Berry Chantilly Cake – Simply Home Cooked

Modified: Mar 25, 2025 by Dina

This Berry Chantilly Cake is loaded with 4 different berries, sweet mascarpone cream cheese frosting, and 4 fluffy vanilla cake layers. This scrumptious dessert is fresh and gorgeous.

Table Of Contents

A huge thank you to Dairgold for sponsoring this recipe!

Recipe Details

This Berry Chantilly Cake was originally inspired by Whole Foods. As I was looking for a treat to enjoy with my coffee at Whole Foods one day, I came across this lovely berry cake. After tasting it, I couldn’t wait to recreate a copycat recipe at home! And I must say, this recipe is almost identical to the cake I had that day. With its lovely appearance and delicious flavors, you’re going to love it!

• TASTE: Sweet and richly flavored, this layered sponge cake is moist and delicious. The sweet-tart flavor of the berries in every layer gives it a freshness that’s irresistible.
• TEXTURE: Every layer of this Berry Chantilly Cake is filled with sweet syrup, creamy frosting, and juicy berries. The cake is also fabulously fluffy.
• TIME: This recipe takes 2 hours. I like to prepare it in stages, so not all the work is done in one day (and it makes it taste even better!)
• EASE: Despite the time involved, this isn’t very hard to prepare. Just follow the recipe and you’ll have no trouble turning out a beautiful cake for friends and family.

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Granulated sugar- This is used to sweeten the sponge cake and make the syrup that will moisten it.
• Eggs- We use a lot of eggs for this cake to give it a light and fluffy.
• Fresh berries- Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries adds pops of color and sweet, tart flavor.
• Heavy whipping cream- This thins the frosting while still keeping it rich and smooth.
• Corn starch- This makes the cake lighter with a tender crumb.
• Almond extract- This adds a strong, sweet flavor that is somewhat fruity rather than nutty.
• Powdered sugar- This fine sugar is the sweetener for the frosting.
• Mascarpone- Slightly sweet and very rich, this creamy, buttery cheese adds delicious flavor and smoothness to the frosting.
• Cream cheese- This ingredient is sweet and tangy, adding more richness to the frosting.

Add-ins and Substitutions

• Add jam- You can add strawberry jam, raspberry preserves, or another jam between the cake layers for a different texture.
• Add sour cream- Adding sour cream to the cake batter will keep it moist while introducing some tangier flavor.
• Use other fruit- This chantilly cake can also be enjoyed with other fruits, such as mango, pineapple, peaches, plums, figs, or grapes.
• Substitute cake flour- You can make this recipe with cake flour, but just omit the cornstarch as it is no longer needed.

How to Make Berry Chantilly Cake

• Prepare the cake pans. Line 2 round (10 inch) cake pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• Sift the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.
• Create a meringue. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs with the whisk attachment on high speed until foamy. Then slowly add the sugar as you continue to beat it on high speed.
• Add the vanilla. Once the egg and sugar mixture becomes fluffy and airy, beat in the vanilla extract. Then gently fold it into the batter using a large whisk.

Pro Tip: Be careful not to mix the egg mixture around too vigorously. You want to retain as much air in the batter as possible.

• Bake the cakes. Split the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a 350-degrees-Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes.
• Let them cool and then slice them into thin layers. Let the cake cool completely, overnight if possible. Once it’s cooled, slice each cake in half using a serrated knife.

• Make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
• Peak the heavy cream. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold the cream into the frosting. Using a spatula, fold the heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

• Make the syrup. In a saucepan, whisk together the water with the sugar. Bring the sugar to a boil and drop the heat to low. Let it sit over the stove top for 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
• Lightly coat the cake with syrup. Spray 1 side of each cake layer with the syrup.
• Assemble the base of the cake. Spread the cooled cream cheese filling on top of the first cake layer. Then add a little of each berry, as much as you like.

• Finish the assembly. Stack another cake layer on top and repeat the previous steps. Continue this until you stack the 4th cake layer. Then cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream frosting. Top with extra berries for a beautiful pop of color. Serve.

Recipe Tips

• Let the cake cool overnight- It’s actually best to leave the cake overnight as this helps reduce the “eggy” smell.
• Gently fold in the fluffy eggs and whipped cream- These ingredients are fluffy and full of air bubbles that make this cake light and delicious. Be careful not to deflate them.
• Don’t skip the syrup- This addition to the cake layers adds moisture as well as a sweet flavor. Make sure it is cool before adding it.
• Create a gorgeous presentation- To create the swirl pattern on the top and sides of the cake, use an offset decorating spatula while spinning the cake turner. Top with berries for pops of color.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

This Berry Chantilly Cake is a delicious dessert to serve because it goes well with so many others. Pair it with other desserts, cookies, or coffee drinks.

• Cookies: Serve this cake with some Chocolate Meringue Cookies, Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam, Meringue Cookies with Berries and Cream, or Cookies And Cream Cookies.
• Pies: Pair this berry-topped Chantilly Cake with fruit-filled pies, like Blueberry Pie, Homemade Apple Pie, Perfect Peach Pie, or Simple Cherry Pie.
• Macarons: Enjoy this homemade dessert with some Chocolate Macarons, Lemon Macarons, Coffee Macarons, or Raspberry Macarons.
• Beverages: Have a slice of this cake with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat), Iced Caramel Macchiato, or Hot Chocolate.

Make This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: This cake is perfect for making ahead. I like to make the cake layers on one day, frost them the next day, and serve the cake the following day. Letting the baked cake sit unfrosted for a day will help reduce that eggy taste that some cakes tend to have and it’s easier spreading the work over 2 days.

Storing: Store this Berry Chantilly Cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days to avoid the berries and cream frosting from spoiling.

Freeze: While you can freeze the individual cake layers, wrapped in plastic wrap or in a freezer-safe container, it’s best not to freeze the frosting and fresh berries, as they will not thaw well.

More Scrumptious Desserts!

Watch how to make this Berry Chantilly Cake here:

Full Recipe Instructions

This recipe was originally posted on May 5, 2016, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.