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
Hey Maryam, it’s been super long but it’s me, Steffi.
I missed you! Sorry I’ve not commented in so long, but life has been crazy. I guess it’s getting crazier with the little one turning 2 soon. Speaking of turning 2 soon, I tried this recipe today as a test bake for her birthday end of this month.
The verdict: Husband and I love how soft the sponge layers were. Wow. Also when I baked these and turned them out, they were so even, which I’m usually not so lucky with. So happy with the even cake layers that I didn’t trim off the crust/levelled the top. (This might have added to my woe later.)
The chantilly cream is perfect in sweetness. It’s light, and doesn’t feel too heavy. It’s dangerous cause that means we can go on eating hahahhaha. I love the berry sauce, though husband wants to make it more tart just to balance the sweetness and tartness of the flavours overall.
So I added fresh strawberries to my filling. I halved them and then my mistake was to add more cream before I stacked my second cake layer. I’m guessing this might be the reason why my cake and cream cracked in the fridge, cause the instability probably made the top cake layer slide and then subsequently cracked. I’m now considering not to put the fresh strawberries, but just a dam of delicious berry sauce and berries on top of the cake. Also for some reason, this always happens to me no matter what kind of frosting, but I’m catching a lot of crumbs. So I think I need to trim off the crust? And crumb coat the cake, chill, and then a final frosting.
I’m not sure if I’ll have time and stomach capacity to make another bake test. But we will see how.
Hi Steffi! 😊 So nice to hear from you again, and happy early birthday to your little one!
It does sound like the extra cream may have caused a bit of sliding. I would recommend placing the top cake layer directly onto the strawberries without a second layer of cream on top of the strawberries 🙂
Ahh yes, I’ve found the only way to not get crumbs in the frosting without doing a crumb coat, is to spread a lot of frosting out at once, so your spatula never touches the cake layers and therefore doesn’t pick up bits of crumbs. You can kind of see how I do this in the recipe video, otherwise for a flawless finish a crumb coat is the way to go – you may just need to make extra frosting 🙂
So glad you both enjoyed the flavours, and I love the idea of making the berry layer a bit more tart too! Hope the final birthday cake turns out beautifully!
I made this cake twice in a row. It’s so moist and delicious. The crumb is so tender and the flavor is perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Aww yay! So glad you’re loving the recipe Anna 😀
Hi MK,
Hope you are well. I am a beginner when it comes to baking but following this recipe makes me feel like am a pro! Made this cake for my mum’s birthday and the result is absolutely fantastic. Its as fluffy and moist as you have described. Initially I thought it will come out very sweet but the berry filling contrasted it, which makes every bite balanced and not overly sweet. The only difference I made is divided the batter into three cake pans and created three beautiful cake layers. You are such a blessing for sharing your recipes for free. Thank you so much.
Aww thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Chacha! So glad to hear you loved the recipe and sounds like you’re doing amazing on your baking journey 😀
I made this for Father’s Day and my whole family loved it! It’s my new favorite cake, and I have made the frosting just because we had left over ingredients to put on other baked goods 😂. So tasty! Thank you for this recipe!
Aww yay! So so happy to hear you and your family loved the recipe Katie 😀
I made this for Easter, oh my it’s delicious!! Your videos are so helpful and show every step. My first time actually piping a cake and it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you loved the recipe Peggy and that the video was helpful too 😀
Can I make cupcakes with this recipe?
Hi Nazlin! Yes that should be fine just reduce the cook time to around the 18 min mark 🙂
Enjoy!