Fluffy yet moist spice cake layers filled with ginger bourbon peach compote and frosted in vanilla bean buttercream. This cake is perfectly sweet and tender with a balance of warm spices, earthy vanilla bean, and late-summer-y peaches. Altogether it creates a cake you’ll want to make all summer and fall!

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Have you ever had a redemption project? Something that didn’t turn out how you wanted and you were determined to get it right the next time?

This recipe is kind of a redemption cake for me. At the beginning of the pandemic (why, oh why is that still going on? #getvaccinated), I was trying to use up some peaches from my freezer. When I’d bought them months before at a local farmers market, I’d been inspired (by a tablecloth of all things) to make a peach cake. So I was determined to use these peaches in a cake.

That cake was delicious but a photography disaster. The light was bad that day. I was a total novice at food photography. And I’d under-baked the cake a bit then cut it unevenly, creating less than photogenic layers.

However, the ginger bourbon peach compote I used in the filling was not only amazing, it was also one of my most popular recipes for a good year.

So when peaches came back in style this summer, I wanted to try my hand at a peach cake that didn’t fail quite so much.

Wow. Redemption accomplished.

This cake uses my brown sugar spice cake layers, my ginger bourbon peach compote, and my new favorite: vanilla bean buttercream. The combination is this perfectly sweet, subtly spicy, late-summer-y cake that I honestly couldn’t get enough of. I’m honestly very sad that I only made a 4” cake and it was gone within a couple days.

Brown sugar spice cake

The brown sugar spice cake is one of my new favorites. I’ve never been great at making non-chocolate cake, until this cake. The texture is perfection. The brown sugar makes it perfectly sweet and moist. And the spice balance is right in that sweet spot between too much and not even there. Just a little punch of spice to round out the cake. In fact, I’ve worked from this cake recipe as the basis for most of my non-chocolate cakes in the last year—it’s that good!

Ginger bourbon peach compote

This compote! Like I said, I was just trying to use up frozen peaches that were taking up room in our freezer. I kinda winged it. I also had no choice but to leave the skins on, because I’d left them on when I froze them. This time around, I did find the skins to be difficult to use as frosting, so I pureed a small bit of it to swirl into the buttercream. With or without the skins, it’s still just so yummy! It really does let the flavors of ginger, bourbon, and peach shine through! And it pairs so, so well with this cake. The flavors and textures play off of each other perfectly.

Vanilla bean buttercream

Man oh man. This buttercream is my new favorite! Vanilla bean paste makes it a little earthy but also brightly vanilla-y. I may never make regular vanilla buttercream again! It complements the spiciness of the cake and compote perfectly and rounds it out so well.

How to make ginger bourbon peach spice cake

1. First, make the compote and let it cool. Try to remove the skins or puree a small bit so it’s easier to swirl with the buttercream.

2. Next, make the cake layers. Simply cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, then alternate adding dry ingredients and milk. It should be a little lumpy—that’s how you know it’s not over-mixed.

3. Make the buttercream. I suggest doing this when the cake is cool so you can move right to assembly.

4. Fill with buttercream and compote. I suggest cutting each cake layer in half to get more filling and also piping a ring of buttercream to keep the compote from completely squishing out.

5. Crumb coat and chill. Swirl any compote that leaks out into the crumb coat.

6. Frost with buttercream and a few swirls of compote. There’s not right or wrong way to do this, and you can easily scrape a little compote or buttercream off or add a little more of either in dollops to create a whimsical design.

Enjoy!

Tips and notes for this recipe

Sift your dry ingredients!

I will never not say this about cake. I tried skipping this once and the cake was kind of terrible. It was super dry and had a weird texture. I also got a bite with a clump of cocoa powder. Ew. Be sure to sift those dry ingredients with a large fine mesh sieve!

Use room temperature ingredients

This is so helpful in buttercream (as is using European butter—it makes smoother frostings). But it’s vitally necessary in cakes. I’ve learned from very embarrassing experiences that using still-cold ingredients makes a dry, crumbly cake. It also leads to over mixing, as the flour won’t mix as well with cold ingredients. Usually, it’ll look chunky and separated, which then causes most people (like me) to keep mixing, which is never a good idea in cakes.

Lesson learned: use room temperature ingredients!

Don’t skip on the buttercream ring or the chilling

I started doing swirled cakes when a jam filling squished out a bit and I had no choice but to just go with it. It’s such a fun look in my opinion. However, the goal is to keep most of the compote inside the cake so you still get that amazing ratio of cake, buttercream, and compote in each bit. Chilling the whole thing after a minimal crumb coat ensures that you won’t accidentally squish some of the filling out the sides as you frost the outside, since the ring will be firm.

Don’t over mix

A lot of people find this direction annoying. How do you know you’ve over mixed? I try to be very specific about when to stop mixing in my recipes. While my chocolate cakes require exactly 2 minutes on medium, this cake gets mixed until combined and that’s it. You actually want a few small lumps of flour in it still. They tell you it’s not over mixed but they’ll absorb quickly as it bakes.

Split up your work

Everything for this cake can be made ahead! You can make the compote and the buttercream 1-2 weeks in advance and keep it tightly sealed in the fridge. The buttercream can also be kept in the freezer (in a tightly sealed, freezer-safe bag or container) for 1-2 months. Just know you’ll need to bring it to room temperature then either stir it well or whip it for about 30 seconds with a hand mixer (if it’s been chilled longer than a day). The cake layers can be made ahead, cooled completely, then wrapped well (double or triple layers) in plastic wrap and frozen. Don’t refrigerate them, as this dries them out when they haven’t been frosted yet.

My cake tools

Here are my must-have tools I use for making this cake. Affiliate links provided.

Stand mixer or handheld mixer

Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy cake)

All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the bowl easier as the batter and frosting doesn’t get all over a wooden handle!)

Silicone liners for 8” cake (or for 6” cakes)

8” aluminum cake pans or 6” aluminum cake pans (I’ve found nonstick doesn’t bake as evenly)

Offset spatulafor frosting the cake

You might also like:

Ginger Bourbon Peach Pie

French Nectarine Cake

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Eggnog Latte Cake

Brandied Plum Cake

Ginger Bourbon Peach Spice Cake

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prep time: 40-45 minutes
bake time: 25-30 minutes
total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (plus time for the cake layers to cool; can be split up)

servings: 12-16

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (289g) flour, spooned then leveled and sifted
2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder, sifted
1 tablespoon (8g) ground cinnamon
dash each of ground nutmeg, cloves, and ginger (or to taste--I like 3 dashes ginger)
optional: a few good dashes ground cardamom (for a chai-ish flavor)
½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
¾ cup (170g) unsalted European style* butter, softened
1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240g) whole milk, room temperature
one batch ginger bourbon peach compote
one batch vanilla bean buttercream

Instructions:

When you take your eggs, butter, and milk out to warm up, make the ginger bourbon peach compote so it has time to chill and set. Optionally, you can do this up to 1-2 weeks in advance and keep it well sealed in your fridge until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 325F/165C. Grease and flour two 8” or 9” cake pans (or use baking spray) and line with parchment paper (or use silicone liners).
Using a fine mesh sieve, sift and whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, spices, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl or with a hand mixer), beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sugars and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway then at the end.
Add in the eggs one at a time, beating on medium until well-blended, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, after each egg. Scrape the bowl and add the vanilla, beating on medium until combined.
Add half of the flour to the bowl and mix on low, just until combined with a few flour streaks left. Add the milk and mix again on low, just until combined. It will seem a little chunky. Add the rest of the flour and mix on low, just until combined and with a few flour streaks on the edge. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold that in as you go. Try to do this in 2-3 large, sweeping strokes and just fold the flour/batter from the sides/bottom back in as you go. It will still have some lumps of flour, but don’t worry, those will bake out.
Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Check early and often, as oven times vary based on climate, elevation, and even the season. Also, this cake finishes faster than you’d think--you might get raw batter on a toothpick then 3 minutes later it’s done!
Let cakes cool in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack until completely cooled.
While the cakes cool, make the vanilla bean buttercream. Try not to eat it all with spoon while you wait for the cakes to be fully cooled. ;)
When the cakes are fully cooled (be sure they’re not even a little warm in the middle), cut each one in half with a large serrated knife or cake leveler. You shouldn’t need to level the tops, as this usually bakes flat. Check to make sure the cakes really are fully cooled. If not, put the cut halves back together to preserve moisture and let them cool a little longer.
Assemble the cake by placing a cut layer on a cake board or flat plate. Spread a thin-ish layer of buttercream on it. Create a dam for the compote by placing about half a cup frosting in a plastic baggie and cutting a small hole in the corner, creating a makeshift piping bag (or just use a piping bag). Pipe a ring right along the very edge of the cake. Spread some of the ginger bourbon peach compote within the ring of frosting. Be careful not to spread it too thick, as it can cause the layers to slide off. About ⅛ inch or so is plenty, which is why we cut the layers in half to create some balance. Continue with the remaining layers, making sure to place the last layer cut side down (it creates fewer crumbs when you frost the top).
Create a crumb coat of frosting, swirling any compote that leaks out into the crumb coat. Chill at least 10 minutes to help firm up the cake.
Create the final jammy coat by spreading some frosting around the cake (not smoothing it out) then placing just a few dollops of compote around the cake as well. (You may not end up using all of the compote.) From here, just frost and swirl whimsically, as perfection isn’t the goal! Add more buttercream or compote as needed to get your desired effect. I even scraped some compote off at one point and it worked fine!

Note: if you didn’t remove the peach skins, take about ¼ cup or so of the compote and puree it (you can use a blender, food processor, or immersion blender). This helps it swirl into the buttercream more smoothly.

Enjoy!

The cake can be kept on the counter for a few hours but must be refrigerated if keeping longer than that. Keep a cut cake fresh by placing a piece of plastic wrap right against the cut sides then covering the entire cake well with more plastic wrap or in an airtight cake holder.

*Butter should be matte in appearance and should be soft but have some resistance if you press your finger into it. If it is shiny, put in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm it up some. Also, European butter is ideal for cakes because it has less water and makes a better texture.