When I’m looking to impress, I turn to dessert recipes such as pink cake, Nutella cake, red velvet brownies, black forest cupcakes and this beautiful and delicious chantilly cake. Easter is almost upon us and I can’t think of a better way to usher in the holiday than this berry chantilly cake recipe. Each year I host Easter at my house and my girls are already so excited! Of course their favorite part is hunting for Easter eggs but I enjoy spending time with the family and of course creating a fabulous holiday meal. I always make an Easter ham with a variety of side dishes and a showstopping dessert like mini egg cookies or a layer cake. One of my favorite Easter desserts is this chantilly cake which is a copy cat of a Whole Foods recipe. This cake has four layers of yellow cake, plenty of fresh berries and the fluffiest frosting I’ve ever had that literally melts in your mouth. Once you taste it, you’ll never want to buy a cake at a bakery again!
Berry Chantilly Cake Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need butter, granulated sugar, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla extract, kosher salt, baking powder, all purpose flour, buttermilk, raspberry jam, water, heavy whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, powdered sugar, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and fresh mint sprigs.
How Do You Make Berry Chantilly Cake?
Start by preheating the oven, and soaking cake baking strips in water. Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, then pour in the vanilla extract. Mix together the dry ingredients of flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add half the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, then mix. Next, add half the buttermilk to the mixer, and combine. Repeat the process with the rest of the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Divide the vanilla cake batter into two pans, wrap the baking strips around the pans, then bake. Let the cakes cool for a bit, then invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely. While the cakes are cooling, prepare the berry syrup. Mix together raspberry jam and water, then microwave for a few seconds until the jam melts. Strain the jam mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds. Next, prepare the frosting. Beat the heavy cream and vanilla extract with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl. Add butter to the mixer bowl, and beat until smooth. Place the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl with the butter, then beat until smooth. To assemble the cake, trim the cakes so that they are completely flat. Cut each cake in half so you end up with four layers. Spread a little frosting onto a cake stand, and attach the first layer of cake onto the stand. Brush some of the berry syrup over the cake layer. Pipe a layer of frosting onto the cake, then arrange some of the berries on top of the cake layer. Repeat the process with more cake layers, syrup, frosting and berries. Coat the entire cake in a thin layer of frosting as a crumb coat, then chill the cake. Add a final layer of frosting. Decorate the cake with more berries and fresh mint, then cut into slices and serve.
Tips For The Perfect Cake
Baking at a low temperature and using baking strips will help to prevent the cakes from doming so you will be able to cut two even layers from each cake. Overmixing the batter can cause the cake to have a tough texture. To create a light airy cake, only mix until just combined. Weigh your cake pans before adding the batter, then weigh again once the batter has been added to ensure each pan contains the same amount of batter. I highly recommend using cake baking strips for this recipe. These strips wrap around the sides of the cake pans, and help the layers bake up flat. You can find cake baking strips online or at craft stores.
So tell me, what’s on your Easter menu this year? I’m still working on finalizing my menu but one thing’s for sure, I’m excited to make this berry chantilly cake again to share with my family and friends.
