Berries and Cream Cake

Yield: 1 berries and cream cake // Total Time: 1 hr. 30 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.

This berries and cream cake is not only soft, fluffy, and delicious, but it’s also super easy to make. Piled high with whipped cream and berries, this cake is sure to be a hit!

Berries and cream cake

My thoughts going into this cake were to create a cake for those who celebrate fourth of July, but don’t care for all the red and blue vibrantly dyed desserts. The solution? This berries and cream cake! The vanilla cake is seriously so light and fluffy. Pile it high with whipped cream and some festive looking berries, and you have the perfect fourth of July cake that can easily also be enjoyed year-round. If you’re not a fan of strawberries, you can replace them with raspberries or pitted cherries. The possibilities here are really endless! Think of this cake as a blank canvas for your favorite in-season fruits.

Berries and cream recipe tips

Weigh your ingredients

Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient which can turn your cake from soft and fluffy to tough and chewy. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!

Room temperature ingredients

It is important that the butter, eggs, and buttermilk are at room temperature so that they incorporate properly with the rest of the ingredients. Take out the butter, eggs, and buttermilk at least 30 minutes before starting the recipe. If you are in a hurry and need some tricks to getting room temperature ingredients quickly, you can check out this post here!

Mix the batter carefully

When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cake tough and chewy instead of soft and fluffy.

Ingredients and substitutions

All purpose flour: the structure of the cake. I would not recommend using cake flour as the cake is already super fluffy and tender using the all purpose.

Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.

Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cake. We will use some salt in the cake and a pinch in the whipped cream.

Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and giving it that classic buttery taste. You can substitute in salted butter, just omit the extra salt from the recipe.

Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cake to make it light and fluffy. Oil stays “liquid” in the fridge, which will help the cake stay soft when you have to store it after topping it off. You can use any neutral oil, such as canola, in place of the vegetable oil as well.

Granulated sugar: for sweetening the cake and keeping it moist. The sugar also helps aerate the butter to give this cake it’s rise and keep it light and fluffy. We will use a bit of granulated sugar in both the cake and the whipped cream topping.

Eggs: for moisture, structure, and binding the batter together. Classic vanilla cake uses only egg whites, but we will use one whole egg for some added richness from the egg yolk, along with two egg whites in this cake.

Vanilla: I use and love this vanilla extract. We will use some vanilla in the cake, and some in the whipped cream.

Buttermilk: for tenderizing the cake and adding moisture. I highly recommend using buttermilk but I know it can be hard or annoying to purchase, especially if you don’t plan on using it for anything else. It won’t be completely the same, but you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute. For this recipe, simply combine 10g of lemon juice or vinegar with 190g of whole milk and use as normal.

Heavy cream: the base of the homemade whipped cream that we will pile high on this cake!

Berries: I used a combination of strawberries and blueberries, but really you can put any of your favorite fruits on top of this cake!

How to make berries and cream cake

How to store berries and cream

I highly recommend waiting to top this cake until you are ready to serve it. That way, you can keep the cake stored at room temperature and the whipped cream and berries in the fridge. Once the cake has been topped with the whipped cream, it can safely be out at room temperature for two hours before needing to be stored in the fridge.

How to prevent your cake from getting stuck to the pan

I use and absolutely love this pan and have never had a problem with the cake sticking. To make sure your cake doesn’t stick, generously butter it, making sure to get all of the crevices. An easy way to do this is to melt 1 tbsp. of butter and use a pastry brush to brush the inside of the pan. Then, generously pour some granulated sugar into the pan and shake it around so that it completely coats the inside. Tap out any excess sugar and then you’re good to go! If you want an extra layer of protection, you can line the bottom with parchment paper before adding in the sugar.

Why do you measure in grams?

My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!

A note on oven temperature

Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.

Tools and ingredients

9″ cake pan: I have never had a cake not come out perfectly from this pan, I love it!

Vanilla: I love using Rodelle vanilla extract. Not only is it a great quality product, but it’s on the lower end of the price that vanilla can be! This is the one I use.

For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.

Did you make this berries and cream cake?

If you made this berries and cream cake I would love to see it and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!