Our Berry Chantilly Cake recipe is a sweet, cloud-like dessert stacked with airy vanilla cake layers, whipped Chantilly cream, and fresh fruit in every forkful. It’s perfect for birthdays, holidays, or any special occasion when only the best will do.
It’s the kind of cake that makes everyone stop and savor the moment.
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You might think Chantilly Cake came from an old-school French bakery, but it actually got its start in New Orleans.
Chaya Conrad, who ran the bakery at Whole Foods, put her own twist on the classic Chantilly cream back in the early 2000s. She layered it with vanilla cake, juicy berries, and a mascarpone filling, and pretty soon people were lining up for a slice.
The Whole Foods Chantilly Cake quickly earned a loyal following and inspired home bakers to start making their own, ourselves included.
You don’t need anything fancy in the pantry, and there’s nothing tricky about the steps either.
It holds up great overnight and still has that soft, rich texture that makes it hard to stop at one slice.
For another showstopper, try our Italian Lemon Cream Cake, featuring a soft lemon sponge and silky mascarpone filling in every bite.
Or check out our Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, layered with rich frosting and topped with a smooth chocolate ganache.
Instructions
Gather the ingredients to prepare our Berry Chantilly Cake recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I Make Adjustments to the Recipe?
Absolutely. We make our Chantilly Cream with mascarpone for its smooth texture and mild flavor. If you don’t have it on hand, you can blend full-fat cream cheese with a splash of heavy cream. It’s a bit tangier, but it’ll still get the job done.
The fruit filling is flexible. Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are classic, but fresh cherries or peaches are great too if they’re in season.
Cake flour provides the soft, tender crumb that this type of layer cake requires. If you’re all out and can’t get any, mix one cup of all-purpose flour with two tablespoons of cornstarch and sift it well. It’s not the real deal, but pretty close.
How to Make a Chantilly Cake
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make a Chantilly Cake in your home kitchen.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Generously grease three (9-inch) round cake pans.
- Line the bottoms of the pan with parchment paper and wrap the outsides of the pan with baking strips.
- Add the cake flour, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the softened unsalted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the granulated sugar to the creamed butter and beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract.
- Mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed, add one-half of the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix just enough to combine.
- Add the vegetable oil and half of the whole milk. Mix until just combined.
- Repeat with the remaining flour. Mix just enough to combine, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the remaining milk.
- Mix just enough to combine. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Place the pans on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan.
- Place the pans on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Then, remove the cakes from the pan and place them on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Add the sliced strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a large bowl.
- Gently toss to coat the berries.
- Add the seedless jam and water into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 15 to 30 seconds or until warmed.
- Stir until well combined.
- Add the room-temperature mascarpone and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, beating on low speed until combined.
- Once all the powdered sugar has been incorporated, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 45 seconds.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Start at a low speed and gradually build up to a faster speed (this will give you better consistency for your whipped cream than over-beating it from the beginning. Continue beating the cold cream until stiff peaks begin to form (just a little past soft peaks). The process should take 7-10 minutes.
*Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. - Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the mixture.
- Place one layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate. Spread one-half of the jam mixture on the cake in a thin layer.
- Top with about 1 cup of Chantilly Cream.
- Sprinkle one-half of the fresh berries over the cream.
- Top with another cake layer, and gently press down. Repeat the process.
- Spread the Chantilly Cream over the top and sides of the cake, reserving some to decorate the cake.
- Garnish with fresh berries.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours before serving.
Bring out this cake, and suddenly it’s the only thing anyone’s paying attention to.
And after that first bite, all you hear is a quiet little “mm-hmm” that tells you everything you need to know!
How to Store Chantilly Cake
Store any leftover Berry Chantilly Cake in the fridge, covered or in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving to soften the frosting and warm it slightly, allowing the flavors to be more prominent.
Freezing isn’t recommended, since the mascarpone cream and fresh berries don’t hold up well once thawed.
Recipe FAQs
You sure can. Use whole eggs instead of separating them, and you’ll achieve a slightly richer flavor and a golden color.
Reverse creaming refers to mixing the flour and butter first, which some bakers claim results in a tighter crumb and a more even rise. It’s sometimes used for layer cakes, such as Chantilly, but we stick with the traditional method of beating the butter and sugar until fluffy. That’s what gives us the soft, tender texture we want.
Add them fresh just before assembling, and make sure they’re dry. If they’re extra juicy, you can even toss them with a little cornstarch to help keep things neat.
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Chantilly Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 3 9-inch round cake pans
- 3 baking strips
Ingredients
Cake
- 3½ cups bleached cake flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks) -softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs -room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup whole milk -room temperature
Berry Filling
- ½ cup seedless raspberry jam or seedless blackberry jam
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 ounces fresh strawberries
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries
- 2½ tablespoons lemon juice -about 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest -about 1 lemon
Chantilly Cream
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese -room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese – block not whipped – room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar -sifted
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream -very cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Generously grease three (9-inch) round cake pans.
- Line the bottoms of the pan with parchment paper and wrap the outsides of the pan with baking strips.
- Add the cake flour, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the softened unsalted butter the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the granulated sugar to the creamed butter and beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed, add one-half of the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix just enough to combine.
- Add the vegetable oil and half of the whole milk. Mix until just combined.
- Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, scraping down the bowl between additions.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Place the pans on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan.
- Place the pans on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely/
Berry Filling
- Add the seedless jam and water into a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 15 to 30 seconds or until warmed. Stir until well combined combined.
- Hull and slice the strawberries.
- Add the sliced strawberries, blackberries and raspberries into a large bowl.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and gently toss to coat the berries.
Chantilly Cream
- Add the room temperature mascarpone and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, beating on low speed until combined. Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and increase speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 45 seconds.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment.
- Start at a low speed and gradually build up to a faster speed (this will give you better consistency for your whipped cream than over-beating it from the beginning.
- Continue beating the cold cream until stiff peaks begin to form (just a little past soft peaks). The process should take 7-10 minutes.*Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
Assembly
- Place one layer, bottom side up on a cake plate.
- Spread one-half of the jam mixture on the cake in a thin layer.
- Top with about 1 cup of Chantilly Cream. Sprinkle one-half of the fresh berries over the cream.
- Top with another cake layer, and gently press down. Repeat the process.
- Spread the Chantilly Cream over the top and sides of the cake, reserving some to decorate the cake.
- Garnish with fresh berries.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours before serving.
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