Description
An incredibly easy No Bake Berry Chantilly Cake made with ladyfingers instead of cake, layered with Chantilly whipped cream and fresh berries
Ingredients
Berry simple syrup:
- 1/2 cup water (120g)
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 1/4 cup berry jam of choice - I used Smucker's strawberry jam
- Squeeze of lemon juice
Chantilly whipped cream:
- 6 oz cream cheese (170g), room temp
- 6 oz mascarpone cheese (170g), cold from the fridge - I highly recommend Galbani
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups heavy whipped cream, chilled (720g)
Assembly:
- 40-45 ladyfingers - the exact quantity will depend on the size you choose to make your cake , but this range will provide the best ratio of ladyfingers to frosting
- 6oz each of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries - exact quantity depends on your preference.
Instructions
- Start by making the berry simple syrup. Add the water, sugar, jam and lemon juice to a saucepan. Place on the stove on medium-low heat, and cook and stir until the sugar and jam have fully dissolved. Set aside to cool down
- For the Chantilly whipped cream, add the room temperature cream cheese, cold mascarpone cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to whisk on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping the bowl along the way, until smooth and creamy. Add the cold heavy cream, and use the balloon whisk attachment to whisk on low speed for about 2-3 more minutes, until a thick, fluffy and spreadable frosting forms. Please take care not to overmix, as that can cause the frosting to split or become grainy. Give the frosting a good stir to ensure it is well combined and not runny. Transfer a quarter of the frosting to a piping bag
- Save some of the prettiest berries for decoration, and roughly chop the rest
- Once the syrup has cooled down, it is time to assemble! You must assemble the cake directly on your serving stand or cake board as it cannot be transferred. Dip the ladyfingers one by one in the berry syrup (just a quick dip on both sides, don't hold) and arrange them in a neat 2x7 rectangle (see image in blog post above). Make sure they are tightly packed with no gaps between, as we are trying to form a cake layer.
- Add a generous layer of the frosting on top, and carefully and gently spread it out evenly. I recommend using light pressure so you don't move the ladyfingers. Then pipe a border of the frosting around the edge of the cake, and spread a generous amount of the chopped berries in the middle. Lightly press them down
- Now repeat steps 4 and 5 to add a second layer on the cake. Cover with a third layer of the ladyfingers dipped in the syrup. This is the structure of your cake
- Cover the entire cake with the rest of your frosting, using an offset spatula and being as careful and gentle as you can to give the cake a neat look. If you wish, you can pipe some frosting on top for decoration
- Once the cake is fully frosted, transfer to the fridge and chill for ~6 hours. This step allows the ladyfingers to soak moisture and flavor, and makes the cake layers gel together better
- When you are ready to serve, decorate the cake with the berries reserved in step 3
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Shape and size of the cake: This is a free standing cake and you can adjust the shape and size to your liking! The instructions will help you make the exact shape and size of my cake pictured above, but you can play around with what works best for you. For example, you could make a larger sheet cake with just 2 layers of ladyfingers instead of 3
- Make ahead and storage: Because this cake uses fresh berries, I don't recommend making it more than 1 day in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: American