Perfectly Thick Peach Filling

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I first made this peach filling for my peach crisp cake recipe and I’m so in love with it that I had to make a separate recipe post! It’s made with fresh summer peaches, perfectly spiced with a little cinnamon, and the ideal thickness for using as a cake filling. You can easily substitute frozen or canned peaches in the off-season. This peach filling recipe makes the perfect amount for a triple layer 6-inch cake, a double layer 9-inch cake, or to fill about 30 cupcakes. If you love peaches, this is going to be your new favorite filling! 

Thick Peach Filling for Cakes & Cupcakes

It was really important to me to create a peach filling that is thick enough to use as a cake or cupcake filling. In my recipe testing I discovered it isn’t enough to simply add cornstarch in the cooking process – the secret to the ideal thickness is to mash up some of the cooked peaches into a puree. You’ll essentially cook half of the peaches, mash them up, add the rest of the diced peaches and a cornstarch slurry, then cook until the filling thickens just the right amount and the added peaches are soft. This method ensures perfectly thick filling with little bits of soft peaches throughout. I could eat it by the spoonful!

How to Make Perfect Peach Filling

Peel and Dice the Peaches. I used fresh peaches which I peeled and diced. I found this process to be cleaner when I used a paring knife to halve the peach, removed the pit, then peeled the peach half before dicing. If you peel the peach before removing the pit, things can get slimy. 

Cook Half of the Peaches. Add half of the diced peaches, cinnamon, and brown sugar into a medium saucepan and cook them over medium heat. The juices will leak from the peaches and morph into a sauce with the cinnamon and sugar. Cook until the liquid starts to boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

Mash the Cooked Peaches. Use a potato masher to mash up the peaches until pureed. 

Add the Remaining Peaches. Add the remaining diced peaches and cornstarch slurry, then continue cooking until the diced peaches are soft and the filling has thickened. 

Cool the Peach Filling. Transfer the peach filling to a heat proof container and cool in the refrigerator. It will thicken a little more as it cools. 

How to Fill & Stack a Cake

This peach filling is wonderfully thick, but it still needs some support when filling a cake. The best way to do this is with a buttercream dam. Here’s how to properly fill a cake with peach filling: 

Step 1. Fill a piping bag with about 1 Cup of buttercream (or any kind of thick frosting) and snip off ½ inch opening. Then, pipe a circle around the edge of your first cake layer, about ¼ inch inward to allow room for settling. 

Step 2. Add the peach filling into the middle and spread it to the edges of the buttercream dam. Be sure to only fill the center of the dam until it’s about ¾ full. If you add too much filling, you can risk it leaking out over the top of the dam when you add the next cake layer.

Step 3. Add the next cake layer on top and repeat the process of piping the dam and filling the center with peach filling. 

Step 4. Add the final cake layer on top, then move on to crumb coating the cake and decorating. 

What Cake Flavors to Pair with Peach Filling

Now that you know how to make the peach filling and how to use it, here are my top recommendations for cake flavors you can pair it with:

• Peach Crisp Cake
• Spiced Vanilla Chai Cake
• Bakery-Style White Cake
• Strawberry Layer Cake
• Vanilla Cupcakes

I hope you love this peach filling as much as I do! Let me know if you make it in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create with my recipes!