
Hey Erin,
Fantastic! Thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Have a great week! xT