Berry Chantilly Cake

This Berry Chantilly Cake recipe is a delightful dessert that combines a tender and light white cake with a rich and creamy Chantilly Cream frosting and fresh seasonal berries. The perfect simple summer naked cake with pro cake baking tips and tricks!

 

When it comes to spring and summer desserts, there’s nothing better than fresh berries and freshly whipped cream. This Berry Chantilly Cake recipe is tender and light, and it’s filled with fresh, juicy berries and sweet chantilly cream frosting.

We love this Chantilly cake recipe with fresh berries SO much because it’s not only full of delicious spring and summer flavours, it’s also one of the most beautiful desserts that’s as impressive as it is delicious.

Berry Chantilly Cake is a dessert that’s common to the southern United States. It’s often made with layers of light vanilla-flavoured white sponge cake and frosted with a whipped cream-based Chantilly frosting made with mascarpone cheese. It’s filled and topped with freshly chopped strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, and it’s served on warm spring and summer days.

The name Chantilly comes from France, and it refers to traditional cream whipped to soft peaks. Although this Chantilly frosting contains mascarpone and isn’t exactly like the French Chantilly cream, it has a strong whipped cream flavour and texture which adds to the lightness of this dessert.

And as is true for most show-stopping desserts, this Berry Chantilly Cake is unbelievably simple: it’s just white cake, fresh berries and an easy whipped cream frosting. With a few easy-to-follow cake baking tips and tricks and our simple recipe, you’ll be well on your way to Chantilly cake heaven!

Here are all our BEST Pro Tips for baking a Berry Chantilly Cake from scratch!

1. Start with room-temperature ingredients. Make sure your milk and eggs are at room temperature. This will create a smooth cake batter and help the ingredients combine properly.
2. Measure the flour correctly. The best way to measure flour is in grams, but if you’re using cup measurements be sure to fluff the flour in its bag or container before scooping VERY gently (don’t pack the flour into the measuring cup at all), and then level it off with the back of a knife or other flat object.
3. Avoid over-mixing, especially after adding the flour. Over-mixing can create a dry, tough cake because it reduces the number of air bubbles present in the batter which give the cake its lift as it bakes.
4. Don’t mix on high speed. This can create something called tunnelling where long, thin air bubbles appear in the baked cake. This is caused by vigorous mixing that strengthens the gluten strands in the cake batter too much.
5. Prepare the pans properly. Always grease your cake pans generously with butter and dust the inside with cocoa powder on all sides (use flour if you’re making a white cake and cocoa powder for a chocolate one). This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. We suggest using spring-form pans for baking cakes for even easier removal.
6. Bake immediately after mixing. Don’t let an unbaked cake sit out on the counter. Always preheat your oven first and bake the cake immediately after adding the batter to the pans. This will help the cake rise properly in the oven as the leavening agent in the cake batter is activated as soon as the wet and dry ingredients are combined.
7. Place the pans in the centre of the oven. Don’t place the pans too close together as this can cause them to brown too much on one side. Add the pans to the centre of the oven so they bake evenly.
8. Don’t open the oven as they bake. Avoid opening the oven during baking unless it’s absolutely necessary to rotate the cakes while baking (if your oven is small or has a hot spot). Opening the oven door at the end of the baking time is ok, especially because testing the cake with a toothpick is necessary to prevent over-baking.
9. Don’t over bake. Over-baked cakes are dry and crumbly. Be sure to remove them from the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted into the top of the cake comes out clean.
10. Don’t under bake. Under-baked cakes are partly baked but gummy on top and in the centre. Test the cake with a toothpick to be sure the cake is baked completely.
11. Don’t let them cool completely in the pan. Cool the cakes in the pan only for the first 10-20 minutes of cooling, then turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Cooling the cakes in the pan will trap moisture in and make them soggy.
12. Frost only after completely cooled. Don’t try to frost a cake that’s still warm, especially if you’re using a butter-based frosting as the butter will melt and you’ll be left with a mess. Wait for the cakes to cool completely, then frost.
13. Level the cakes before frosting, if necessary. Use a large serrated knife (like a bread knife) to cut any domed top off of the cakes before assembling and frosting.
14. Chill the cake during assembly. Add whatever filling you’re using between the layers, then chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge. This will help the filling firm up so the cake keeps its shape as you add the frosting around the outside of the cake.
15. Chill the cake before slicing. Place the cake in the fridge once you’ve finished frosting it so the frosting can firm up. This will make the cake easier to slice and create clean, uniform slices.

Here are some common problems you might encounter while baking layer cakes and how to prevent them:

1. An uneven or sunken cake:
   • Make sure to measure ingredients accurately, especially the leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda.
   • Do not over-mix the batter as this can result in excess air being incorporated into the batter, leading to uneven baking and sinking in the centre of the cakes.
   • Ensure the oven is preheated to the correct temperature before placing the cake inside.
   • Avoid opening the oven door during baking as this can cause major changes in oven temperature and result in an uneven rise.
2. A dry or dense cake:
   • Measure the flour properly by spooning it into the measuring cup and levelling it off, rather than scooping it directly from the bag (using the fluff and scoop method also works well).
   • Do not over-mix the batter as this can over-develop gluten in the batter and lead to a tougher texture. Mix until the ingredients are just combined and the flour disappears.
   • Check the baking time and temperature. Over-baking can cause the cake to dry out. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.
3. A cracked cake:
   • An oven temperature that’s too high can cause the cake to rise too quickly and crack on the surface. Double-check that your oven temperature is correct by using an oven thermometer.
   • Avoid opening the oven door during the first half of baking. This can cause sudden temperature changes that contribute to cracking on the top of the cake.
4. Cakes that stick to the pan:
   • Properly grease and flour the cake pans (dust with cocoa powder instead of flour for a chocolate cake). You can also use parchment paper to line the bottoms of the pans to prevent sticking.
   • Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10, 15 or even 20 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack. Cooling the layers in the pan for several minutes helps the cake release more easily.
5. Sunken cake layers:
   • Check the freshness of your baking powder or baking soda. They lose potency over time and can cause cakes to sink. Replace them if necessary.
   • Ensure the oven temperature is accurate. Use an oven thermometer to check the temperature.
   • Avoid over-mixing the batter, as this can deflate the air incorporated during the creaming process. Mix until just combined.
   • Be sure the cakes are fully baked before removing them from the oven. If they’re not fully baked in the centre, they’ll sink in the middle after you remove them from the oven.
6. Difficulty frosting the cake:
   • Be sure the texture of your frosting is soft enough that it will easily glide over the surface of the cake without difficulty.
   • It’s a good idea to refrigerate the cake layers before frosting to make frosting the cake easier (the layers will be firmer after refrigerating).
7. The cake is bulging on the sides or difficult to slice:
   • Refrigerate the cake after placing the frosting between the layers and before frosting the outside of the cake. This will prevent the cake from settling too much and the sides from bulging.
   • If the cake is difficult to slice because it’s too soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour before slicing.

If you’re looking for more delicious desserts for summer we have SO many recipes you’re going to love. Here are some of our favourites:

• Easy No Bake Key Lime Pie
• Apple and Blackberry Crumble
• Easy No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream
• Blackberry Pie
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
• Raspberry Pie
• Easy No Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Easy No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

And there’s even more where that came from. We’ve compiled all our favourite summer desserts in our Summer Desserts e-book, available NOW in The Busy Baker Shop!

To make this cake recipe you’ll need (affiliate links):

• a stand mixer or a hand mixer with some mixing bowls
• measuring cups and spoons for dry ingredients
• measuring cups for liquid ingredients
• a silicone spatula
• a whisk
• 8-inch round cake pans or 9-inch round cake pans
• an offset spatula

Here is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this Berry Chantilly Cake recipe:

• butter and flour for preparing the cake pans
• unsalted butter
• eggs
• egg yolks
• buttermilk
• vegetable oil
• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• cream cheese
• mascarpone cheese
• heavy whipping cream
• powdered sugar
• strawberries
• raspberries
• blueberries

Try one of these variations on the classic Berry Chantilly Cake recipe!

• Lemon: Add a touch of lemon zest and juice to the cake batter for a refreshing twist.
• Chocolate: Incorporate cocoa powder into the cake batter and frost with Chantilly cream flavoured with a hint of chocolate.
• Tropical: Substitute some of the fresh berries with tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, and kiwi, and add some shredded coconut on top for a tropical flavour explosion.
• Mixed Berry: add blackberries, red and black currants, cranberries, and any other berries you can get your hands on for a more colourful and flavourful berry Chantilly cake.

We hope you enjoy this berry cake recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite summer cake recipe? We’d love to know!

• Chocolate Layer Cake
• Lemon Cupcakes
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Carrot Cake Roll
• Easy One Bowl Homemade Red Velvet Cake
• Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chocolate Lava Cake
• Red Velvet Bundt Cake
• Best Ever Blueberry Streusel Muffins
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
• Best Ever Easy Chocolate Cake