Berry Chantilly Cake

Homemade moist yellow cake layered with fluffy sweet cream cheese whipped cream frosting and fresh berries. This Berry Chantilly Cake is famous at Whole Foods and here’s my copycat version so you can make it at home. This is the best Chantilly Cake recipe!

Once July hits Arizona, it is a mass exodus out of town. You will see your neighbors on the beach in California because no one wants to hang out in 116-degree weather. We end up on vacation every single year on my daughter’s birthday which means she rarely gets a homemade cake.

I believe EVERYONE needs to blow out a candle on their birthday. It’s as if a birthday isn’t complete without a poorly sung rendition of “Happy Birthday,” a few lit candles, and a birthday wish. It’s just tradition.

So every year we have to buy a birthday cake for her on the road.  We discovered her most beloved cake of all time at Whole Foods. It’s their famous Whole Foods Berry Chantilly Cake and you better believe I have asked the bakery chefs in California, Texas, and even Arizona how they make it.

After some research, a lot of questions, and studying the label, I went to work in the kitchen to create the Berry Chantilly Cream Cake.  This is a simplified version of what they make at Whole Foods. It’s now the cake that BOTH of my girls request for their birthdays but I can make it at home!

What is Chantilly Cake?

A Chantilly cake is a layered cake featuring a light, airy cake and a whipped cream based frosting, which is usually mixed with cream cheese or mascarpone for added richness and fresh fruit, most often berries, arranged between the layers and on top.

The name “Chantilly” refers to the lightly sweetened whipped cream, which can be flavored with vanilla or other extracts. This combination of delicate cake, fluffy cream, and juicy fruit makes it one of the most popular cakes. It has gained widespread popularity, in part because of the famous Whole Foods Berry Chantilly Cake.

Berry Chantilly Cake

So what makes this Berry Chantilly Cream Cake so special?

Let’s start with the cake. It’s the base of the cake so it has to be GOOD.  I spent weeks testing out yellow cake recipes and came up with this gem — Yellow Birthday Cake which takes on some creative methods. It’s such a soft, tender, fluffy, and moist cake.

The Chantilly Whipped Cream Frosting is when it gets REAL.  This isn’t some overly sweet, stick-to-your-mouth kind of frosting. This Chantilly Frosting is light, and fluffy with the perfect amount of sweetness.

It’s a chantilly whipped cream frosting using heavy cream, which is whipped into soft peaks and folded into a sweetened cream cheese or mascarpone cheese and pure vanilla. It is HEAVENLY! My kids fight over who is going to lick the bowl.

When I asked the bakers at Whole Foods the ingredients in their famous chantilly cake frosting, they did tell me they used fresh whipped cream and mascarpone cheese. I have made this cake with both cream cheese and mascarpone cheese, and if you want to truly elevate your chantilly cream cake, I suggest using mascarpone cheese.

Warning: you can eat A LOT of this frosting without even batting an eye.

The cake layers are covered with a thin layer of raspberry jam which not only gives it a sweet fruity flavor but gives moisture to the layers. The cake is covered with the chantilly cream and fresh berries. Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, and Blueberries line the layers.  Then the Berry Chantilly Cream Cake is topped with all the fresh fruit.

This is one of my most requested cake recipes. You are going to love the moist yellow cake, the fresh fruit jam, the whipped cream mascarpone cheese frosting, and all of the fresh berries. It is absolutely heavenly!

Chantilly Cake Ingredients:

Yellow Cake:

• Eggs
• Whole Milk or Buttermilk: Adds a subtle tang and moisture. Buttermilk helps keep the crumb soft and tender.
• Vanilla Extract
• Flour: Use cake flour or all-purpose flour. Cake flour yields a more tender crumb because it has lower protein content.
• Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Butter softened, cut into cubes: Adds richness and flavor. Creaming butter with sugar creates air pockets, resulting in a lighter texture.
• Oil
• Vanilla Pudding Mix instant: This makes the cake have a softer texture and adds more sweetness. It keeps it soft and moist for longer.

Filling:

• Raspberry or Strawberry Jam

Chantilly Cream Frosting:

• Heavy Cream: Adds lightness to the frosting when whipped.
• Cream Cheese or Mascarpone Cheese (softened): Forms the base of the frosting, giving it tang (for cream cheese) or a rich creaminess (for mascarpone).
• Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and stabilizes the frosting.
• Pure Vanilla Extract Vanilla Beans, or Vanilla Bean Paste: For more vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste or scrape the vanilla beans from the pod.

Fresh Berries:

• Strawberries 
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Blueberries

How to make Whole Foods Chantilly Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. In a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat the butter into the flour mixture, one cube at at time. Continue to beat until it resembles coarse crumbs.

• Add the 1/2 of the egg milk mixture and oil and beat the batter is light and fluffy. Add remaining egg milk mixture and vanilla pudding and mix just until combined.
• Take a spatula and scrape the sides of the bowl. Spread into greased pans and smooth tops with spatula. May use two or three cake pans (I use three 8 inch cake pans).

• Bake for 16-22 minutes, depending on depth of pans. If the cake layers are thin, they will cook for less time than the thicker layers.
• Let cakes cool. Run knife around edge of cake pan and flip over.

• MAKE THE FROSTING. In a large mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until firm peaks form. Set aside. In another large mixing bowl, whip cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla for at least 5 minutes or until creamy and silky smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream until incorporated. Cover and put in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

• Spread a thin layer of jam over each layer. Spread chantilly cream over each layer. Top each layers with a sprinkling of fresh fruit. Using offset spatula, frost entire cake with chantilly cream. Top with remaining fresh fruit.
• Place the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

BERRY CHANTILLY CREAM CAKE BAKING TIPS:

1.  Don’t overbake your cake. Keep a close eye on the layers. If you are baking two layers, then you will need to cook the cakes longer as they are thicker. If you are baking three layers, you will need to cook the layers for less time.  Keep a cake tester or toothpick close by and check the middle of the cakes.
2. When making the chantilly cream frosting, cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a separate bowl.  It is important to cream it long enough that it becomes silky smooth — about 4-5 minutes.  After it is creamed, it can be gently folded in with the whipped cream.
3. Use heavy cream and whip until it forms firm peaks. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla until incorporated.
4. This frosting can benefit from being chilled for about 15 minutes before frosting the cake.
5. Always do a light “crumb coat” of frosting on the cake which means to do a light layer of frosting to cover the crumbs and then add the majority of frosting.  I am a huge fan of an offset spatula. They don’t cost very much but makes it so much easier to frost a cake.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):

Is this the same as the Whole Foods Chantilly Cake?

This is a “dupe” or copycat recipe for the popular Whole Foods cake. It replicates that light sponge with whipped cream cheese frosting and fresh berries.

Can I Use Other Fruits?

Absolutely—any combination of berries, peaches, or kiwi can work.

What If I Don’t Have Cake Flour?

If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all-purpose flour instead. Cake flour has a lower gluten amount so it creates a more tender texture.

How Can I Make the Frosting Thicker?

Add more powdered sugar gradually or chill the frosting for 10–15 minutes before spreading.

How to Keep the Frosting Firm for Layering?

Ensure the cheese and cream are cold. Whip until you reach stiff peaks, taking care not to overwhip or you might break the cream. Chill the frosting if it softens too much.

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If you love this Berry Cream Chantilly Cake Recipe, leave a comment below or pin this image on Pinterest.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this Berry Chantilly Cream Cake! PIN this image below and share with friends. Have a wonderful day and happy baking! xo