Berry Chantilly Cake Recipe

A slice of Berry Chantilly Cake with the whole cake at the back

This Berry Chantilly Cake is a tall 5-star masterpiece with a moist sweet consistency, plenty of fresh fruit, and velvety Chantilly icing.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Berry Chantilly Cake, birthday cake recipes, chantilly cake recipes, fresh berry cake recipes, layered cake recipes

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 10

Servings people

Calories 1073kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Cake:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar divided
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 large egg yolks at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
8 large egg whites at room temperature

Simple Syrup:

6 tablespoons vanilla simple syrup

Jelly Layer:

1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

Fruit for Filling:

1 cup strawberries hulled, cut into chunks the size of the raspberries
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/4 cup orange juice

Apricot Glaze:

1/2 cup apricot jam
1 tablespoon water

Chantilly Frosting:

2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
8 ounces Mascarpone at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom of 3 8-inch cake pans then, spray it with baking non-stick spray.
In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, combine the butter *12 tablespoons), 1 3/4 cups of sugar, and the vanilla (1 1/2 teaspoons), using medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks (8 large), one at a time, mixing just until the yellow disappears, before adding the next.
In another mixing bowl, whisk together flour (3 cups), salt (1 teaspoon), baking powder (3/4 teaspoon), and baking soda (3/4 teaspoon). Turn the stand-up mixer on low, and alternate adding the flour mixture then the sour cream (1 cup), to the butter mixture, one-third of each at a time, allowing them to just incorporate before adding the next. When finished with adding both, turn the mixer on medium speed and mix for 2 minutes.
Pour the batter into a clean mixing bowl. Wash and dry the bowl of the stand-up mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. Add the egg whites (8 large) and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes until opaque white and foamy. Add the remaining 1/4 sugar and continue to beat on medium until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the batter in 3 additions.
Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated ovens, rotating pans halfway through, until they are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
Allow cakes to cool, in pans, and set on a wire baking rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on the wire rack, for about 3 hours.
When cooled, brush the tops and sides of each cake layer with about 2 tablespoons of simple syrup per layer.

Prepare Fruit Filling:

Combine Grand Marnier (1/4 cup) and orange juice (1/4 cup) in a mixing bowl. Very gently, fold 1 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of raspberries, and 1/2 cup of blueberries until the berries are coated with the liquid mixture. Allow to marinade for 20 minutes. Drain VERY well before adding to the cake.

Prepare the Jam Layer:

Meanwhile, in a small microwaveable bowl, add raspberry jam (1/3 cup). Heat in microwave for 20-30 seconds, or until jam softens. Whisk with a fork to soften to a spreadable texture. When cakes have absorbed the simple syrup, spread 1/2 of the jam over 2 of the layers, leaving a 1/4-inch margin around the edge.

Prepare Apricot Glaze:

Meanwhile, in a small microwaveable bowl, mix apricot jam (1/2 cup) and water (1 tablespoon). Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds and whisk with a fork, until the mixture is a brushable texture. Strain jam through a sieve to remove any lumps of fruit.

Prepare Chantilly Frosting:

Whisk together heavy cream (2 cups) with almond extract (1 teaspoon) until soft peaks form.
In another mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese (8 ounces), mascarpone (8 ounces), and powdered sugar (2 cups) until smooth and evenly combined. Gently fold whipped cream into the cheese mixture until evenly incorporated.

Assemble Cake

Place one of the layers that have been topped with jam on the platter. Pipe a thick line of frosting around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with frosting and smooth. Arrange 1/3 of the drained berries on top of the frosting.
Top with the second jam-topped cake and repeat the frosting and fruit process.
Top with the third layer and cover with the remaining frosting. Top decoratively with remaining fruit. Lightly brush the fruit with the apricot glaze. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Simple syrup – The basic ingredients are equal parts sugar and water, plus anything you want to infuse the syrup with, things like vanilla beans for vanilla simple syrup, candied fruit peels, or cinnamon sticks. Simple syrup will keep the cake layers moist, which is especially important when you’re dealing with a more elaborate, multi-step cake construction like this one. It can also be used to add additional flavor either to complement or intensify the flavors you already have going on in your cake, plus it helps to set the crumbs so they don’t get all rolled up in your frosting.
Time-Saver – Even though this cake isn’t hard to make, it does take some time, so you can cook the cake layers the day before assembly. Wrapping them well with plastic wrap overnight will actually help set the crumb too and make frosting even easier.
1. It’s best to assemble the cake on the day of serving. This will minimize the amount the berries may potentially bleed into the cake layers.
Use what’s ripe – Depending on the time of year and the availability of fresh fruit in your grocery store, you may need to adjust the fresh berries in this recipe. You can make substitute blackberries for the blueberries, etc. Just make sure you use fresh since frozen berries won’t work well for this cake.
Seedless Jam – If you can’t find a seedless version, make sure you push the jam through a sieve to remove the seeds. Also, leave a little “margin” around the edges of each layer jam-free, or else our lovely cake frosting will go sliding off the edges.
Fruits – Marinating the fruit adds a subtle, extra layer of flavor, but if you don’t want to use alcohol you can skip this step or just use orange juice. The cake will still be delicious!
Substitute for Grand Marnier – If you don’t want to use Grand Marnier, you can replace it with 1/4 cup orange juice with 1/2-1 teaspoon of orange extract mixed in.

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