berries & cream cake

Berry Cake is made with two fluffy layers of moist vanilla cake sandwiched with freshly whipped cream, and topped with sweet, juicy berries. This elegant cake is easy to assemble and tastes like a berry shortcake in cake form!

this recipe

Why you’ll love this Berry Cake recipe:

• Soft Vanilla Cake – A tender & moist vanilla cake is the perfect base for our cream & berries. It’s full of vanilla flavor!
• Juicy Berries – Sweet blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries mingle in juicy harmony on a bed of fresh cream in this Triple Berry Cake!
• Fresh Cream – Lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream is the perfect thing to tie together our vanilla cake layers and berries.

Ingredient Overview:

As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found at the bottom of this post.

• Butter – I prefer salted, but you can use unsalted butter if that’s your preference.
• Egg Whites – Use large eggs for best results. Using just egg whites and not the egg yolks lends the lightest texture to this cake.
• Milk – I used 2% milk.
• Sour Cream – Use full-fat sour cream at room temperature for best results.
• Cake Flour – Cake flour produces a lighter crumb in cakes, and I highly recommend using it! Spoon & level your flour for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly in will lead to too much flour. 1 cup of cake flour weighs 110 grams, whereas 1 cup all-purpose flour weighs 130 grams. (Some people standardize at 120, 125, or 130 – I’ve chosen 130 grams.)
• Vanilla Extract – Since the flavor in this cake comes from simple quality ingredients, be sure to use real vanilla instead of imitation for the best flavor.
• Vegetable Oil – Using a combination of oil and butter gives this cake the best of both worlds – oil keeps the cake tender and moist, while butter adds flavor.

Ingredient Substitutions:

• Sour Cream – Full fat greek yogurt can work in place of the sour cream, but sour cream is ideal.
• Cake Flour Substitute – Make your own cake flour by spooning & leveling 1 cup of flour into a measuring cup, using a flat edge to level it off. Add to a mixing bowl, then remove two tablespoons (scoop & level them off). Add two tablespoons of corn starch, then sift this mixture twice. This is important to evenly mix the ingredients and to give the same light texture as cake flour.

How to Make this Fresh Berry Cake Recipe Step-by-Step:

Step 1: Make Cake Layers. Cream together butter & oil with an electric mixer or standing mixer. Then, add the sugar & beat on high for two full minutes. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing between each for 45 seconds. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla until just combined.

Step 2: Add the Dry Ingredients. Slowly add in the whisked flour mixture while the mixer runs on low. Then, slowly repeat this with the milk.

Step 3: Bake. Divide batter between two prepared 9-inch cake pans and bake as directed in the recipe card below. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4: Prepare the Berries. In a medium bowl, toss together the whole blueberries, blackberries (halve them if they’re quite large), and sliced strawberries. Add vanilla, sugar, and a spoonful of jam for shine. Let them macerate (to get the juices going – like in Strawberry Shortcake!).

Step 5: Make the Cream & Assemble the Cake. Beat together cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Place the first cake layer on your cake plate.

Spread on half the cream, then top with slightly less than half the berries. Add the second layer and repeat by adding the remaining cream and berries to the top of the cake.

Serving + Storing this Easy Berry Cake:

Serve immediately or chill for 30-60 minutes first. This is best served the day it’s assembled due to the fresh whipped cream.

Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, with plastic wrapped pressed over the sliced portion of the cake, for 1-3 days.

Expert Success Tips:

• Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
• Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
• Whipped Cream – Don’t over mix your cream! Stop when the mixture is thick and stiff peaks form when you turn the mixer off and lift it out of the bowl. If you over mixed it and it lost a little of it’s smooth texture, pour in a splash more cream and gently mix again to help smooth things out. Learn all about homemade whipped cream in my comprehensive post!

FAQs:

Recipe Variations:

• Berries – Feel free to mix in raspberries if you like! They were pricey at the time I made this cake, so I went with blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries with raspberry for my jam choice.
• Lemon – Add 1-2 tbsp of lemon zest to the cake batter, and a pinch to the whipped cream if you want a pop of lemon flavor.
• Frosting – This cake is simply divine with the whipped cream, but if you are a big frosting lover, you can make a batch of my brown butter cream cheese frosting from my Guinness Cake recipe. The brown butter is also incredible, but if you’re in a pinch you can skip that.
• Cake Mix – If you’re pressed for time, use your favorite vanilla or white cake mix, and prepare the berries and whipped cream yourself.

Special Tools:

• Offset Spatula – Offset spatulas make assembling this delicious dessert so easy! They can also be used for spreading cake and brownie batters evenly in your pan.
• Cake Pans – These are my absolute favorite 9-inch cake pans! I’ve had them for 6+ years and use them for every cake recipe, and they are still in great shape.

More Cake Recipes to Love:

• Tuxedo Cake with Whipped White Chocolate Ganache
• Perfect White Birthday Cake
• Salted Butterscotch Crunch Cake
• White Forest Cake
• Mini Chocolate Cake
• Peach Cobbler Cake
• Mojito Cake

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