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

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.

How to Make Chantilly Cake

For the cake base

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

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

In another bowl, cream the butter until soft.

Pour in the sugar and beat until fluffy.

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

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

Pour in the oil and half the milk.

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

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

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

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

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

Toss well to combine.

For the Chantilly cream

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

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

Whisk until all the powdered sugar has been mixed in.

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

Mix well.

To assemble Chantilly Cake

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.

Spread 3/4 cup Chantilly cake over the filling.

Top with 1/3 of the berries.

Place a second cake layer over the berries.

Repeat with the remaining filling, cream, and berries.

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.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

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