Berries and Cream Cake
This is the best berries and cream cake! It’s a soft and moist vanilla cake, soaked with sweet vanilla milk, frosted with delectable Chantilly cream, and topped with lots of fresh berries. It is the most perfect cake to bake this summer!
Why you’ll love this berries and cream cake
- Perfectly soft and moist vanilla cake– This cake is incredibly soft and flavored with lots of vanilla bean paste, to give it the strongest vanilla flavor. The buttermilk works together in the cake batter with the creamed butter and well mixed eggs to give the cake the most fluffy and soft texture.
- Vanilla milk soak- Whole milk and sweetened condensed milk are mixed together with vanilla bean paste. After the cake bakes, it will get poked with small holes, and this delicious mixture will get poured over the cake, allowing it to soak up all that sweet vanilla goodness!
- Chantilly cream- Chantilly cream frosting is the star of the show. It’s silky, soft and fluffy, with the most irresistible flavor from the mascarpone and cream cheese combo. It’s like extra special whipped cream and it’s the perfect choice of frosting for a berry cake.
- Lots of fresh berries– Each slice of cake is topped with tons of fresh berries, which pair perfectly with the silky Chantilly cream and moist vanilla cake. The BEST summer treat!
For the full recipe, including measurements, step by step instructions, and bake time, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is just a brief overview!
Tips for baking a soft and moist berries and cream cake
Room Temperature Ingredients- You’ll have the best textured cake if you use room temperature ingredients instead of cold. Cold wet ingredients, like egg whites, sour cream, and coconut milk, can cause the cake to bake with more of a gummy consistency, and we don’t want that. We want a moist and fluffy cake!
Mixing the Batter- You’ll want to cream the butter and sugar together until pale in color and fluffy, and the egg whites should be mixed in until smooth. It’s okay at this point to mix a lot, as we’re adding air into the eggs, helping to give the batter a “lift”. However, mix the dry ingredients on low speed just until they are blended into the wet ingredients to avoid an overly dense cake.
Measuring Your Flour Properly- If you learn anything from making this recipe, please let it be this: measure your flour (and all other ingredients) with a digital kitchen scale. Don’t scoop your measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to inaccurate flour measurements and therefore, a wonky bake.
Baking Pan- I recommend using a light colored, metal baking pan. This will help to ensure that the cake gets baked evenly. A glass or dark colored baking pan can cause baking variations, like the cake baking too quickly, being over-baked in some areas, while not fully baked in others.
Berries and Cream Cake FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days for the best taste.
Yes! I have found that most of my recipes turn out great GF- Hooray! There is a caveat though, I can only say the recipe will come out good with Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour. This is not sponsored, but my true opinion. This is the only gluten free flour I use as it bakes most similarly to regular, all-purpose flour.
Yes! See my Chantilly Cake blog post for the full recipe.
If you make this cake please leave a star review! Also, tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see your creation! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Recipes to Try
Berries and Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake
- 2 1/4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
For the Vanilla Milk Soak
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) half & half, or whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml/150 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the Chantilly Cream
- 8 oz ( g) mascarpone cheese
- 4 oz ( g) cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream
- ~1 cup (~150 g) fresh strawberries, sliced
- ~3/4 cup (~115 g) fresh blueberries
- ~3/4 (~110 g) fresh raspberries
- ~3/4 (~100 g) fresh blackberries
Instructions
For the Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175 ℃). Grease a 9×9in pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then set aside the flour mixture.2 1/4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
- Add the softened butter and granulated white sugar to a large bowl. Cream together for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.(You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.)10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- Then add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and smooth, about 1 minute.3 large eggs, at room temperature, 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing on low speed until the cake batter is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 39-44 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully pull up on the parchment paper to release the cake from the pan, then continue to cool it on the wire rack until completely cooled.
For the Vanilla Milk Soak
- While the cake bakes, make the milk soak.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the half & half, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla together. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.1/2 cup (120 ml) half & half, or whole milk, 1/2 cup (120 ml/150 g) sweetened condensed milk, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the Chantilly Cream
- When the cake is cooled, make the Chantilly cream.
- Add the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Mix on medium-low speed with an electric mixer, just until everything is combined. Don't over mix.8 oz ( g) mascarpone cheese, 4 oz ( g) cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, 1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
- Then add in half of the heavy cream, and mix on medium speed until soft peaks form. Then add in the rest of the heavy cream and mix on medium speed until soft to medium peaks form. Don't over mix or the Chantilly cream will lose it's soft and fluffy texture. (As you spread the Chantilly cream on the cake it will also add more air into it, firming it up more. You'll want it to still look quite soft in the bowl so that it keeps a perfect texture when going on top of the cake.)1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream
Assembling the Cake
- When the cake is completely cooled, cut a very thin layer off the top of the cake off using a sharp knife. This will make it easier for the vanilla milk to absorb into the cake. Transfer it to a serving plate. Poke holes on the top of the cake using a wooden stick or the handle of a wooden spoon.
- Slowly pour the vanilla milk mixture on top of the cake. It is thin so it should absorb into the cake and the poked holes easily, but do be patient as it does.
- Spoon the Chantilly cream on top of the cake, then use the spoon to gently spread it evenly over the cake. Try not to "fuss" with it too much, the Chantilly cream looks nicer and keeps the best consistency when you kind of just plop it on and gently push it across the cake.
- I recommend cutting the cake in 16 squares first, then topping each square with lots of fresh berries. (If you top the cake with berries before cutting it into squares, it's much more difficult to cut.)~1 cup (~150 g) fresh strawberries, sliced, ~3/4 cup (~115 g) fresh blueberries, ~3/4 (~110 g) fresh raspberries, ~3/4 (~100 g) fresh blackberries
- Then enjoy! 🙂
