Peach Bourbon Dump Cake Recipe

This peach bourbon dump cake is sliced peaches tossed with ¼ cup bourbon, brown sugar, and cinnamon, covered with a box of dry yellow cake mix and thin pats of cold butter, then baked in a 9×13 inch pan at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes. It serves 8, takes about an hour start to finish, and works with two cans of peaches or 4 cups of fresh ones.

The bourbon is what makes it more than a plain peach dump cake. It cooks into the peach juices and brown sugar and leaves a toasty, vanilla edge under a buttery, crisp top. I have made it with and without, and the bourbon pan always empties first.

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Fresh, Canned or Frozen Peaches?

All three work, and the card gives amounts for the first two. Use either 2 cans (15 ounces each) of sliced peaches in juice, drained well, or 4 cups of peeled, sliced fresh peaches, about 6 or 7 medium ones, tossed with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Fresh peaches keep their shape and taste brighter. Pick ones that give a little near the stem and smell like peaches. If they are still hard, cook them with the sugar and lemon juice for 5 minutes first so they soften without going to mush. Canned peaches are softer and sweeter, and they bake into a jammier layer. Drain them in a sieve for a few minutes, since extra juice is the main reason a dump cake turns soupy.

Frozen sliced peaches can stand in for fresh. Thaw them, drain off the liquid, and measure 4 cups.

How to peel fresh peaches quickly

Cut a small X in the bottom of each peach, lower them into boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, then move them straight into a bowl of ice water. The skins slip off with your fingers. Riper peaches need the shorter time.

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What the Bourbon Does, and Does It Bake Off?

Bourbon brings vanilla, caramel, and a little oak, which is exactly what peaches and brown sugar like. Drizzle it over the fruit before anything else so it mixes into the juices instead of soaking into the dry cake mix.

Most of the alcohol evaporates during 45 to 50 minutes in the oven, but not all of it. If you are baking for kids or anyone who avoids alcohol, use ¼ cup apple juice instead. It keeps the fruit layer just as saucy and adds a soft sweetness, though you lose the deeper toasty note.

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Layering the Pan: Fruit, Sugar, Dry Mix, Cold Butter

Grease the 9×13 dish and spread the peaches in an even layer. Drizzle the bourbon, then sprinkle ½ cup packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg if you like a warmer spice. Stir the fruit gently once, just enough to spread the sugar. The peaches should keep their shape.

Sprinkle a standard box of yellow cake mix (about 13 to 15 ounces) evenly over the top, breaking up any lumps with your fingers. Do not stir it in. The dry layer is what turns into the topping: crisp where the butter melts over it and soft and cakey where it meets the fruit.

Slice ¾ cup cold unsalted butter into thin pats and lay them across the cake mix, edge to edge, with as few gaps as you can. I have tried pouring melted butter instead, and it runs into channels and leaves dry patches, while thin cold slices melt slowly and evenly. Finish with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts if you want crunch. The nuts toast on top as it bakes.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. It is done when the top is deep golden all the way to the center and the juices bubble thick and amber at the edges. That is the brown sugar, butter, and bourbon cooking down into a caramel-like sauce, so you get a caramel peach dump cake without making any caramel. Let it rest 10 to 15 minutes so the sauce sets a little before you scoop.

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Dry Spots, Soupy Fruit and Other Fixes

• Powdery dry cake mix on top: the butter did not reach that spot. At the 30 minute mark, dab any pale, dusty patches with a little extra butter and keep baking.
• Soupy bottom: the canned peaches were not drained well, or the cake was cut straight from the oven. Drain longer next time and give it the full 10 to 15 minute rest.
• Gummy topping: the cake mix was stirred into the fruit. Keep it as a separate dry layer.
• Top browning before the center is done: lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan for the last 10 minutes.
• Too sweet with canned fruit: choose peaches packed in juice, not heavy syrup, as the card says.

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Is It a Dump Cake or a Bourbon Peach Cobbler?

Both names get used for this pan, and you will see it searched as a bourbon peach cobbler dump cake or a bourbon peach dump cobbler. It eats like a cobbler: warm fruit underneath, a buttery crust on top. The difference is the topping. A dump cake uses dry cake mix and butter, with no mixing bowl at all, while a traditional cobbler has a biscuit or batter topping you stir together. If you want that version, my easy peach cobbler has a biscuit topping, and the peach dump cake is this same method without the bourbon.

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Serving It Warm and Reheating Leftovers

Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream, a spoonful of cold cream, or whipped cream. If you are serving it hot under ice cream, I usually skip the nuts. For leftovers, they add crunch that the softened topping loses.

Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Warm single portions in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or reheat the pan at 350°F for about 15 minutes to crisp the top again.

Still have peaches and bourbon on hand? Try a peach bourbon cobbler cheesecake or a jar of bourbon peach jam. For more pans in the same style, the caramel pecan dump cake and the rest of my dump cake recipes use the same dry mix and butter method.

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Quick Answers for Bourbon Peach Bakers

Can I use fresh peaches in a bourbon peach dump cake?

Yes. Use 4 cups of peeled, sliced fresh peaches (6 or 7 medium) tossed with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Do I drain the canned peaches?

Yes. Drain both 15 ounce cans well; the bourbon and melting butter add enough liquid.

Can I make it ahead?

It is best the day it is baked. You can bake it a few hours early and rewarm it at 350°F for 15 minutes before serving.