Berry cream cake is a minimally decorated, naked-style cake that is vibrant and fresh, perfect for summer. The soft airy cake plus the lightness of the whipped cream pair perfectly with the bright, fresh berries.
Happy 4th of July everyone! It's the perfect day to celebrate with this bright, vibrant, delicious, and easy to make berry cream cake. The cake is incredibly light and fresh, layered with equally light homemade whipped cream and plenty of fresh, colorful berries.
How to Make Berry Cream Cake:
Start by making the cake. There are a few key ingredients worth mentioning that make this cake extra light, soft, and moist:
- Sifted all-purpose flour: Sifting the flour aerates it, resulting in a light, soft and airy texture.
- Butter: Unsalted and softened to room temperature. the butter needs to be soft in order to properly cream with the sugar. Leave it out on the counter for 1 hour to come to room temperature, you can also cut the butter into pieces, which will speed up softening.
- Always use unsalted butter for baking. If salted butter is all you have on hand, decrease the salt in the recipe to ½ tsp.
- Eggs: Use room temperature eggs. Room temperature eggs mix into the batter more easily and evenly. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot) water for 15 minutes.
- Sour cream: Sour cream is the ultimate insurance policy for a moist cake. Ideally use room temperature. Take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before using it.
- Whole milk: Use room temperature.
- Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the sugar until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until just combined after each, add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined after each. Do not overmix.
- Add the milk and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be smooth.
Tips for Successful Cake Baking:
- Grease three - 8 or 9" cake pans with butter or non-stick spray. Line with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper, too. Cakes sticking will ruin any recipe, so we want maximum protection against it!
- Divide the batter evenly among the three cake pans. If you have a kitchen scale, use it. If not, do your very best to eyeball so you have even layers.
- Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Most ovens have an uneven distribution of heat, so if you notice your cakes are baking unevenly, you may need to re-arrange them midway.
- Allow the cakes to cool slightly in the pan and then cool completely in the fridge before topping.
Whipped Cream Topping:
You can make the whipped cream at any point and keep it in the fridge until the cakes are completely cooled. The more cold the whipped cream is, the better it will be for topping the cake.
In a large bowl, beat heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. About 5 minutes. Do not overwhip the cream or it will break.
Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a large serrated knife to level them off and top with whipped cream and fresh berries. Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
More Cake Recipes:
📖 RECIPE
Berry Cream Cake
Berry cream cake is a minimally decorated, naked-style cake that is vibrant and fresh, perfect for summer. The soft airy cake plus the lightness of the whipped cream pair perfectly with the bright, fresh berries.
Print Pin RateServings: 8 people
Equipment
- 3 - 8 or 9" cake pans
Ingredients
- 2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
Berries and Cream Topping:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- fresh berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8 or 9" cake pans, line with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper, too.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix until just combined after each. Add vanilla extract and sour cream and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 3 additions and mix until just combined after each. Add the milk and mix until smooth. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 22-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If your cakes are baking unevenly, rearrange them in the oven midway through baking.
- Allow the cakes to cool slightly in the pan and then cool completely in the fridge before topping.
Whipped Cream Topping:
- Make the whipped cream in advance and keep it cool in the fridge. This will allow time for the cream to harden and will make topping the cakes easier.
- In a large bowl, beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. About 5 minutes. Cool the whipped cream in the fridge for 1 hour to harden.
- Once the cakes have cooled completely, begin assembling the layers. If the cakes are dome-shaped, use a large serrated knife to level off the top. Start with one cake layer and spread whipped cream on top. Arrange sliced berries on top. Top with a second cake layer. Add more cream and fresh berries and top with the final cake layer. Top with more whipped cream and fresh berries. Spread a small layer of cream around the sides of the cake, if desired.
- Cool the assembled cake for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before slicing and serving.
- Cover leftover cake and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 6.4g | Fat: 40.3g | Saturated Fat: 24.5g | Cholesterol: 204mg | Sodium: 603mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 57g | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 1mg
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