Berry Chantilly Cream Cake

Once July hits Arizona, it is a mass exodus out of town. You will see your neighbors on the beach in California because no one wants to hang out in 116-degree weather. We end up on vacation every single year on my daughter’s birthday which means she rarely gets a homemade cake. I believe EVERYONE needs to blow out a candle on their birthday. It’s as if a birthday isn’t complete without a poorly sung rendition of “Happy Birthday,” a few lit candles, and a birthday wish. It’s just tradition.

So every year we have to buy a birthday cake for her on the road.  We discovered her most beloved cake of all time at Whole Foods. It’s their Berry Chantilly Cake and you better believe I have asked the bakery chefs in California, Texas, and even Arizona how they make it.  After some research, a lot of questions, and studying the label, I went to work in the kitchen to create the Berry Chantilly Cream Cake.  This is a simplified version of what they make at Whole Foods. It’s now the cake that BOTH of my girls request for their birthdays but I can make it at home!

So what makes this Berry Chantilly Cream Cake so special?

Let’s start with the cake. It’s the base of the cake so it has to be GOOD.  I spent weeks testing out yellow cake recipes and came up with this gem — Yellow Birthday Cake which takes on some creative methods. It’s such a soft, tender, fluffy, and moist cake.

The frosting is when it gets REAL.  This isn’t some overly sweet, stick to your mouth kind of frosting. This is light, fluffy with the perfect amount of sweetness. It’s a chantilly whipped cream frosting using heavy cream, which is whipped into soft peaks and folded into a sweetened cream cheese and pure vanilla. It is HEAVENLY! My kids fight over who is going to lick the bowl.

Warning: you can eat A LOT of this frosting without even batting an eye.

The cake layers are covered with a thin layer of raspberry jam which not only gives it a sweet fruity flavor but gives moisture to the layers. The cake is covered with the chantilly cream and fresh berries. Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, and Blueberries line the layers.  Then the Berry Chantilly Cream Cake is topped with all the fresh fruit.

A FEW TIPS TO MAKE THE PERFECT BERRY CHANTILLY CREAM CAKE:

1.  Don’t overbake your cake. Keep a close eye on the layers. If you are baking two layers, then you will need to cook the cakes longer as they are thicker. If you are baking three layers, you will need to cook the layers for less time.  Keep a cake tester or toothpick close by and check the middle of the cakes.
2. When making the chantilly cream frosting, cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a separate bowl.  It is important to cream it long enough that it becomes silky smooth — about 4-5 minutes.  After it is creamed, it can be gently folded in with the whipped cream.
3. Use heavy cream and whip until it forms firm peaks. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla until incorporated.
4. This frosting can benefit from being chilled for about 15 minutes before frosting the cake.
5. Always do a light “crumb coat” of frosting on the cake which means to do a light layer of frosting to cover the crumbs and then add the majority of frosting.  I am a huge fan of an offset spatula. They don’t cost very much but makes it so much easier to frost a cake. Here is one of my favorites — Wilton Angled Icing Spatula.

4.8 from 5 reviews

Berry Chantilly Cream Cake

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

16 mins

Total time

46 mins

 

The perfect homemade yellow cake, layered with sweetened chantilly cream frosting, jam, and fresh berries. A lovely Spring and Summer dessert!

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8-20

Ingredients

• Yellow Cake:
• 4 Large Eggs
• ⅔ cup Whole Milk or Buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2¼ cups Flour
• 1½ cups Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Butter, softened, cut into cubes
• 2 Tablespoons Oil
• ⅓ cup Vanilla Pudding Mix (instant)
• Filling:
• ¼ cup Raspberry or Strawberry Jam
• Chantilly Cream Frosting:
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 2 - 8-ounce pkgs. Cream Cheese or Mascarpone Cheese, softened
• 2½ cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Beans, or Vanilla Bean Paste
• Fresh Berries: **
• 1 - 16-ounce pkg. Strawberries, sliced
• 1 - 6-ounce pkg. Raspberries
• 1 - 6-ounce pkg. Blackberries
• 1 - 6-ounce pkg. Blueberries
• **may add more berries, if desired.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla.
3. In a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Beat the butter into the flour mixture, one cube at at time. Continue to beat until it resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Add the ½ of the egg milk mixture and oil and beat the batter is light and fluffy. Add remaining egg milk mixture and vanilla pudding and mix just until combined.
6. Take a spatula and scrape the sides of the bowl.
7. Spread into greased pans and smooth tops with spatula. May use two or three cake pans (I use three 8 inch cake pans).
8. Bake for 16-22 minutes, depending on depth of pans. If the cake layers are thin, they will cook for less time than the thicker layers.
9. Let cakes cool. Run knife around edge of cake pan and flip over.
10. In a large mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until firm peaks form. Set aside.
11. In another large mixing bowl, whip cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla for at least 5 minutes or until creamy and silky smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream until incorporated. Cover and put in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
12. Spread a thin layer of jam over each layer.
13. Spread chantilly cream over each layer.
14. Top each layers with a sprinkling of fresh fruit.
15. Using offset spatula, frost entire cake with chantilly cream.
16. Top with remaining fresh fruit.
17. Place the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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