Easy Berry Chantilly Cake Recipe

Name: The Easy Berry Cake I’m Making All Summer Long
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 225 min
Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray; 1 (15.25-ounce) box white cake mix; Egg whites as needed for cake mix (according to package directions); Milk as needed for cake mix (in place of water according to package directions); 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable; 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 1 pound fresh strawberries; 12 ounces fresh blueberries; 6 ounces fresh blackberries, halved if large; 6 ounces fresh raspberries; 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; 8 ounces cream cheese, well softened; 8 ounces cold mascarpone cheese; 1 3/4 cups (198g) powdered sugar; 4 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 1/4 cups cold heavy cream

Whole Foods’ berry chantilly cake has a cult following, and for good reason. Invented in the early 2000s by Chaya Conrad—then Whole Foods bakery team leader in New Orleans, now owner of Bywater Bakery with her husband Alton Osborne—Conrad’s cake is an exceptional example of what a berries and cream cake can be.

Sold at Whole Foods stores around the country and her more current iteration at Bywater Bakery, the berry chantilly cake consists of layers of soft and tender almond-laced cake, a chantilly cream frosting, and heaps of fresh berries, resulting in a dessert that’s sweet (but not cloying), light, and bright.

Easy Berry Chantilly Cake in a tin, one slice removed and set on a dessert plate with a fork — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

This riff on the iconic Whole Foods cake is an easy-to-make sheet cake that hits all the flavors of the store-bought version while leaning on the convenience of boxed cake mix. After testing a handful of combinations, I found that zhuzhing the cake mix with milk and a combination of butter and oil resulted in a soft, tight-yet-tender crumb similar to the Whole Foods version.

To mimic the berries and cream between the layers of the original cake, I opt to first put a layer of juicy macerated berries over the cake before the cream. Finished with a layer of billowy cream and more berries to boot, this cake gets better as it sits. It’s a perfect summery make-ahead dessert for berry-chantilly-enthusiasts and general sweet tooths alike.

Tips and Tricks for Making Berry Chantilly Cake

Adding a layer of macerated berries before topping the cake with the cream and fresh berries mimics the layers of berries and cream in the traditional layered cake.
Macerating the berries—AKA letting them sit with sugar to draw out their juices—brings out their flavor and ensures they will hold up to the richness of the cream.
Chilling after assembly allows the cake to absorb the berry juices and thickens the cream topping. This, in turn, makes the cake softer, more cohesive, and reminiscent of the texture of the store-bought version.

slice of Easy Berry Chantilly Cake on a small plate with a fork — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Layer It Up

This sheet cake can easily be turned into a traditional layered cake. To assemble, turn the cake out onto a cutting board and use a serrated knife to split the cake in half horizontally, parallel to the base. Place the bottom half of the cake back into the pan. Arrange the macerated berries over the bottom layer.

Spread half of the cream (about 3 cups) over the berries and top with the other half of the cake. Spoon and swoop the rest of the cream over the cake and top with the remaining fresh berries. Chill according to the recipe.

How To Make This Cake Ahead

The cake can be baked up to a day ahead of assembling. Wrap the cooled cake tightly with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature.
The entire cake can be assembled the night before serving. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

More Very Berry Desserts

Easy Berry Chantilly Cake

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 90 mins

Chill: 2 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 45 mins

Servings 12 to 16 servings

Yield 1 (9x13-inch) sheet cake

I really encourage macerating the berries that are added to the top of the cake before the cream for maximum flavor, but you can skip this step if needed and use all fresh berries instead.

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For the cake

Nonstick cooking spray
1 (15.25-ounce) box white cake mix
Egg whites as needed for cake mix (according to package directions)
Milk as needed for cake mix (in place of water according to package directions)
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For the Berries

1 pound fresh strawberries
12 ounces fresh blueberries
6 ounces fresh blackberries, halved if large
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the chantilly cream

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces cold mascarpone cheese
1 3/4 cups (198g) powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/4 cups cold heavy cream

Preheat the oven according to the cake mix package directions.

Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the batter:

In a large bowl, prepare the cake mix according to the package directions using the egg whites, milk, oil, melted butter, vanilla, and almond extract.
Bake:

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake according to the package directions for a 9x13-inch cake and until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack until room temperature, about 1 hour.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Meanwhile, macerate the berries:

While the cake is cooling, hull and slice half of the strawberries. Add the cut strawberries to a medium bowl along with half of the blueberries, half of the blackberries, and half of the raspberries. Add the granulated sugar and toss until combined and the berries begin to look glossy. Transfer to the refrigerator and macerate until juicy, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 1/2 hours.

Trim and cut the remaining strawberries as desired for decorating the cake.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Make the cream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), whip the softened cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 30 seconds.

Add the cold mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt and beat on medium-low speed until smooth and just combined, 15 to 30 seconds. With the mixer still running on medium-low speed, stream in the cold heavy cream. Scrape down the bowl.

Increase the speed to medium-high and whip to stiff peaks, about 1 minute. Keep the chantilly cream chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Assemble, chill, and serve:

Arrange the macerated berries and their juices over the cooled cake in an even layer. Give the chantilly cream a good stir, then scrape the cream over the berries. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to smooth and swoop the frosting as desired. Arrange the remaining fresh berries over the top.

Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 2 hours and up to overnight to allow the layers to meld together and the whole cake to chill. Use a sharp knife to cut the cake when serving, wiping between cuts for clean slices.

Leftover cake can be stored in the pan tightly wrapped with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
428	Calories
34g	Fat
27g	Carbs
5g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 16
Amount per serving
Calories	428
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g	44%
Saturated Fat 17g	86%
Cholesterol 81mg	27%
Sodium 164mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate 27g	10%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 24mg	120%
Calcium 89mg	7%
Iron 0mg	3%
Potassium 207mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.