Berry Chantilly Cake

For my boss' birthday this year we were planning a surprise party. We ordered a taco bar from Cactus (just thinking of this makes my mouth water!) and got some fun gifts that we knew he would love. I decided that this party needed a little sweet touch, so I planned to make his favorite cake from scratch, the Berry Chantilly Cake. Now this is no quick job (since it is a 4 layer cake), but wow, it turned out incredible! I found this recipe on Bob's Red Mill and it turned out amazing. One tip I learned is to use fresh berries both in the cake and on top (this helps with the berry juice dripping down the side). Let us know what you think. :)

Ingredients

For the Cake Layers:

cooking spray

1 cup Unsalted Butter at room temperature

2 cups Granulated Sugar

4 large Eggs

2 large Egg Yolks

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

3 cups Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour

2 cups Buttermilk

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Berry Syrup:

1/4 cup Raspberry Jam (I used homemade blackberry jam that my mom made and it was delicious!)

2 Tbsp Water

For the Frosting:

1 cup Heavy Cream

8 oz Mascarpone Cheese at room temperature

8 oz Cream Cheese at room temperature

2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar sifted

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup Butter at room temperature

For Garnish:

2 cups Mixed Berries plus more for garnish (fresh, not frozen!)

Mint Sprigs (this really gives a nice pop of color to the cake)

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper cut into rounds. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream for about 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Stir together salt, baking powder and flour in a large bowl. Pour half of the mixture into the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add half of buttermilk, then add the remainder of the flour mixture followed by the remainder of the buttermilk. Do not over-mix. Divide the cake batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes up clean. Remove from the oven, place the pans on a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes. Then, turn the cakes out on the cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

With a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl. Put the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar in the mixing bowl and beat until very smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately.

To Assemble:

Split each layer in half so that you have four layers. Place the first layer on your serving plate. Brush the berry syrup over the cake layer then add a layer of frosting (approximately 1/2 cup). Arrange 2/3 cup of berries over the frosting layer; if you're using larger berries such as strawberries, cut them in half first. Place the second cake layer on top. Brush the second layer with syrup and repeat the process from the first layer of adding the frosting and berries. Add the third layer of cake, brush with syrup, spread with frosting and arrange the remaining berries on top. Place the final layer of cake on top. Use the remaining frosting to cover the cake, smoothing the frosting with an offset spatula. Arrange additional berries and mint sprigs on top. Cake can be refrigerated for one day. Bring to room temperature before serving.

XOXO,

RuRu