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This triple berry cake is everything! Tender cake layers floating between thick bands of light-as-air mascarpone whipped cream frosting with gorgeous ripe strawberries, blackberries and blueberries! It’s such a seasonal treat and even though this cake is massive, I guarantee it won’t last a day!
If you’ve ever thought OMG that cake is just too sweet or rich then you NEED to try making a mascarpone whipped cream frosting! It’s sweet but not cloying and much lighter than a buttercream, meaning those fresh berries get to be the star of the dish!
I get tons of questions regarding whipped cream layer cakes and while they are delicious, the cream just isn’t stable enough for building, but if you add the mascarpone in everything changes for the better!
The taste is similar to whipped cream but the texture is more substantial. I will caution you that over-whipping this frosting will cause it to become grainy, and your cake will be best if eaten the same day. Taste-wise nothing changes but the frosting becomes a bit yellow the next day.
WHAT IF YOU CAN’T FIND MASCARPONE ANYWHERE?!?
A while back I was making a cake with a mascarpone buttercream and realized mine had expired! I didn’t have time to go to the market so I followed Nigella’s advice for a reasonable facsimile and mixed the following ingredients together until combined. Make sure they are all at room temperature!
- 8oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
If you find cake decorating to be a bit intimidating then check out my How to Decorate a Cake post, it has lots of helpful tips and a full how to video.
Start off by getting those ingredients together! Make sure to let everything come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour three 8-inch pans. Add damp cake strips. Zest a lemon. Melt the coconut oil. Let it cool. Add the maple and honey to a small bowl. Heat for a few seconds in the microwave. Lighten and leaven or sift the flour. Sift the other dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk together. Give the sifted mixture a whisk. Make sure all the lumps are gone.
- Add the wet ingredients into a medium bowl and mix. Make sure to distribute the honey mixture well.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Add lemon zest. Pour the batter into the cake pans and distribute evenly. I like to use a kitchen scale for precision. Bake for 35 minutes or until the centers are done.
- Add the cream to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Add in confectioner’s sugar.
- Whip the cream until it just starts to thicken. Add the mascarpone and beat on low, bringing the speed up to high as the mascarpone is incorporated into the cream. Add the vanilla. Beat until the mixture holds firm peaks. Overbeating can lead to a grainy texture.
- Add the filling to the first layer.
- Cover with berries.
- Add more cream on top and smooth out. Add the second cake layer, and repeat steps then add third layer, cover with frosting and smooth out.
- Push berries into the filling on the side of the cake then smooth out with an offset spatula and a bench scraper. Hull some strawberries.
- Pipe dollops of cream on the top edge with a large star tip.
- Top each dollop with blackberries and strawberries.
If you’ve tried this cake out then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Berry Cake
Video
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
- 3 cups Baker’s Corner All-Purpose Flour 360g
- 2 cups almond flour 192g, sifted
- 1.5 heaping tbsp Baker’s Corner Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups Friendly Farms Sour Cream 480ml, room temperature
- 3/4 cup SimplyNature Organic Wildflower Honey 180ml
- ¼ cup Specially Selected 100% Pure Maple Syrup 60ml
- 1/2 cup SimplyNature Organic Coconut Oil, melted and cooled 120ml
- 4 Goldhen Cage Free Large Eggs
- 2 tsp Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Berries:
- 2 cups strawberries 16oz, chopped, reserve 5 for top.
- 2 cups blackberries 16oz, reserve 5 for top
- 2 cups blueberries 16oz
For the Frosting:
- 18 oz mascarpone cheese 540ml, room temperature
- 3 cups Countryside Creamery Heavy Whipping Cream 720ml
- 1 cup Baker's Corner Confectioner's Sugar 145g
- 3 tbsp Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour three 8-inch pans. Add damp cake strips.
- Zest a lemon and set aside. Melt the coconut oil. Let it cool and set aside. Add the maple and honey to a small bowl. Heat for a few seconds in the microwave.
- Lighten and leaven or sift the flour. Sift the other dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk together. Give the sifted mixture a whisk. Make sure all the lumps are gone.
- Add the wet ingredients into a medium bowl and mix. Make sure to distribute the honey mixture well.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Add lemon zest.
- Pour the batter into the cake pans and distribute evenly. I like to use a kitchen scale for precision.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the centers are done.
For the Frosting:
- Add the cream and confectioner's sugar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk
- Whip the cream until it just starts to thicken
- Add the mascarpone and beat on low, bringing the speed up to high as the mascarpone is incorporated into the cream. Add the vanilla.
- Beat until the mixture holds firm peaks. Overbeating can lead to a grainy texture.
For the Assembly:
- Add the filling to the first layer then cover with berries. Add more cream on top and smooth out. Add the second cake layer, and repeat steps then add third layer, cover with frosting and smooth out.
- Push berries into the filling on the side of the cake then smooth out with an offset spatula.
- Hull the strawberries.
- Pipe dollops of cream on the top edge with a large star tip. Top each dollop with blackberries and strawberries.
Notes
- 8oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2tbs unsalted butter
Nutrition
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
Karen says
I’ve made this cake twice in three weeks. Easy peasy and SO DELICIOUS! It’s a beautiful presentation for berry season. Thank you for the recipe.
John K. says
Karen,
I’m so happy you liked the cake! Berry season is the best!
John
Terese says
My 13 year old son is baking this cake today! I’m the dishwasher!!! ?????? It comes out lovely!!
John K. says
Terese,
Awesome! Let me know how it goes!! Very exciting!
John
Cheesecake Dave says
Hi John
Just wanted to let you know this icing is the “Bomb”! I used it with a chocolate ganache and cherries on a Black Forest Cake and it was terrific. Everyone loved the icing and I had no leftovers to bring home. Thank you for all your hard work and the terrific recipes you send us – I have made a lot of them! I’ll try the berry cake next.
Hasna says
Looks so pretty! Will try soon..thanks for sharing?
John K. says
Hasna,
I’m so glad you like it! Hope you enjoy!
John
Manja Kloppers says
I’m looking for a less sweet, tasty cake recipe for my baby’s 1st birthday. Do you think it would be a sin to coat this cake in normal buttercream, so that it has the mascarpone filling on the inside, but buttercream on the outside?
That way I can decorate it a bit more fun and colorful for a 1st birthday, but not have it so sweet on the inside.
John K. says
Manja,
That would be a great alternative! Make sure to chill the cake so that the mascarpone is stable! I would also cover it in a thin buttercream crumb coat! I hope you enjoy this cake!
John
Alejandra Alvarez Blass says
If i don’t have sour cream? How do i get it? I lived in Peru. Thank you!
John K. says
Alejandra,
Use plain yogurt instead of sour cream! Hope you love the cake!
John
Alejandra Alvarez Blass says
I have a doubt, wich flavor could be? Or did you mean organic yogurt?
I love the recipe!
Sandra says
Hi there, what if there is no available mascarpone cheese? What can i use to substitute? Thanks
John K. says
Sandra,
I’ve never tried this hack, but you can make mascarpone from cream cheese! Hope you love the cake!
John
Veronica Valencia says
Thank you for this recipe . I will definitely give this one a try. I do have a question in what area does the mascarpone cheese usually at because i have never seen it but i have heard of it i just don’t know what area it’s located at
John K. says
Veronica,
Mascarpone is always refrigerated and can usually be found near the cheeses (the fresh mozzarella section at my store) and sometimes near the sour cream in smaller stores!
John
Anna says
Can I substitute butter for the 1/2 cup SimplyNature Organic Coconut Oil, melted and cooled 120ml???
I just can’t do coconut oil.
Thanks
John K. says
Anna,
Vegetable oil is a good substitute in this recipe! Hope you enjoy!
John
Annalisa says
That nearest Grocery Store is in Bakersfield( 5hours away!) Gotta love living in the Mountains? On a brighter note, I am going to make this sometime this week! It just screams all the things my family wants in a cake!
Thanks John!
John K. says
Annalisa,
I can’t wait for you to try it! It’s delicious!
John
Diana says
This cake looks deliciously amazing! I can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for the new recipe!
John K. says
Dinana,
You’re very welcome! I hope you love it as much as I did!
John