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This delicious, fresh, light and scrumptious Berry Chantilly Cake is summer in a dessert! Inspired by Whole Foods (but way better), it is made with moist and tender vanilla cake layers sandwiched with a light mascarpone chantilly cream and lots of berries. Every bite is absolutely delectable and perfectly balanced, and you will not go back to grocery store cakes once you give this recipe a go.
Simply put, a Chantilly Cake is a cake that uses Chantilly cream as its frosting. Chantilly cream is simply whipped heavy cream with some sugar and vanilla added, with the name “Chantilly” originating from France.
Since whipped cream pairs well with fresh and summery flavors, Chantilly cakes are usually fruit cakes with vanilla sponges. For example, mango chantilly cake, strawberry chantilly cake, berry chantilly cake and so on.
Better than Whole Foods!
This recipe is inspired by the viral Whole Foods Berry Chantilly Cake. This cake has been around for more than 10 years and the recipe was created by a grandmother, but is now sold at Whole Foods Markets across the US. It has a strong fan following, with many people loving the flavor and “homely” vibe of the cake compared to other grocery store options.
But in my opinion, while this cake is better than other grocery store options, it’s still not as good as homemade. I found it a tad too sweet and dense, and wanted to make my own take.
That’s why I created this recipe. I wanted to replicate the Whole Foods cake as closely as I could while still improving upon it. I closely inspected the ingredients and watched videos of bakers assembling the cake. Just like the Whole Foods cake, this cake has a vanilla butter cake, berries, and a mascarpone chantilly cream. But unlike the Whole Foods cake, I make the frosting with just mascarpone instead of both mascarpone and cream cheese, because there’s no significant difference and why buy both when you don’t need them?
My friends who kindly taste tested for me all loved this cake and told me it was way better! One friend even compared it to the Paris Baguette mixed berry cake!
The secret is reverse creaming!
Traditionally, cakes are made using the creaming method, in which butter and sugar are mixed together and then the other ingredients are added
This cake is made using the reverse creaming method, in which the dry ingredients are first mixed with butter before adding the wet ingredients. Although counter-intuitive, this method works great and yields very soft cakes with a fine, tender crumb. This happens because the butter coats the flour and forms a barrier against the moisture in the wet ingredients, which reduces gluten activation in the flour. And less gluten means softer, more delicate cakes!
Step by step photos
The full recipe is provided in the recipe card at the end of this post, but lets go over the process with photos to help you visualize each step:
First add the dry ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the softened butter and whisk until the mixture resembles bread crumbs:
Separately, lightly whisk together the wet ingredients:
Add a third of the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until combined:
Then add all the wet ingredients and whisk on medium high speed to 2 minutes until a light and fluffy batter forms. Divide evenly between 3 8″ cake pans and bake:
Let the cakes thoroughly cool down. Then carefully trim off the crusts:
For the Chantilly frosting, whisk the mascarpone with sugar and vanilla until combined, and separately whip the heavy cream to firm peaks. Then fold the heavy cream into the mascarpone mixture:
Make a quick berry 1111111simple syrup by heating sugar, water and jam until the sugar dissolves:
To assemble, place a cake layer onto a turntable. Brush on the berry syrup and spread a thin layer of frosting:
Spread roughly chopped berries and cover fully with more frosting:
Repeat until done, then frost the cake generously and decorate with berries:
Serve and enjoy!
Note: Because this cake uses butter in the batter, it will become harder in the fridge when the butter solidifies. I recommend leaving it at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before eating so the cake softens again!
FAQs
Yes, you can replace the almond extract with more vanilla extract.
Yes, you can divide the batter in 2 8″ or 9″ pans instead of 3. However, the cakes will take longer to bake and dome more. I also recommend dividing each cake into 2 layers to make a 4 layered cake.
Insert a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake. It should come out with light, moist crumbs attached (no wet batter, and not fully clean).
In the reverse creaming method, it is crucial to whisk the cake batter for 2 minutes after combining all ingredients. This step incorporates air into the batter and gives the cake a light texture. If you don’t do this step properly, you can end up with a dense cake. Other reasons for a dense cake include under-baking or baking at a very high temperature. Make sure your oven is properly calibrated and you bake until the cake is just done.
This can be due to adding too much flour. Make sure to measure flour accurately (don’t pack it tightly in the measuring cup and ideally use a scale). Also make sure you don’t overbake the cakes. Overbaking will cause the cake to dry out and become crumbly.
Additionally, the cake might feel dry if you eat it straight from the fridge. This is because the butter in the cake solidifies in the fridge. Make sure to rest at room temp for 15-20 minutes before eating.
If your cake sinks in the middle after removing it from the oven, you took it out too early and it was underdone in the middle. You can avoid this by using the toothpick test.
Yes! I actually prefer a simple Chantilly whipped cream made using heavy cream, vanilla and a small amount of sugar, as it is lighter. This recipe uses mascarpone, which makes the frosting richer, in order to closely replicate the Whole Foods cake.
A runny frosting is usually due to undermixing. Continue to whisk on medium speed for a few more seconds and the frosting should become thicker.
A grainy frosting is an indication of overmixing or using a low quality mascarpone cheese. Make sure to use a good quality brand (I love Vermont creamery). Whisk the mascarpone and sugar only until the mixture looks creamy, and whisk the heavy cream only until it reaches firm peaks. Then gently fold the 2 together.
Yes, you can replace the berries with other fresh fruit you like.
Keep the cake covered with cling wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge for ~3-5 days. Due to the addition of berries, the cake can go bad quicker than other cakes. 111
Berry Chantilly Cake Recipe
This delicious, fresh, light and scrumptious Berry Chantilly Cake is summer in a dessert! Inspired by Whole Foods (but way better), it is made with moist and tender vanilla cake layers sandwiched with a light mascarpone chantilly cream and lots of berries.
Yield:12-14 servings
- Prep Time:
- 1 hr
- Cook Time:
- 30 mins
- Chilling Time:
- 30 mins
- Total Time:
- 2 hrs
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Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 2/3 cups cake flour (345g); make your own with 310g all purpose flour and 35g cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar (330g)
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 14 tbsp unsalted butter (200g), softened
- 1 cup buttermilk (240g), room temp; make your own with 1 cup whole milk and 1 tbsp vinegar / lemon juice
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (65g)
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tsp almond extract (optional; you can replace with vanilla)
Berry simple syrup:
- 1/4 cup water (60g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (55g)
- 2 tbsp berry jam of choice; I used strawberry
Chantilly cream frosting:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled (720g)
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar according to your taste (75 to 110g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 8 oz good quality mascarpone cheese (like Vermont Creamery), slightly cooler than room temperature
Assembly and decoration:
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped strawberries
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped raspberries
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped blackberries
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- Note: You can adjust the quantity and type of berries to your preference; just make sure they are fresh
Instructions
Cake:
- Pre-heat oven to 335F (conventional) and prepare 3 8″ cake pans with parchment paper and butter / oil
- Make sure the butter, eggs and buttermilk are at room temp. The butter should be soft but not melting
- Add the flour (sifted), sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix together. Add the butter. Whisk on medium speed for ~1-2 minutes until the mixture resembles coarse sand / crumbs. Make sure to scrape the bowl to ensure everything is well combined
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and almond extract until the eggs are broken down
- Add a third of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk on medium speed until combined. Scrape the bowl, and add the remaining wet ingredients. Whisk on medium speed until combined. Scrape the bowl again
- Now increase the speed to medium-high and whisk for 2 minutes. You should have a light and fluffy cake batter
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for ~28-30 minutes until the cakes are light golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (no sticky batter)
- Let the cakes cool down in the pans for 20 minutes, then very carefully remove them and place on a wire rack. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes so the cakes can thoroughly cool down (if chilling for longer, wrap the cakes in cling wrap)
Berry simple syrup:
- Add the water, sugar and jam to a saucepan and mix
- Heat on low flame until the mixture starts to simmer and sugar has dissolved. This should not be a thick syrup
- Set aside to cool down
Chantilly cream frosting:
- Add the mascarpone cheese, sugar and vanilla to a bowl and whisk on low speed for 30-60 seconds until the mixture looks creamy. Do not overmix
- Separately, whisk the heavy cream for a few minutes until it reaches firm peaks. Do not overmix
- Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture in 2 additions, gently folding it in until combined. You should have a thick and fluffy frosting
Assembly & decoration:
- Roughly chop the berries if you haven’t already
- Place a cake layer onto a turntable. ideally with a cake round underneath
- Use a sharp serrated knife to remove a thin layer of the cake crust on top to expose the crumb
- Use a pastry brush to generously brush on the berry simple syrup. Do not soak too much as the cake will become saturated and break otherwise
- Spread on a thin layer of the chantilly frosting
- Spread on the berries evenly, leaving ~1/2″ empty from the edges of the cake
- Add more chantilly frosting and spread it, pressing down slightly to fill the gaps between the berries. Add more frosting on the edges of the cake to ensure they’re covered. Use frosting generously!
- Repeat with the next layer of cake
- For the last cake layer, trim off the crust and brush with syrup before putting onto the turntable. Then flip upside down and layer on top of the cake you are assembling (so the side brushed with syrup is facing down and the side with the crust is facing up)
- Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake as evenly as you can. This is the crumb coating
- Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, then add the remaining frosting generously all over the cake
- Decorate with any remaining frosting and berries
- If you need to transfer the cake to a serving stand, let it chill for an hour first so the frosting can firm up
- Serve and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
Notes
- While this cake needs to be kept in the fridge, it is best to rest it at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before eating. This allows the butter in the cake to soften so the cake feels soft (it will feel a bit firm straight from the fridge)
Comments
Anna
Hi there! Excited to make this…how far in advance can I make this? Is it best prepared day of, or could I have it ready and assembled the day before? I’m going to be making a large sheet pan version of this cake and may not have an airtight container to store it in….what do you think? Thanks in advance!
Zoha
Hi Anna! Day before will be totally fine. Let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, then wrap gently with cling wrap 🙂
Tish Cayton
I have (2) 8 in. pans that I want to bake the cake in since I don’t have 3. I know I will have to cook the cake longer and cut the cake into 4 layers. Any advice on how long I should cook the cake with 2 pans?
Zoha
Hi Tish, I actually don’t recommend putting all this batter in just 2 pans. The layers will be too thick and won’t bake evenly. If you are in a pinch, just leave a third of the batter out, bake 2 layers, wash one pan, then bake the third layer.
Farzona
Hello wanted to ask if I can bake all three layers together as one cake and then cut into 3? Because I don’t have 3 same size cake pans.
Zoha
That will be too much batter for one pan, causing the cake to take a very long time to bake and won’t bake evenly. I recommend investing in more pans for the best result, or bake in batches
Sash Chand
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your amazing recipe. The cake turned out absolutely beautiful and delicious! The texture was soft and moist, the frosting was perfectly balanced, and I loved how easy your instructions were to follow.
Everyone who tried it loved it, and I felt so proud of the final result.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe, can’t wait to bake more of your creations! 💛✨🍰
Zoha
You made my day, thank you SO much!
Sidra
I can’t find buttermilk anywhere it’s out of stock. Can you tell what to use instead??
Hailey
I made this cake yesterday for my grandpa’s birthday – it was a hit! Everyone said they loved it and that I needed to save the recipe. I even got a few “This is the best cake I’ve ever had” comments! Since Mascapone is so expensive and I already had heavy cream on hand, I made my own and it worked out great! Highly recommend this cake, it’s worth all the dishes that you’ll have to use, and that’s coming from someone who tends to avoid recipes where multiple bowls are needed.
Frances
Absolutely LOVE!!!!! Super EASY
Zoha
Thanks Frances! I think you accidentally hit 1 star but I am glad to know you liked the recipe 🙂
Mohamed
Hello
can we cook it one time in one pan (we put all the batter in one pan, will it rise and we cut it in 3?), or we must cook it in 3 differents pans separately?
thank you
Zoha
It won’t work in one pan as it will be alot of batter, and the cake won’t cook evenly. I recommend 3 🙂
Tanya M
Thank you Zoha! Once again a great recipe! I made this cake for my sister’s birthday and it was such a hit. The instructions were so easy to follow and tasted so amazing- just like the Whole Foods one.
Zoha
AWWWW I am so honored to hear that – thank you!
gail
Can the cake be made ahead and frozen?
Zoha
Yes! You can make the cake layers and cover in cling wrap and freeze. I don’t recommend freezing the full cake after assembling, though, because berries don’t freeze well
Kara
is 335 degrees correct? I’ve never seen a recipe with that setting
Zoha
Yes! 🙂
Hong Ngoc
Hello!
Just wanted to say that the cake ,in terms of taste, was really amazing! After following all the steps the cake still came out really dense and eventhough it was baked throughly, it still seemed raw inside. Any tips? Tried it twice and made sure to cooperate enough air in the second time! Thank you for the recipe!
Zoha
Thank you so much! I think the texture is likely from underbaking or overmixing. To make sure the cake is properly baked I recommend doing a toothpick test. And if you whisk too much you can develop gluten which causes a cake to become dense. In the last step of making the batter make sure you don’t whisk for longer than 2 minutes 🙂
Tara Altenbach
Can make this in a 9×13 pan
Zoha
Yes! Baking time might be slightly longer
Sarah
This cake was amazing! Could you maybe make a recipe similar to the mango yuzu chantilly cake that Whole Foods has?
Zoha
Have you seen my mango + cream chiffon cake? It’s very similar!
Zainab
This was absolutely delicious and a very easy recipe to follow!!!
How would you recommend I ratio out the ingredients for a 3 layer 6 inch cake? I want to try a two tier cake for my moms birthday!
Zoha
Hi Zainab! Thank you. For a 6″ cake you can halve all the quantities
Lauren
Hi! I have a question- can I make the components ahead of time and then assemble the day I’m going to serve it? I know with other cakes you can make them ahead of time, wrap with cling film, and store in the fridge. And make the frosting ahead of time and store in the fridge separately. Does that work ok with this cake?
Zoha
Hi Lauren! Yes, that should work. Just bring the cake to room temperature for serving so it is soft
Jennifer
Flavor was perfect!!! I had trouble with my cake falling apart by each layer once serving sliced pieces. But nobody cared because it tasted so great. I didn’t go crazy with the simple syrup or thick berry layers in between the cake so I’m not certain why it was so fragile. I kept it cool before serving as well but I think it may have warmed up quicker than anticipated. But good lord it is definitely going into the rotation. My family was raving.
Zoha
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, Jennifer! Hope you don’t have that issue next time 🙂
Suzannah Locklair
One more comment…I had a very small slice the day I made this. The next morning, half of the cake had been devoured by my husband.
Maegen
hi there! planning on making this but would need to make advance. can both the frosting and layers be made early? if so, what would I freeze or refrigerate?
Hollie
Making this for a party- do you think I could make some cupcakes out of this?
Leah
Same here does the recipe change if I make cupcake instead of cake with this recipe?
Avery Rice
Can I prep this two days before an event?
safira
Hi Zoha! im new at baking and i am planning to make this cake for my friends! i want to use 8” pan but only 2 pans and not 3. Can you please recommend me the dosage of the ingredients I need to prepare? Or is it still okay to use these amounts of ingredients for two pans? Hopefully you answer my questions! I will write comments after i bake the cake!!