This easy baked peach dessert is the kind of practical, old-fashioned recipe that earns a permanent place in a holiday rotation. Using canned sliced peaches in heavy syrup keeps the preparation simple and gives you a consistently sweet, jammy fruit base, while a handful of pantry staples turns it into a warm dessert with a soft, golden topping. It fits right in at Thanksgiving, potlucks, or Sunday supper, especially when you want a cobbler-style sweet without a long ingredient list or extra fuss.
Serve this dessert warm with vanilla ice cream, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt if you want a little contrast to the sweetness. For a holiday table, it pairs especially well with coffee, black tea, or spiced cider, and it sits nicely alongside savory mains because the baked fruit keeps it from feeling too heavy after a large meal.
5-Ingredient Oven Baked Peach Dessert
Servings: 8
Ingredients
2 cans (15 ounces each) sliced peaches in heavy syrup, undrained
1 box (about 15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an oven-safe metal roasting pan if desired for easier cleanup.
2. Pour both cans of sliced peaches with all the heavy syrup straight into the roasting pan and spread them into an even layer.
3. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the peaches, covering the fruit as uniformly as possible without stirring.
4. Drizzle the melted butter as evenly as you can over the cake mix, then sprinkle the cinnamon and chopped pecans across the top.
5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the peach filling is bubbling around the edges.
6. Let the dessert rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so the syrup thickens slightly and the topping sets.
Variations & Tips
Walnut Topping: Swap the pecans for chopped walnuts if you prefer a slightly earthier flavor. Toasted walnuts also hold up nicely against the sweet peach syrup.
Extra Spice: Add a pinch of nutmeg or ground ginger along with the cinnamon for a warmer holiday profile. This is especially nice if you are serving the dessert at Thanksgiving.
Less Sweet Balance: If your canned peaches are especially sweet, a small squeeze of lemon juice over the fruit before adding the cake mix can brighten the flavor without making the dessert taste tart.
Crisper Topping Tip: Try to drizzle the melted butter over as much of the dry cake mix as possible. Any dry patches will still bake through, but better butter coverage gives you a more evenly golden top.
Make It Ahead: You can assemble the peaches and cake mix in the pan a short time ahead, then add the butter, cinnamon, and pecans just before baking. That helps keep the topping from getting soggy before it goes into the oven.