recipe

Berry Chantilly Cake: the best-ever recipe for an ultra-moist, decadent dessert

Total time: 60 Min

Difficulty: Low

Serves: 8 people

Chantilly cake is the ideal dessert for any occasion – birthdays, anniversaries, bridal showers, or holiday parties. It's a tender, soft cake with an irresistible vanilla flavor and layers of sweet vanilla frosting. Chantilly cake gets a wonderful pop of brightness from fresh mixed berries, making it not only delicious but beautiful, too.

It's similar to the Gentilly cake, but the main difference between Chantilly cake and Gentilly cake is that the latter uses buttercream instead of frosting and buttermilk in the batter. Chantilly cake is simple to make, and trust us when we say everyone will go crazy for this amazing, fluffy mixed berry and vanilla cake!

Tips for Making the Best Chantilly Cake

The secret to super soft, fluffy, tender Chantilly cake is using cake flour. Avoid using all-purpose flour if you can. You can swap the cake flour for gluten-free cake flour to make a gluten-free Chantilly cake.

Don't use frozen berries for your Chantilly cake. Fresh berries have a much better texture and will look neater in the cake when assembled – thawed frozen berries tend to release their juices, which will seep into the cake.

For best results, properly measure your flour.

Only use room-temperature ingredients to make your Chantilly cake.

Tap the cake pans to burst air pockets in the batter.

How to Store Chantilly Cake

Keep your Chantilly cake in the fridge. Enjoy within two to three days.

Ingredients

for the cake

unbleached cake flour

3 1/4 cups

baking powder

2 1/2 tsp

Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp

Unsalted butter

1 cup

White sugar

2 cups

Large eggs

pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp

vegetable oil

3 tbsp

Whole Milk

1 cup

for the filling

seedless berry jam

1/2 cup

water

2 tbsp

fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/2 lb

fresh raspberries

4 ounces

Fresh blueberries

4 ounces

lemon, juice and zest

for the chantilly cream

Mascarpone cheese

2 8-ounce containers

cream cheese

1 8-ounce block

Powdered sugar, sifted

3 cups

heavy whipping cream

2 cups

pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp

How to Make Chantilly Cake

For the cake base

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease two round cake pans with butter and dust with flour. Line each with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2

Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir to combine.

Step 3

In another bowl, cream the butter until soft.

Step 4

Pour in the sugar and beat until fluffy.

Step 5

Beat in one egg at a time. Beat in the vanilla.

Step 6

Beat in 1/3 of the flour until just combined.

Step 7

Pour in the oil and half the milk.

Step 8

Repeat with the remaining flour and milk until the batter is just combined.

Step 9

Pour the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Tap the pans to release air pockets.

Step 10

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown, then remove from the oven. Cool the cakes in the pans for 20 minutes, then remove them from the pans to a rack to cool completely.

For the filling

Step 11

Pour the jam and water into a microwave-safe container. Microwave for 15 to 30 seconds until warmed, then stir.

Step 12

Put all the berries in a bowl and add lemon juice and zest.

Step 13

Toss well to combine.

For the Chantilly cream

Step 14

Place the mascarpone and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat together with a handheld electric mixer until completely combined.

Step 15

Add the confectioner's sugar in a few tablespoons at a time.

Step 16

Whisk until all the powdered sugar has been mixed in.

Step 17

In a second bowl, whisk cream and vanilla to form stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

Step 18

Mix well.

To assemble Chantilly Cake

Step 19

Cut both cakes in half horizontally. Put one cake half cut-side up on the serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the berry filling over it.

Step 20

Spread 3/4 cup Chantilly cake over the filling.

Step 21

Top with 1/3 of the berries.

Step 22

Place a second cake layer over the berries.

Step 23

Repeat with the remaining filling, cream, and berries.

Step 24

Spread a thin layer of Chantilly cake over the entire cake. Pipe decorations on the cake if desired. Top with extra berries, then place in the fridge to chill and set.

Step 25

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use 9-inch round cake pans to bake your cake.