The week before I went into labor with my second son I got a serious craving for berry Chantilly cake. I’d only ever had it once or twice before from a grocery store bakery (Whole Foods), but for some reason I could not get it out of my head. The fluffy white cake, the creamy mascarpone-infused Chantilly cream frosting, the fresh berries throughout – it’s the perfect light and refreshing cake for Spring or Summer and I will say that after whipping up this recipe my cravings were fully satisfied! It’s the dreamiest. 

What is Chantilly Cake?

The name Chantilly is a French term meaning “sweetened whipped cream” and in the Southern United States, Chantilly cake pairs that beautiful sweetened whipped cream frosting with light and fluffy vanilla cake. It’s traditionally layered with fresh berries – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and sometimes blackberries. It was made famous by a baker working at a Whole Foods and has been a staple at the grocery store chain ever since (which is where I fell in love with it). 

If you don’t like your frosting to be overly sweet, this Chantilly cream frosting is for you. It’s a subtly sweet whipped cream frosting made rich in flavor with mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, and almond extract. The cream cheese and mascarpone are the stabilizers here, making this frosting so easy to work with. You can frost a smooth finish, add some texture (like what’s pictured here), and even pipe with it! 

Let’s talk about this white cake recipe. It’s so light and fluffy, which makes it just the right match for this berry-studded Chantilly cream frosting. Even though these cake layers bake up fairly flat, it’s important to level the cake layers before assembling this cake. Not only will the finished cake be much more level and perfect overall, removing the caramelization from the top of the cake will help it soak up all the flavor and moisture of the jam, frosting, and berries. 

To decorate, I kept things simple with some rustic texture and fresh berries. I basically swiped a small icing spatula through the frosting diagonally to create the texture on the sides. The Chantilly cream frosting is so easy to work with, so feel free to go with a smooth finish, semi-naked finish, pipe some details, or just follow your heart! Top it with fresh berries for a pop of color and you’re good to go. 

How to Store Chantilly Cake

One thing that is definitely worth noting is that this Chantilly cake has to be refrigerated. I recommend taking it out of the refrigerator an hour or two before serving just to bring it to room temperature (I think it tastes better that way) but you can absolutely serve it cold. 

Also worth noting: you can assemble this Chantilly cake up to one day ahead of time, any longer than that and the berries may start weeping inside the cake. Check out the Make Ahead Tips in the notes section of the recipe below to help plan your cake baking/decorating timeline out. 

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Berry Chantilly Cake

Inspired by the iconic Whole Foods bakery dessert, this cake features layers of fluffy white cake, Chantilly cream frosting, and fresh berries throughout. The perfect cake year round, but especially refreshing in summer!

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Bakery-Style White Cake

• 2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 Cups (300ml) full-fat buttermilk**, room temperature DIY recipe in notes

Berry Filling

• 1/4 Cup (60ml) berry jam of your choice
• 1 Tbsp water
• 4 Oz (105g) fresh strawberries, quartered
• 2 Oz (55g) fresh blueberries
• 2 Oz (55g) fresh raspberries
• juice and zest of 1/2 small lemon

Chantilly Cream Frosting

• 8 Oz (240g) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 4 Oz (113g) full-fat brick-style cream cheese, room temperature must be brick-style, not the spread
• 1 1/2 Cups (180g) powdered sugar
• 1 Cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Garnish

• 1/4 Cup fresh berries

Instructions

Make the White Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with baking spray and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottom of each pan.
• In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and cream it together with the butter at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl and paddle at the halfway point. Turn the mixer to low and add the egg whites one at a time, mixing until they are just combined and scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the vegetable oil and vanilla, increase the mixer speed to high and beat for 1 minute.
• Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture all at once. Mix the ingredients on low speed until just combined, then slowly pour in the buttermilk. Continue mixing at low speed for about 30 seconds, until the batter is uniform and combined. The batter will be slightly thin.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 28 to 32 minutes. They’re done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the Berry Filling

• Mix together the berry jam and water. Set aside.
• Add the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries into a medium bowl. Toss together with the lemon juice and zest. Set aside.

Make the Chantilly Cream Frosting

• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, combine the mascarpone and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar a few spoonfuls at a time, beating on low speed until combined. Once fully incorporated, scrape down the bowl and increase speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, about 30 seconds.
• In another large mixing bowl, beat the cream and vanilla on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 2 min. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Assembly

• Once the white cake layers are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of Chantilly cream frosting onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Spread half of the jam mixture onto the cake layer, then add a layer of Chantilly cream frosting. Press half of the lemon coated berries on top. Place the next white cake layer on top and continue filling and stacking the cake with jam, Chantilly cream frosting, and berries. Crumb coat the cake with chantilly cream frosting, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let everything settle. The chantilly cream frosting will not firm up much in the refrigerator, but it will be easier to frost over after a trip to the refrigerator.
• To create the design pictured, frost the cake with Chantilly cream frosting and use a small spatula to make diagonal swipes in the frosting on the sides of the cake. Garnish with a crescent formation of fresh berries.

Notes

*DIY Cake Flour Recipe: if you can’t find cake flour locally, here’s how to make a homemade version using all purpose flour and cornstarch. 

**DIY Buttermilk Recipe: add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.

Make Ahead Tips: 

1. The white cake layers can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature. 
2. The berry Chantilly frosting can not be made ahead because it will lose too much air when stored in an airtight container and therefore won’t be workable. You’ll want to whip up the frosting right before you’re ready to assemble. 
3. This cake can be assembled up to 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Any leftovers should be refrigerated, covered, for up to 4 days. 
4. I don’t recommend freezing an assembled berry Chantilly cake, but you can bake the white cake layers in advance and freeze them for up to 2 months.

I hope you end up loving this berry Chantilly cake as much as I did! I ate way too many slices during the photoshoot and still had zero regrets. Let me know what you think in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me! I love to see what you create with my recipes.

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I have always been so drawn to pistachio flavored bakes and it’s a little ridiculous how long I’ve been dreaming about making a pistachio layer cake recipe. To be honest, I think I’d been hesitant to start testing recipes because pistachios can be so expensive. I didn’t want to go through a ton of pistachios trying to make the perfect cake. Lucky for me, this pistachio cake recipe did not take long to perfect – it’s everything I hoped it would be! 

These pistachio cake layers are super moist, packed with flavor, and pair so perfectly with raspberry buttercream filling and mascarpone frosting. All together it tastes like a Spring-inspired dream – ideal for a tea party, baby shower, mother’s day, or any day you feel like pistachio raspberry mascarpone goodness. 

The Best Pistachios for Pistachio Layer Cake

Finely ground pistachios are responsible for both flavoring the cake and adding structure to the crumb. The best kind of pistachios to use in this recipe are raw, unsalted pistachios that have been de-shelled. They will give this cake much better pistachio flavor than your average snacking pistachios, which tend to be roasted and salted. 

You should be able to find raw, unsalted pistachios either in the snack section or bulk section of your local grocery store. Natural grocery stores tend to carry the most options, but they can be on the spendy side. The best deals I’ve found are at Trader Joe’s ($5.99 for 8 Oz) and these pistachios on Amazon being a close second ($5.00 for 5 Oz). Here’s what they look like ground into crumbs for the cake batter and garnish:

If you can’t find raw, unsalted pistachios and instead can only find ones that have been roasted and/or salted, just know that 1) you’ll need to omit the salt in this recipe to make sure it doesn’t end up too salty and 2) the cake will take on a slight roasted flavor. If you’re okay with that, go ahead and try it! I still highly recommend searching out raw, unsalted pistachios for the best flavor.  

Pistachio Raspberry Mascarpone Heaven

This pistachio cake pairs so well with so many flavors that I plan on making many more layer cake variations. Raspberry and mascarpone are the perfect flavor pairings to kick it all off with. Between each pistachio cake layer is my favorite freeze-dried raspberry buttercream filling, which is so packed with natural raspberry flavor and just delightful with the rest of these cake elements. Freeze dried raspberries are my favorite way to flavor buttercream because they add the richest flavor and yield the best buttercream consistency (since they don’t contain any liquid to water things down), but I recently found a way to make raspberry buttercream with fresh berries that would be wonderful in this recipe as an alternative. 

I wanted a light and creamy frosting to tie everything together and after polling my Instagram followers, mascarpone buttercream won out. Y’all were RIGHT! This mascarpone buttercream is a wonderful choice. I honestly could not stop stealing spoonfuls of it during the decorating process. It’s creamy and light, not too sweet, and has a rich quality to it – almost like a cream cheese frosting. It’s super easy to work with and holds its shape when frosted and piped. You could easily use it to create a smooth buttercream finish, but I opted for a textured finish with the rounded cake comb from this set to give some extra intrigue. Topping it with pistachio crumbs and fresh raspberries gave this cake just the right amount of color and elegance. 

Tips for Perfect Mascarpone Buttercream

In all honesty, it took me a few tries to figure out the best (and most fail proof) way to make mascarpone buttercream. Mascarpone is a sensitive ingredient. It really doesn’t like to be over-whipped and will quickly curdle if it’s mixed for too long. At first, I tried making a whipped mascarpone frosting (basically like a whipped cream frosting with a slight mascarpone flavor) but I found it too subtle. It was lovely, but just not right for the rest of the flavors and textures going on in this cake. Instead, I ended up with a mascarpone buttercream recipe that’s a bit richer in flavor, super creamy, and perfectly complementary to this cake. Still, mascarpone can be finicky to work with, so here are my best tips for mascarpone buttercream success:

• Make sure the butter and mascarpone are at room temperature before starting. Take them out of the refrigerator for about 1-1.5 hours before starting the recipe. 
• If your mascarpone has any liquid separating from the cheese in the container, drain the liquid beforehand. 
• Use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer for the smoothest consistency. 
• When it comes time to add the mascarpone at the end, mix it in on low speed for only about 30 seconds total. Any longer and you run the risk of curdling, which unfortunately cannot be fixed.
• Make the mascarpone buttercream right before you’re ready to frost the cake. 

Does the Decorated Cake Need to Be Refrigerated?

Since mascarpone is a soft cheese (like cream cheese), this cake does need to be stored in the refrigerator. However, it tastes the best at room temperature, so be sure to remove it from the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving the cake. It can be left out for about 3 hours total before needing to be refrigerated again. 

However you decorate, I hope you end up loving this cake as much as my friends and family did. My husband took most of this cake to his work and the cake was gone before lunch time with rave reviews all around! And I’m just so excited to keep pairing this pistachio cake with more flavor combinations – I’m thinking orange, lemon, white chocolate, strawberry, rose, the list goes on and on! 

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Raspberry Pistachio Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream

Layers of deliciously moist and flavorful pistachio cake paired beautifully with raspberry buttercream filling and mascarpone buttercream frosting. The perfect cake for Spring!

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Pistachio Cake

• 1 1/2 Cups (190g) raw, unsalted pistachios (de-shelled)
• 1 3/4 Cups (184g) sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 Cups (267g) granulated sugar
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 Cup (60g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 Cup (180ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)

Raspberry Buttercream

• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 Cup (18g) freeze-dried raspberries
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 Cups (360g) powdered sugar
• pinch of salt

Mascarpone Buttercream

• 3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 Cups (360g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 Cup (180g) mascarpone, room temperature

Instructions

Make the Pistachio Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/177ºC. Prepare three 6-inch (15cm) or two 8-inch (20cm) cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pan.
• Using a food processor, grind the pistachios into fine crumbs (see the photo above for a visual). You’ll still have about 1 and 1/2 cups of crumbs. Place 1 ¼ Cups (160g) of the pistachio crumbs into a medium bowl and set the rest of the crumbs aside in a smaller bowl to use as garnish on the decorated cake.
• In the medium bowl with the pistachio crumbs, add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high for two minutes until it’s light and creamy. Add the sugar and vegetable oil, then continue to mix on medium-high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the egg whites one at a time, mixing until well combined. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix for two minutes on high speed. Scrape down the bowl and paddle once more.
• Turn the mixer to low and add in the dry ingredients all at once. When they’re just beginning to combine, add the green food coloring (if using) and the whole milk in a slow, steady stream. Continue to mix on low until incorporated, about 1 minute.
• Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake for 28-32 minutes. They’re done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling.

Make the Raspberry Buttercream

• With a food processor, grind the raspberries into a fine powder. Sift out the seeds (if a few seeds end up in the powder that is totally ok) and set the powder aside.
• Whip the butter using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until it’s creamy and light in color (5 minutes). Add vanilla, milk, and raspberry powder and continue to mix on medium until fully combined.
• Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix on low speed, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each addition. Add a pinch of salt and mix on low speed until fully combined and smooth, 1-2 minutes.

Make the Mascarpone Buttercream

• Whip the butter using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until it’s creamy and almost white in color (7 minutes). Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the vanilla extract and mix on low speed until full combined.
• Add the mascarpone and a pinch of salt. Mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Give the buttercream a few stirs with your rubber spatula by hand to make sure it's all mixed in without over mixing.

Assembly

• Once the pistachio cakes are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of raspberry buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Add a layer of raspberry buttercream as filling, then repeat the filling and stacking process with the final cake layer. Crumb coat the cake with raspberry buttercream, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
• To create the design pictured, frost the cake with mascarpone frosting and use a cake comb to create rounded texture on the sides. Keep the top edges raw. While the frosting is still tacky, gently press the reserved pistachio crumbs around the bottom third of the cake. Finish by garnishing the top of the cake with fresh raspberries and more pistachio crumbs.

Notes

Make Ahead Tips: 

1. The pistachio cake can be baked ahead and stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively you can store the cakes in the freezer for up to two months.  
2. The raspberry buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix in your stand mixer to bring it back to smooth buttercream consistency. 
3. The mascarpone buttercream can not be made ahead. Instead, make it right before you’re ready to frost the cake. 

Did you make this pistachio cake? I want to know how it went! Leave a comment below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!

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