This post is sponsored by ALDI. As always, I only partner with brands that I love and truly believe in, all opinions expressed are my own. They’re one of my favorite grocers, for this post and I have to say how fun it was to shop there, I swear my dollars stretched reaaalllll far and I loved the quality of the produce! Click HERE to find a location near you!
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!
Chieu says
Love all your beautifully decorated and delicious cakes. Recently made your strawberry cake and everyone loved it! Can you share how to scale down this berry cake for three 6 inch pans? Also, what would temperature and time be for 6 inch pans?
jkanell says
Thank you! Same temp, and I think maybe halve the recipe for 6 inch pans.
Grace says
First… I love love LOVE your videos! Thank you for sharing all your ideas, tips, tricks, and humor, and especially bloopers like the powder sugar bomb! Yes, you have gone international as I live in the Netherlands.
Second… is the lemon zest a necessary ingredient in the frosting ir is it just a flavoring? Yeah, weird allergy here, absolutely No citrus oil (pasteurized juice is fine)… is it Okay to just add a teaspoon or so of juice Instead? I know the flavor will not be as perky.
Thank you!
jkanell says
Hi Grace! You can definitely skip the zest then and add that juice. Happy Baking!
Reena says
Hi there, can I make this cake as an eggless cake? If so what can I use as the substitute?
Thank you,
Reena
John K. says
Hi Reena,
Although I have not tried it myself, I hear bananas, applesauce and buttermilk are great egg substitutes.
Best,
John
Tanzila says
Hi! If I want to use two 9 inch pans, can I keep the same measurements as three 8 inch pans?
John K. says
Hey Tanzila,
Yes, you can. You will have some extra batter left over but no one ever complained about extra cupcakes! 😉
I hope you enjoy the cake!
Best,
John
Charmion says
Hi John! I’m excited to make this cake for a birthday celebration this weekend! Can I find the almond flour , marscapone, honey and maple at Aldi’s?
John K. says
Hello Charmion,
I’m so happy you’re making the cake! I’m not sure, I do not have an Aldi’s but I would imagine so.
Best,
John
Afsaneh Bhimji says
Hi. Can you substitute the almond flour for anything else to accommodate for allergies? Thanks
John K. says
Afsaneh,
You could substitute the almond flour for coconut flour if you have it!
John
Suzanne says
Hi John ~ I made a chocolate cake and used this berry/mascarpone frosting combo. Total hit with the group that I served. Rave reviews all around! There was some frosting leftover so that evening I mixed berries with some frosting in a bowl ~ we loved it! Yummy without being too sweet.
John K. says
Suzanne,
I’m really glad you liked it!
John
Veronica Valencia says
What can i substitute the maple syrup if i don’t have any and how much of it
Cheryl says
I have used a few of your recipes successfully, but this one did not taste good at all. I’m 100% certain that I did something wrong, but it completely lacked sweetness. The texture was very dense like a pound cake, but the taste was like paste. The frosting was amazingly good and the cake turned out very pretty. Any ideas on what I must have done wrong? I used an All-Purpose Flour.
John K. says
Cheryl,
This cake is on the denser side! If you want it to be sweeter, use granulated sugar instead of honey or maple syrup. You could also use cake flour instead of all purpose!
John
Terese says
Oh my gosh! That happened to me too! I had to trie it all away . It wasn’t edible! I thought I was crazy
Sass says
Hi John,
Thank you for all these amazing cakes. You have really inspired me to bake again 🙂
Can you please give me some advices on storing baked cakes?
Thank you
John K. says
Sass,
I like to keep my cakes under a cloche at room temperature! You can cover it with plastic and transfer to the fridge, but it’ll dry out a little faster!
John