Berry Chantilly Cake

Truly easy and perfect make-ahead cake for all occasions! Light and delicate sponge cake layers loaded with fluffy Chantilly cream frosting and fresh berries.

This is how we should start every Monday! With a tall, beautiful and insanely delicious cake. Right, right?

Light and delicate sponge cake layers generously filled with equally delicate and fluffy Chantilly cream frosting. And paired with lots of fresh berries, this cake is just what you want to celebrate summer! Or bridal shower, or baby shower, or birthdays. This cake is good great for all occasions.

Don’t let the fancy name fool you. Chantilly cream, or more appropriately crème Chantilly, is basically sweetened whipped cream originated in small town of Chantilly, France. Simple and delicious! Yep, this berry Chantilly cake is not only beautiful to look at and delicious to eat, but it’s also super easy to make. And the best part is you can totally make it a day in advance. Actually, I strongly recommend you make it a day ahead, so the cake layers soak up the flavors from the filling. -> Flavorful, light and berrylicious!

I first learned about this cake from my friend Amy a few weeks ago, who ordered it for her friend’s bridal shower out of town. Its name and her description of the cake intrigued me and I had to try it right away. Sure enough, it was the BEST!

We will start with making light and sturdy sponge cake. I chose basic Genoise sponge cake method here, aka Italian sponge cake. Unlike traditional sponge cake, this method calls for beating the whole eggs, instead of separating them. Yay for one less step and fewer dishes to do!

Because the batter doesn’t have any chemical leaveners, properly beating the egg mixture is essential to success of the cake. You want your batter pale, thick and quadrupled in size. To check for the proper consistency, lift the whisk and let the batter to fall. If it leaves a distinct trail behind, it’s ready. It’s called “trail” test, basically testing if the batter leaves a trail or not. Once the egg mixture is whipped, gently fold in the flour, being careful not to deflate the batter, or the cake won’t rise and will be heavy. Again, more air in the batter, the lighter and taller the cake will be.

Cool the cake completely on wire rack before slicing it into layers. Otherwise, you’ll risk breaking it, as the cake is fragile when hot.

Side note: I’m horrible at cutting the cake into layers. I can barely slice a cake into 2 even layers, and if I need 3 layers, just forget about it! That’s why I’m so happy I invested in this layer cake slicing kit. (<- The best purchase ever!) Perfectly even, thin layers every time without much effort!

Now, onto the filling. For sturdier and more flavorful Chantilly cream, I added some cream cheese and splash of orange liquor. Oh, frosting heaven!! Generously fill each layer with said frosting and lots of fresh berries, and then cover the entire cake with remaining frosting. Alternatively, you can leave the cake naked (without frosting the sides), if desired. It looks just as gorgeous!

What occasion would you like to bake this cake? Any birthdays or showers on horizon?

As always, thank you for reading! Have a berry nice day! 🙂

Berry Chantilly Cake

Truly easy and perfect make-ahead cake for all occasions! Light and delicate sponge cake layers loaded with fluffy Chantilly cream frosting and fresh berries.

5 from 1 vote

serves: 8 -12 servings

Cook: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

For sponge cake:

• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup 100gr sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup 125gr cake flour
• 3 tablespoons 40gr unsalted butter, melted

For frosting:

• 1 1/2 cup 360ml heavy cream
• 8 oz 225gr cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cup 190gr powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons orange liquor such as Grand Marnier, optional

For filling:

• 2 cups 265gr fresh strawberries
• 6 oz 170gr fresh raspberries
• 6 oz 170gr fresh blackberries (or blueberries)

Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Coat 9-inch round springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until it’s thick, pale and quadrupled in size. It took about 5 minutes in stand mixer. (So It might take up to 10 minutes with handheld electric mixer.) When you lift the whisk, it should leave a trail in the batter, as shown in the photo above.
• Add flour and gently fold until mostly combined. Gently stir in the melted butter and mix until the batter is smooth, about a minute. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and revert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• To make the filling, in a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until hard peaks form. Transfer into another bowl.
• Place the cream cheese in the mixing bowl with whisk attachment, and beat until fluffy, about a minute. Add sugar, vanilla extract and orange liquor and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add whipped cream and gently fold into smooth frosting.
• Slice the strawberries nice and thin. Reserve 1/3 of all berries for topping.
• Using a serrated knife, slice the cake horizontally into 3 even layers. Place the bottom cake layer on a cake stand lined with 4 strips of parchment paper. (It helps to frost the cake without messing up the stand.) Smear thin layer of frosting on the cake. Arrange one layer of berries and then smear another layer of frosting over the berries. Place the middle layer of the cake and repeat the frosting/berry layers. Place the top layer and frost the entire cake. Arrange the reserved berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, ideally overnight.

* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.

Author: Shinee

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