Peaches and cream cheese loaf is a tender, buttery quick bread with cream cheese beaten right into the batter and juicy pieces of peach in every slice. It is rich like a pound cake and soft like a muffin, with a little lemon zest and a hint of cinnamon. It uses canned peaches, so you can bake it in any season. Serve it for breakfast, with coffee in the afternoon, or as a simple dessert.
How to make peach cream cheese loaf: Cream softened cream cheese and butter together, then beat in sugar, eggs and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in turns with milk. Fold in drained, diced canned peaches. Bake in a greased loaf pan at 375°F for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Why You’ll Love It
- Cream cheese in the batter. No separate filling to layer or swirl.
- Canned peaches. No peeling, no pitting and no waiting for summer.
- No yeast. It is a quick bread, raised with baking powder.
- One big loaf or two small ones. Keep one and give one away.
- Ten minutes of prep. The oven does the rest.
Ingredient Notes
Cream cheese. Eight ounces, softened so it creams smoothly with the butter.
Butter. Half a cup, which is 1 stick.
Sugar. One and a half cups.
Lemon zest. Half a tablespoon. It brightens the peach flavor.
Eggs. Two.
All-purpose flour. Two and a quarter cups.
Baking powder and salt. One tablespoon of baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt.
Cinnamon. One teaspoon. It is optional.
Milk. One cup.
Sliced peaches. One 15-ounce can, drained and diced.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 1 cup milk
- 1 can sliced peaches (15 ounces), drained and diced
How to Make Peach Cream Cheese Loaf
1. Prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease 1 bread loaf pan for a very large loaf, or 2 loaf pans for smaller loaves.
2. Cream the butter and cheese. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the sugar, eggs and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Combine the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, baking powder, salt and the cinnamon, if you are using it.
4. Finish the batter. Slowly add the dry ingredients and the milk to the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the drained, diced peaches.
5. Bake. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan or pans. Bake a large loaf for 50 to 55 minutes, or two smaller loaves for 45 to 50 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool. Let the loaf cool before slicing. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
One Large Loaf or Two Smaller Loaves?
This batter makes a lot. You can bake it all in one pan for a very large, tall loaf, or divide it between two pans for a pair of smaller ones. The batter is the same either way. Only the baking time changes.
| Choice | Pans | Bake time at 375°F | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| One very large loaf | 1 greased loaf pan | 50 to 55 minutes | Tall, thick slices |
| Two smaller loaves | 2 greased loaf pans | 45 to 50 minutes | One to keep and one to share |
Whichever you choose, the test for doneness is the same. Push a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, with no wet batter on it, the loaf is done. If you hit a piece of peach, try another spot.
Start checking at the early end of the range. A big loaf browns on top well before the middle is baked, so trust the toothpick and not the color.
Tips for Success
Should cream cheese be mixed into the loaf or added as a separate filling?
Mixed in. Here the cream cheese is creamed with the butter at the very start, so it becomes part of the crumb. There is no cheesecake layer or swirl.
How well should I drain the peaches?
Very well. Pour off all the syrup, then dice the slices. Extra liquid makes the loaf heavy and wet around the fruit.
Why does the cream cheese need to be soft?
Cold cream cheese leaves small white lumps in the batter. Let it soften on the counter while you gather everything else.
How do I add the flour and milk?
Slowly, a little of each at a time, mixing gently. Then fold in the peaches by hand so they stay in pieces.
When can I slice it?
Once it has cooled. A warm loaf with soft fruit in it crumbles under the knife.
How Long Does It Take?
About 65 minutes for the large loaf: 10 minutes of prep and up to 55 minutes in the oven. Two smaller loaves bake a little faster, in 45 to 50 minutes. Cooling time comes after that.
Storage & Reheating
Because of the cream cheese and fruit, this loaf belongs in the refrigerator. Wrap it or cover it and refrigerate it within 2 hours of baking. USDA FSIS gives 3 to 4 days for refrigerated leftovers. If you warm a slice, heat it to 165°F.
What to Serve With It
A slice needs nothing, but a spoonful of cream cheese whipped cream makes it dessert. For more fruit and cream cheese, try the strawberry cream cheese icebox cake, raspberry cream cheese bites or the 4-ingredient lemon cream cheese dump cake. If you have cream cheese left, bake cream cheese squares or savory spinach puffs with cream cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I bake one large loaf versus two smaller loaves?
Bake one large loaf for 50 to 55 minutes, or two smaller loaves for 45 to 50 minutes, at 375°F.
How do I know the loaf is done?
A toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Should cream cheese be mixed into the loaf or added as a separate filling?
It is creamed into the batter with the butter. There is no separate filling.
Is the cinnamon required?
No. It is optional. Leave it out for a cleaner peach and lemon flavor.
Final Notes
I dice the peaches on a paper towel, which soaks up the last of the syrup before they go into the batter. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Peaches & Cream Cheese Loaf
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 1 cup milk
- 1 can sliced peaches 15 ounces, drained and diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease 1 bread loaf pan for a very large loaf, or 2 loaf pans for smaller loaves.
- In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the sugar, eggs and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy.
- In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, baking powder, salt and the cinnamon, if you are using it.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients and the milk to the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the drained, diced peaches.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan or pans. Bake a large loaf for 50 to 55 minutes, or two smaller loaves for 45 to 50 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool before slicing. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
