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This simplified Berry Chantilly Cake recipe uses time-saving shortcuts while delivering a bakery-quality taste—so delicious, no one will know you didn’t spend hours in the kitchen!
There’s something special about a homemade birthday cake. But when that cake is a Berry Chantilly Cake, it truly feels like the best day of the year. A few years ago, I spent time with my son and his family just after my birthday. To celebrate, they treated me to a wonderful dinner, complete with a homemade cake. My daughter-in-law, Meagan, made her own version of the famous Berry Chantilly Cake from Whole Foods. This recipe has been floating around the internet for years, but somehow I had never come across it. And oh my gosh, it’s amazing.
What is Chantilly?
French-inspired Chantilly cream is a sweetened version of whipped cream, made even more luxurious with the right ingredients. The best choice is heavy whipping cream or double cream, and for sweetness, you can use pure vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, powdered sugar, or castor sugar (super-fine sugar). As for the name? That’s still up for debate! Some sources say it comes from Chantilly, France, while others believe it’s named after the elegant Château de Chantilly near Paris. A reader told me that in the deep South, many believe the cake originated in the Chantilly district of New Orleans. So take your pick, no matter where it got its name, it’s delicious!
What is Chantilly Cake made of?
A classic Chantilly cake begins with a basic 3 layer white cake recipe. What takes it to the next level is the frosting. The main ingredients for the frosting are whipping cream, cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and powdered sugar. Combined, these ingredients make a frosting with incredible flavor.
Why This Recipe Works So Well
This recipe is perfect because it doesn’t require any special skills to create a beautiful and impressive dessert. I got all the best tips and tricks from Meagan, and now I’m sharing my own version, though it’s very close to hers. To keep things simple, I used a box cake mix, but if you prefer to bake from scratch, any white or vanilla cake recipe will work just as well. Another way I simplified this recipe is to use just two layers of cake instead of three. It’s still just as beautiful.
Putting It All Together
- Prepare the box cake mix, according to package directions.
- Make sure to prepare your pans with nonstick spray, Baker’s Joy, or butter dusted with all purpose flour. Parchment paper can also be used to line the pans.
- Pour the cake batter in two 9 inch cake pans. Bake in a preheated oven and cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream for 3 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
- Cover and place in refrigerator.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer, place the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- With the paddle attachment, beat until completely blended, about 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through the beating time.
- Switch to the whisk attachment and lightly blend whipping cream into cream cheese mixture. This can also be done by hand with a large spatula.
- Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Clean all the berries and pat dry.
- Add 1 teaspoon water to 1/2 cup strawberry jam. Stir until smooth.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake plate with the bottom of the cake facing up.
- Spread half of the berry jam mixture on the first cake layer. The layer will be thin.
- Remove frosting from refrigerator. On top of the jam, spread a thick layer of frosting. Frosting layer should be at least 1/2 inch thick.
- Top frosting with sliced berries.
- Place remaining cake layer on top of the first one, this time with the top up.
- Spread remaining strawberry jam mixture over top of cake.
- Follow with a thick layer of frosting.
- Using a flat spatula, frost the sides of the cake.
- Garnish the top of the cake with more sliced and/or whole berries and fresh mint.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond extract can be substituted for the vanilla extract in the frosting. Cut the amount to 1/2 teaspoon.
- The berry amounts (in ounces) are just a guideline. Use as much or as little fresh fruit as you desire.
- Any type of berry can be used as long as it can be placed on the frosting layer and still remain firm.
- Any kind of fruit jam or jelly can be used. Just try what you have on hand or like best.
Berry Chantilly Cake Recipe Tips
- To get a pure white cake, use just the egg whites, not whole eggs when preparing the cake mix. The egg yolks will make your cake yellow.
- It works well to make the cake a day ahead. Wrap the layers in wax paper and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- We’re definitely not going for perfection here! This is a rustic yet beautiful dessert.
- If you want to use a decorative cake plate, begin with a cake board circle so you can transfer any leftover cake to an airtight container.
- This recipe could be easily adapted to make a sheet cake. Simply bake the cake in a 9 x 13 pan, add the jelly layer, frost, and top with berries. I just did this recently, and the cake was lovely.
- You can also make cupcakes! Just use the white cake mix, and top the cupcakes with the Chantilly frosting and fruit.
- This cake slices and serves beautifully if it is very cold. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Do not let the cake come to room temperature.
Berry Chantilly Cake Frosting Tips
- You can frost the sides of the cake the traditional way, or you can scrape some of the frosting off to get the “naked cake” look. I used the flat edge of a serrated bread knife, but any tool with a flat edge will work.
- The cream cheese frosting must stay as cold as possible during assembly.
- I have not tried it, but I think you could use an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip instead of the whipping cream. This frosting is very similar to the ice box cake filling I make, and that recipe uses Cool Whip.
- The design of the berries on top of the cake is totally a personal decision. Meagan covered the top of her cake with sliced berries. I opted for a border of berries. Just let your creativity flow!
- This berry Chantilly cake is perfect for the holiday season. Instead of fresh berries, make sugared cranberries. The sparkling cranberries and fresh mint will add the jolliest touch of fun to your holiday menu. Another idea is substituting fresh rosemary for the mint. The sprigs of rosemary look like tiny little Christmas trees!
Frequently Asked Questions
For most people, including me, this berry Chantilly cake isn’t something to make on a regular basis. This is a dessert you can pull out of your arsenal when you want something very special. It takes a little effort, but the end result is so beautiful, and it’s completely worth it! This cake has been a big hit with OSP readers. Make sure to scroll down and read the comments!
Shopping Sources
- Cake board circles
- Ceramic cake plate (similar)
- KitchenAid mixer
- Cake pans
- Cooling rack
- Icing or offset spatula
- Cake carrier
Simplified Berry Chantilly Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 white cake mix
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 8 oz. cream cheese (chilled)
- 1 8 oz. mascarpone cheese (chilled)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
For Assembly:
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam or jelly
- 1 teaspoon water
- 6 oz. strawberries (sliced)
- 6 oz. blueberries
- 6 oz. raspberries
- 6 oz. blackberries
Instructions
- Bake the cake, according to package directions, in two 9 inch cake pans. Cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream for 3 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
- Cover and place in refrigerator.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, place the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- Beat until completely blended, about 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through the beating time.
- Fold whipping cream into cream cheese mixture, just until it's all mixed together.
- Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Clean all the berries and pat dry.
- Add 1 teaspoon water to 1/2 cup strawberry jam. Stir until smooth.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake plate with the bottom of the cake facing up.
- Spread half of the strawberry jam mixture on cake layer. The layer will be thin.
- On top of the jam, spread a thick layer of frosting. Frosting layer should be at least 1/2 inch thick.
- Top frosting with sliced berries.
- Place remaining cake layer on top of the first one, this time with the top up.
- Spread remaining strawberry jam mixture over top of cake.
- Follow with a thick layer of frosting.
- Using a flat spatula, frost the sides of the cake.
- Garnish the top of the cake with more sliced and/or whole berries and fresh mint.
- This cake slices and serves beautifully if it is very cold. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Stays fresh in an air-tight cake carrier, in the refrigerator, for up to three days.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you!
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What a beautiful cake! I would love this cake any day!!
Thank you so much for those lovely cakes. From a box is great as we great cook age. I am 80 and I still like to entertain people in our house but I find that with age you get more flustered to get the meal ready. So baking the cake and freezing it till the day is a wonderful option for me. Keep posting easy get together recipes I really enjoy them.
I made this exactly as written. It turned out wonderfully. The frosting is to die for! The only thing I think that wasn’t in the recipe was to slice the strawberries. I even made it 3 days in advance as the recipe mentioned it could be prepared that far in advance. The amount of berries isn’t too much. It’s a nice amount. I might skip the blackberries the next time and add more of one of the other fruits because at certain times of the year blackberries have zero flavor.
Thank you! I will make sure to add the step about slicing the strawberries.
The best Chantilly cake, honestly it now tastes better than the Whole Foods one in my opinion! Easy to make, love the hacks to simplify it and a crowd pleaser every time!
Hi Ann
This was a wonderful post…so full of great ideas !
as always so beautifully presented..
Thanks for sharing ..Rosanne
I haven’t made your version yet. I have made Berry Chantilly cake for years. It is decadent.
My niece, Chaya Conrad developed this cake when she worked at Whole Foods. She moved on the Rouse’s market later, forgive me if that name is wrong, I don’t live in the south. She opened her own bakery in New Orleans, Bywater Bakery, in 2017, where she continues to bake and inspire. She said, “no one owns a recipe.” So make it work for you. The last time I tasted her cake was at our mothers 90th birthday. What a delight. I woke up the next day and had it for breakfast. Yup, so good! (Btw, I love tooting my niece’s horn!)
Beautiful and delicious! Made this for my mom’s birthday dinner and everyone loved it. Used Wegmans brand gluten free yellow cake mix as we have some GF folks, but it still turned out perfectly!
Ann, I had a small wedding and our cake was a fancy version of this one with basket weave frosting around the sides and strawberries and cream layers. It was beautiful with frest friut on top and so delicious. Now I can make your version for our anniversary. Thank you!
Ann, I would love to make this cake, but can’t have cream cheese. Can I leave it out & double the mascarpone? Love your recipes!
Hi Sharon…yes, you could double the mascarpone. You can also substitute greek yogurt for the cream cheese. Let us know how it turns out!
I’ve had the recipe tucked away for a while and decided to make it for my son‘s birthday. Wow! It was beautiful and it tasted wonderful thank you so much I will be making it again!
My first chantilly cake. And I’m very proud of it. Thank you for teaching me this beautiful cake. It’s one of my go to from here on out
You are so welcome…thanks for letting me know!
I was going to pass this by until I read all of the reviews! My SO is diabetic and gluten intolerant; I wonder if doing gluten free and artificial sugars will work as well. It sounds so good I am salivating!
I’ve made it twice. Absolutely wonderful!! Just as good as the Whole Foods cake! Thank you for the recipe!! 💕
Thank you Ann for this delicious recipe! I’ll be making it in the near future👏👏🥰💕💕
This cake is so beautiful! Can’t wait to make it!
I recently read a suggestion for using strips of waxed paper under the cake so that you can put it directly on top of the pretty plate you will use for presentation. Make sure the paper over laps so the plate remains clean while you are icing the cake. When finished, just pull the strips out and your cake is ready.
I make something similar, but I use a trifle bowl and 2 pound cake with Cool Whip. I buy the kids cup of vanilla pudding 2 packs of 4 and mix Amaretto in it and mix with cubed pound cake and layer same fruit and a layer of cool whip then repeat with pound cake. Delicious!
This recipe is simple, extra fancy and delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t tried this yet, but looks yummy! Thank you for sharing!
I made this cake for Easter and it was soooo beautiful…..for about 3 minutes. The cake mix I used fell apart. It looked like a sweet, berry avalanche! All I could do was laugh and keep trying to “sweep” the icing upwards. But it was very good and everyone loved it so it was worth the fight. Thanks for the recipe! wklance
Just finished our last bite! What a cheery ending to a dreary day. Love this, thanks, Ann, my friend 🎈
This looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it. When in the south, do as the south does!
Can you make this as cupcakes?
Yes! Just use the regular cake mix, and top the cupcakes with the frosting and fresh fruit. Enjoy!
Made this for my boyfriend’s birthday and his family absolutely loved it! The fresh fruit pairs well with the light cream. The frosting was perfect, not too sweet. Thanks for this recipe, will definitely be using again in the future.
Five star recipe! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe Ann. I brought the cake to a dinner party & it was a huge hit! I used raspberry jam instead of strawberry out of personal preference. Can’t wait to make it again for Easter.
Yesterday I began looking for Chantilly Cake recipes ~ yours showed up just in time!
Here in the Deep South, we believe the Chantilly cake originated in the Chantilly district of New Orleans. Rousses Grocery sells a good one, but this recipe looks great! I think I’ll make one for Easter.
I’m in New Orleans and two grocery stores that I know of make this cake. I took it to a gathering after my aunts funeral. They thought it was from Rouses (grocery store- one of the stores that make this cake) bakery! I had to tell them no I made it. It was a hit and this recipe is much easier than the time consuming one. Great for parties!
If using the cool whip, do you just fold it into the cream cheese mixture?
Yes…just pretend it’s whipping cream!
Thank you very much for this recipe. I made it for a family get together & it is possibly the best cake I ever made and I’m not much of a cake eater. I had many compliments on how lovely it looked as well as how good it tasted. I can’t wait to have an occasion to make it again.
Yay! Thank you so much for sharing this. I am happy the cake was a success. :)
OMG!! I made this for my son’s birthday dinner this past weekend (adult son) and there was not even one crumb left! Not only was it visually beautiful but Everyone raved about about how good it was and I’m still getting comments on how much they loved it!! Thank you!
I’ve just made two of these cakes in Australia for my husband’s 50th. We love the vanilla marscapone icing. I found it on a different website, didn’t know it was what was known as chantilly cake! The first cake was three tiered and collasped as we drove across Sydney for 40 minutes so we just piled strawberried and raspberries all over the icing and it looked awesome! Everyone at the two parties RAVED about them.
You had me at “you can use a box mix”!!! I am going to try this later in the week. Strawberries are at their peak so this will be delicious!
So funny that you shared this today! I had my first Whole Foods Chantilly cake yesterday at a bridal shower. I was in charge of slicing it. It had been out of fridge for about an hour on display for all to see. My slices were not pretty as it crumbles when cut. Now I know the secret. Keep it chilled!!! It was delicious anyway. Thanks for sharing the homemade version.
This cake looks so good! Thanks for sharing your tips!
That would make for a happy birthday for sure! Looks great! Thanks for sharing your tips with us too.
Looks AMAZING!