This chantilly cake recipe consists of super soft and fluffy vanilla cake layers, filled with a creamy, vanilla flavored whipped cream, tart homemade berry jam (that is SO EASY to make) and loads of fresh berries! Its refreshing, light and packed with so much flavor – one of my absolute favorite cakes of all time.
What is a Chantilly Cake?
The name ‘chantilly cake’ comes from the type of frosting used in the cake. In other words, its a term used to describe a lighty sweetened whipped cream with vanilla flavor.
Traditional chantilly cakes are made up of vanilla cake layers (sponge cakes are often used too), filled with chantilly cream and fresh berries or berry jam (or both – like my recipe!). Its a light, refreshing cake, perfect as a summer dessert when berries are in season.
What is the difference between whipped cream and chantilly cream?
Chantilly cream is often used interchangeably with whipped cream, though chantilly cream is often referred to as a flavored and sweetened version of whipped cream, which distinguishes it from regular whipped cream.
The chantilly cream used in this recipe is inspired by the very popular Whole Foods berry chantilly cake that also uses mascarpone and cream cheese in the whipped cream to add additional flavor and stability.
How to Make Chantilly Cake
This recipe has a few different elements, but it all comes together relatively quickly!
Vanilla Cake
The cake used in this recipe is my 5 star rated vanilla cake recipe – so so moist and fluffy!
Begin by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional and grease and/or line two 8 inch cake pans (I use my homemade cake release).
In a bowl, sift together all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add in butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine – if using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment), cream together for 2 minutes on a medium speed until light and creamy.
Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
Add in vanilla extract/essence, vinegar and half a cup of the buttermilk (112g), and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
Finish off by adding in half of your flour mixture to your wet mixture, and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula until just combined. Then add in the remaining 1 cup (225g) of buttermilk, and fold it in until just combined. Lastly, add in the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Distribute the cake batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans. Drop the cake tins lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once baked, allow the cake layers to cool in the cake tins for 20 minutes, before turning them out onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Berry Jam Filling
Place berries, cornstarch, lemon juice and white sugar into a saucepan and mix well. Place the saucepan over a low-medium heat and let the mixture slowly heat up, stirring every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Once the berries start to get soft and the mixture is liquidy, continue to cook for a few minutes to allow it to thicken up. If using firm berries like fresh strawberries, use a potato masher to break up the berries while they’re cooking in the pan.
Once the mixture is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon well, remove from the heat and place it in a heatproof bowl or container. Allow it to come to room temperature before using.
Chantilly Whipped Cream
In a large bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds, and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix until well combined and smooth. If using a stand mixer use the whisk attachment.
Add in heavy cream and mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds (to allow everything to combine without the cream splattering), and then turn up the speed to a medium-high speed and whip until you reach stiff peaks. Keep a careful eye on the mixture as you don’t want to overwhip the cream.
Assembly (see video for demonstration)
Trim off the tops of the cake layers with a serrated knife so that they’re nice and flat.
Place the first layer onto a serving plate/cake stand and spread out a generous amount of the whipped cream frosting with an offset spatula. Using a large piping tip (I used a 1M), pipe a dam of frosting around the edges of the cake layer. Fill the middle with half of the berry filling and top with fresh berries (you can use fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc.).
Place the next cake layer on top and spread out more whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake. I like to use my cake scraper to scrape the edges and make it nice and smooth!
Using a 1M piping tip (or any large piping tip), pipe a border around the top edge of the cake. Fill the centre with the remaining berry jam and top with more fresh fruit. Slice and enjoy!
How to Store Chantilly Cake?
Chantilly cake should be stored in the fridge due to the whipped cream frosting. Place the cake into an airtight container before placing into the fridge to prevent the cake from drying out.
Moist Chantilly Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 2⅓ cups (300 g) flour - regular all purpose (see note 1 if you want to use cake flour)
- ¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ½ cup (105 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola
- 1⅔ cups (332 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1¼ tbsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1½ cups (337 g) buttermilk - room temperature, see note 5 if using a homemade buttermilk substitute
Berry Jam Filling
- 1 cup (140 g) mixed berries - fresh or frozen will both work. I used blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.
- ¾ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 3 tbsp (38 g) white granulated sugar
Chantilly Whipped Cream
- ½ cup (113 g) mascarpone - cold
- ½ cup (113 g) cream cheese - cold, use a firm cream cheese (not the spreadable type).
- 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 2 cups (460 g) heavy whipping cream - cold
Extra
- 2 cups (280 g) mixed fresh berries of your choice - I used raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. Berries must be fresh (not frozen).
Instructions
- IMPORTANT: For the vanilla cake recipe I would highly recommend using gram measurements, especially for the flour for accurate results. It has a high fat/liquid ratio so slight adjustments to the quantities can throw off the balance of the cake 🙂
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 4 if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease and/or line two 8 inch cake tins (I use my homemade cake release).
- In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add in butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine - see note 2), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
- Add in vanilla, vinegar and half a cup of the buttermilk (112g), and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
- Finish off by adding in half of your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold it in with a spatula until just combined. Then add in the remaining 1 cup (225g) of buttermilk, and fold it in until just combined. Lastly, add in the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix (see note 3).
- Distribute the batter evenly into the two 8 inch cake tins. Drop the cake tins lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once baked, allow the cake layers to cool in the cake tins for 20 minutes, before turning them out onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Berry Jam Filling
- Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and mix well. Place the saucepan over a low-medium heat and let the mixture slowly heat up, stirring every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the berries start to get soft and the mixture is liquidy, continue to cook for a few minutes to allow it to thicken up. If using firm berries like strawberries, use a potato masher to break up the berries while they're cooking in the pan.
- Once the mixture is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon well, remove from the heat and place it in a heatproof bowl or container. Allow it to come to room temperature before using (see note 6).
Chantilly Whipped Cream
- Before beginning, ensure the mascarpone, cream cheese and whipped cream are cold.
- In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds, and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix until well combined and smooth. If using a stand mixer use the whisk attachment.
- Add in the whipping cream and mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds (to allow everything to combine without the cream splattering), and then turn up the speed to a medium high and whip until you reach stiff peaks. Keep a careful eye on the mixture as you don't want to overwhip the cream.
Assembly (see video for demonstration)
- Trim off the tops of the cake layers with a serrated knife so that they're nice and flat.
- Place the first cake layer onto a serving plate/cake stand and spread out a generous amount of whipped cream. Using a large piping tip (I used a 1M), pipe a dam of frosting around the edges of the cake layer. Fill the middle with half of the berry jam and top with fresh berries.
- Place the next cake layer on top and spread out more whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake.
- Using a 1M piping tip (or any large piping tip), pipe a border around the top edge of the cake. Fill the centre with the remaining berry jam and top with more fresh fruit. Slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
74 Comments
Made the cake and it was delicious. I was wondering if I can make the sponge and freeze it then assemble as required.
So glad you loved the cake Katie! 😀
Yes that should be fine just wrap the cake layers well in cling wrap and place into an airtight container before freezing 🙂
Making a cake for someone who specifically wants rice flour instead of regular flour- if using rice flour do I omit the cornstarch as well?
Hi Elizabeth! 🙂
Hmm I haven’t tried this recipe with rice flour myself and I worry that it may not work well for this recipe. Other readers have tried my recipes with a gluten free flour (that’s meant to act as a 1:1 substitute for regular flour), but rice flour I’m not sure sorry! I would probably keep the cornstarch in if you did want to try it out 🙂
Can I use more butter to substitute the oil? What kind of drawback would that have? Thanks!
Heya! 🙂
You could do that, your cake will just be a bit less moist and will dry out a bit quicker. Oil is liquid at room temp, so makes for a moister cake 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hey MK,
Can the Berry filling be made in advance and stored? Perhaps even frozen?
Thanks!
Hi Karen 🙂
Yes you can totally make the berry filling in advance! I haven’t tried freezing it myself so I’m not too sure about how the consistency would be once thawed sorry! Would love to hear how it goes if you decide to try and freeze it 🙂
I made this yesterday and my family really enjoyed it! I followed to the precise ingredients and instructions carefully. I plan to make another one at my workplace soon, and I’m sure they will love it too! Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! So glad your family loved the chantilly cake Zan 😀
I hope your colleagues enjoy it just as much 🙂
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback!
This recipe has become my go to recipe for vanilla cakes, everyone always LOVES the taste! It stays so moist for days, and I don’t use any sugar syrup. I’ve frozen this cake and had it in the fridge and it stays perfect. I’ve used AP flour and cake flour, both will taste amazing but I do prefer cake flour. I also have used different whipped topping recipes, different fillings, etc. I’m telling you, you can’t go wrong with this cake! It’s delicious. Even the people I know who don’t usually like cake, gobble this up whenever I make it. Thank you SO MUCH, MK, for sharing your talent with the world! 💜
Aww thank you so so much for the wonderful feedback Roxanne 😀 So happy to hear you’re loving the vanilla cake recipe so much and thank you for your note about AP flour and cake flour as I do have some readers asking about whether cake flour would work well 🙂
Hi MK can I make this cake 1 day prior with complete frosting to be used for the next day? If yes how do I store it in fridge without slicing it ?
Hi Nikita! 🙂 You could do that, as long as the cake layers are completely covered in frosting, otherwise they may dry out. You can keep the whole cake in the fridge uncovered (if the cake layers are completely covered with frosting), just keep it away from any strong smelling foods. I would let the cake come to room temp for about 2 hours before serving the next day 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Yet another spectacular recipe by MK!
The chantilly cream was divine and the cake looked and tasted amazing.
Hi, how can convert this recipe to two 9inch cake recipe, do I just double the amount ? would the baking time be same?
Hi Anum! 🙂 For two 9 inch cake layers, if you want relatively thick layers (like I have) then I would make 1.5x the recipe. 2x may be a little too much (or for ease you could make 2x the recipe and use the extra batter to make cupcakes on the side). The cook time should roughly be around the same time 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Do you think this sponge would hold up to a 4 layer cake, my daughter really wants a raspberry cake for her birthday, And I want to make a 4 layer one so there’s plenty to go around!
Hi Elan! 🙂 Yes this cake should be fine with 4 layers (the berries in between the cake layers help to stop the weight of the cake layers from pushing out the frosting), but any higher than I would recommend using extra support dowels in the cake 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe Elan and that your daughter has a wonderful birthday!