Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix
This peach cobbler recipe with cake mix turns two cans of peaches, a box of yellow cake mix, and a stick of butter into a bubbling dessert in about an hour. The trick that separates a good peach cobbler with cake mix from a gluey one is restraint: sprinkle the dry cake mix over the peaches, drizzle the butter on top, and leave it alone so the topping bakes into craggy, golden pockets instead of one flat, cakey layer.
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking dish (glass or ceramic preferred)
- Large mixing bowl - for tossing the peaches with vanilla if using it
- Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl - for melting the butter
- Rubber spatula - for spreading the cake mix layer evenly
Ingredients
- 2 cans sliced peaches in syrup - 29 oz / 822g each, undrained
- 1 box yellow cake mix - 15.25 oz / 432g, dry, unprepared
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter - 113g, melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 0.25 cup granulated sugar - 50g
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract - optional, stirred into the peaches
Optional Additions & Serving
- 0.5 cup chopped pecans - 60g, optional, sprinkled over the butter before baking
- vanilla ice cream - for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray, covering the bottom and sides.
- Pour both cans of sliced peaches into the baking dish, including the syrup. Spread the peaches into an even layer using a spatula. If using vanilla extract, stir it into the peaches and syrup now.
- Sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the peach layer. Sprinkle the ground cinnamon evenly over the top. Do not stir the sugar and cinnamon into the peaches; let them sit on the surface.
- Open the box of yellow cake mix and sprinkle it evenly over the entire surface of the peaches. Use a spatula to gently smooth the layer so no dry pockets are thicker than others, without pressing it into the peaches. Leave the top layer dry. Do not stir the cake mix into the fruit.
- Melt the butter completely in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl. Drizzle the melted butter evenly across the entire surface of the dry cake mix, moving in slow, even lines so most of the powder is moistened. A few small dry patches are normal and will bake into crisp bits.
- If using pecans, sprinkle them evenly over the buttered cake mix layer before the dish goes into the oven.
- Place the dish on the center oven rack. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the peach syrup is visibly bubbling around the edges. If the top is browning too quickly before the center sets, loosely tent the dish with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Let the cobbler rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the syrup thickens slightly before serving. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Notes
- Do not drain the peaches. The syrup is what moistens the cake mix from underneath as it bakes.
- Use room-temperature butter for melting, since cold butter straight from the fridge can take longer to melt evenly and leaves cool spots in the pan.
- Resist stirring after adding the cake mix. Stirring at this stage turns the dish into a flat cake rather than a textured cobbler.
- Smooth the cake mix layer lightly, without compacting it. Pressing it down firmly can seal off the surface and leave the middle gummy after baking.
- Check doneness at the center, not just the edges. Edges brown fastest, but the middle needs to look set and dry on top before the dish comes out.
- Let it rest before serving. Cutting or scooping immediately after baking makes the syrup run thin instead of coating the fruit.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 310mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33g
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