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Peach Ricotta Layer Cake with Browned Butter Buttercream. Favorite cake of the summer….hands down. Three layers of fluffy cake, filled with bourbon peach jam, raspberry jam, and the most delicious browned butter buttercream. This cake is light, airy, peachy, sweet, and all the things you want in a summertime cake. Trust me, you just have to make this!
It’s been long but great week, and ending it with this peach filled cake just seems like the right thing to do. Plus, I am not sure what it is about summer, but I have a serious baking bug right now. With all the amazing summer produce, it’s hard not to want to use produce in everything I am making. Anyone else feeling same?
I’m spending the next couple of days in Cleveland with family. I’m excited to check out the local markets here, especially the West Side Market, which has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. My dad used to stop there on his way home from work to pick up fresh produce. It’s just one of the things I miss about living in Cleveland, it’s such a great market.
Assuming the weather is nice, I’ll be spending the first weekend of August outside my kitchen. Most of my family is in Cleveland this weekend, so it will be great to see them all. I know that my brother is really hoping I make Butter Chicken or Gumbo, so I’m sure I will still do a little cooking. The one thing I really want to do though?
Find peaches!! Local fresh peaches are the best, and we have a few birthdays to celebrate, so a remake of this cake might just be in order. Not complaining, as it’s truly one of my favorites right now. What’s not to love about a peach ricotta cake with browned butter buttercream, you know?
For years now I have been wanting to make a peach layer cake, but summers have come and gone and I just never got around to making one. Well, I finally changed all that this summer, and I could not be happier with how this cake turned out.
This cake is everything…it’s so delicious, pretty, fun, and uses up all the summer peaches you probably have on hand. Not sure about you guys, but my eyes can tend to be larger than my stomach. I can get so excited when I see produce I love, that I buy way more than I actually know what to do with. This isn’t the best habit, but it does force me to get creative with my ingredients and think of new ways to use them up.
So it’s bad that I tend to over-buy…but it’s also kind of good too!
Anyway, let’s talk details.
This is a recipe that isn’t under thirty minutes, or less than ten ingredients, but it’s worth any extra time and effort. I promise.
OK, so you’ll start off by making the fluffy ricotta based cake. First of all, ricotta cakes are the way to go. Not only does the ricotta add a nice flavor, but it adds richness, moisture, and keeps the cake incredibly light and fluffy. This isn’t my first time using ricotta in a dessert, but it’s the first cake I’ve incorporated it into. And it for sure will not be the last…game changer.
While the cake is baking, make the peach jam. Honestly, if you have a surplus of peaches, you should just be making jam all the time. Peach jam can be used in both sweet and savory ways, and yes, it is good. The jam is spread over each layer of cake and it’s the main flavor. I used brown sugar to sweeten the jam. I also gave the jam a kick of flavor with a couple splashes of bourbon, because I will forever love the combination of peaches and bourbon. If you’re not someone who likes to cook with alcohol, not to worry, just omit the bourbon and replace it with lemon juice or two teaspoons of vanilla.
For the buttercream, you’ll need to brown some butter. If you’ve never browned butter, oh man, you are in for a real treat. Browning butter on the stove gives it a nutty, rich flavor, and I swear, makes almost any dish better, whether it’s sweet or savory.
In addition to the browned butter, I also used some mascarpone cheese in the buttercream to give it a very “whipped” feel. I didn’t want the buttercream to be heavy and weigh down the cake, so the lightness of the mascapone is perfect paired with this cake.
Also, I want to talk about cutting the cake layers in half. I have chatted with you guys about this before, but do not stress about this step. It’s a lot easier than you may think. You just need to use a long, serrated knife and try to cut in an even, straight line. The long knife will help make this so much easier.
Don’t worry too much if your layers are not perfectly even. One of the great things about frosting/buttercream is that it covers up mistakes. It’s a delicious and beautiful thing.
And in my opinion, you can never have too much frosting!
If you make this peach ricotta layer cake, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this cake, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Peach Ricotta Layer Cake with Browned Butter Buttercream
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 2192 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Bourbon Peach Jam
- 6 cups fresh or frozen peaches
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1/3 cup raspberry jam
Brown Butter Buttercream
- 3 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the canola oil, ricotta, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mix until just combined. 3. Pour the batter among the cake pans and bake 30-35 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.4. To make the jam. Add the peaches and brown sugar to a medium size pot set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, once boiling use a potato masher or fork to break down and mash the peaches. Continue to cook for 5-8 minutes or until the jam has reduced and thickened by 1/3. Stir in the bourbon during the last minute of cooking. Remove from the heat and let cool. Should thicken as it cools. 5. To make the buttercream. Add 2 sticks butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat and transfer the butter to the mixing bowl, let cool until it's room temp. 6. Add the remaining stick of butter, mascapone, and powdered sugar and beat the butter and powdered sugar together until the butter is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.7. To assemble. Using a large serrated knife, carefully cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1/4 of the buttercream over the cake and layer with about 1/4 cup of peach jam and 2 tablespoons raspberry jam. Repeat with the remaining 3 cake layers. Be careful not to overfill your layers or the cake will be hard to slice. Frost the outside of the cake. Chill 30 minutes. Serve, or store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
This post was originally published on August 3, 2018
Hi! This cake sounds fabulous! I’m wondering, is this cake sturdy enough to be stacked in a tiered cake? I would love to put this in the second of a 3 tier cake. Any thoughts? Thanks and thanks for your input and the great recipe
Hey Laurie! I think that will work great and be SO PRETTY! I think the cake layers are sturdy enough. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This cake was beautiful, pretty easy to make and a huge hit! I cheated by buying the peach jam instead of making my own, but the results were still fantastic.
Only thing I’d change would be making on the day instead of baking the sponge ahead of time as it was a little moister on the day of baking than when served. All the same it was all gone in a flash and everyone commented on how tasty it was.
I’ll be making it again next weekend as part of a two-tier cake I’m baking for our engagement party – the perfect summery treat to celebrate with!
I am really glad this still turned out amazing for you Isabel! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This turned out so yummy! The peach jam was especially delicious, and the cake wasn’t overly sweet. It’s really nice to have with tea!
Thank you Lindsey! xTieghan
Making this as I type. A tip I learned from my mom is using thread to split the layers. It pulls right through with thread sticking out on both sides and could not be more fool proof. I struggle using a knife. Now a question – any options if I don’t have raspberry jam? Is jam needed – a different flavor like strawberry perhaps? Or is the raspberry kinda tart and that combats some of the sweetness from peaches? any thoughts would be great
Making this as I type. A tip I learned from my mom is using thread to split the layers. It pulls right through with thread sticking out on both sides and could not be more fool proof. I struggle using a knife. Now a question – any options if I don’t have raspberry jam? Is jam needed – a different flavor like strawberry perhaps? Or is the raspberry kinda tart and that combats some of the sweetness from peaches?
Hey Jane! Such a great tip, thank you!! Yes, you can use strawberry jam, that will be so great and delicious with the peaches I am sure! Alternately, you can also just omit the jam, it is delicious, BUT it’s not a must. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this for my dad’s birthday & it was sooo good, maybe even the best cake I’ve ever had (certainly the best non chocolate one!) I want to make it for a some friends but one of them has a peach allergy, is there any other fruit I could use for the home made jam or do you think just using the raspberry jam would be ok? Thanks!
Hey Sarah!! Raspberry jam will be so delicious, but so would any other fruity jam. I would do raspberry or blackberry personally, but you can use your favorite berry. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these as cupcakes and they came out perfectly! I hollowed out the center and filled with the peach jam (I did skip the raspberry jam), and then frosted.
Ooo yum! So glad you loved this Rachel! xTieghan
This cake looks amazing and I am definitely going to try this soon! I am not the biggest fan of Mascarpone, can Cream Cheese be used instead?
Hey Katie! Cream cheese will be just fine! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Is it possible to use grapeseed oil to substitute canola?
Hi! Yes, I think grapeseed or olive oil would be great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tiegan. I made this cake, as well as your white chocolate blackberry one, and I loved both of them. However, when I stored them in the fridge (leftovers) the cakes got super hard. Should I not store them in the fridge, or do you have any other advice?
Hey Veronica! The cakes should be stored in the fridge, but it’s best to remove them from the fridge an hour or 2 before you plan to serve/eat so that the cake can come back to room temp. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I don’t have bourbon, what can i sub for that? I have no alcohol in my household. 🙂
Hi there! Use 1 tablespoons vanilla in place of the bourbon. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
BEST CAKE I HAVE EVER HAD. So moist and so much flavor. It’s not too sweet and has just the right amount of everything!!! PLEASE MAKE THIS CAKE, YOU WONT BE SORRY.
Thank you so much Hannah! I am so glad this turned out perfectly for you! xTieghan
It’s way past summer but I’d love to make this cake anyway. Will canned peaches work as well or do you prefer using frozen ones?
HI! I recommend using frozen peaches. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Made this for a friend’s birthday this weekend, and she loved it! 🙂 I loved the taste of both jams together— sweet but not overly sweet! I used cake flour over all-purpose to give it a bit of a fluffier texture. Thanks for always cake recipes that blow my friends away!
Thank you so much Dani! I am so glad you loved this recipe and your friend did as well! Happy Birthday to her!
The cake just came out of the oven and looks and feels super oily, which I anticipated because of the amount of oil in it. I went ahead with the stated amount, against my better judgement, because of the rave reviews. I hope it doesn’t disappoint.
I hope it still tastes amazing as well Michele! Please let me know if you have any questions!