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This Chantilly Cake Recipe will be your new go-to dessert since it’s so simple to make thanks to my method of turning it into a sheet cake. There’s no need to skip dessert when this beautiful cake is ready to serve in under an hour. Whether it’s a picnic, birthday, or weeknight dinner, it’s a winner with even the pickiest eater and gets rave reviews!
Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Super easy to make! Absolutely love this recipe!”
— Victoria
Chantilly Cake is probably the most popular cake recipe with my family. We first fell in love with this dessert a few years ago while enjoying it at my brother-in-law’s birthday party. They bought the cake from Publix (you really can’t go wrong with any of Publix’s cakes!), but I knew I needed to figure out a recipe to make it from scratch at home.
After many rounds of recipe testing, I’m sharing my version that has been approved over and over by every member of my family. My kids still beg me to make it for their birthdays!
What I love about my version is it’s a single layer and uses a box cake mix as the base of the vanilla sponge cake, cutting the prep time in half of the classic layer cake version. If you love a great cake recipe, try my Pistachio Pineapple Cake or Strawberry Crunch Cake as well.
What is Chantilly Cake?
This is a classic vanilla cake that’s usually multiple layers and has a Chantilly cream frosting. Chantilly cream is vanilla whipped cream that’s sweetened. It’s name comes from Chateau de Chantilly in France.
Once the cake is frosted, it’s usually decorated with ripe and sweet berries for an impressive finish.
Why you’ll love this Recipe
This cake is sure to be the star of the meal. Every time I bring this to a gathering, everyone asks for the recipe. It definitely rivals the Chantilly cakes at Publix and Whole Foods!
❥ Semi-homemade: Even though this cake starts with a cake mix, it’s amazingly delicious. It is topped off with a homemade whipped chantilly cream icing that is to die for!
❥No Layering of Cakes: Sheet Cakes are easy to make and so much quicker to decorate. Grab a jelly roll or 9 X 13 pan and you have an easy chantilly cake for the win! If you want to make it a layer cake, you can easily do that as well.
❥Easy to Make Ahead of Time: Bake the cake layer a day in advance and even make the icing a couple of hours before to store in the fridge. Just frost and add berries before serving.
Nikki
Ingredients
- White Cake Mix: I tested it with Duncan Hines with excellent results. You can use what you have on hand.
- Eggs: I use whole eggs, but you can also use egg whites.
- Milk: Whole milk makes for a really moist and soft cake.
- Oil or Melted Butter: Vegetable, canola oil, or melted butter all work great.
- Strawberry and Raspberry Jam: You can use one, both, or the jam of choice.
- Cream Cheese: I like to use full-fat cream cheese for a silky and smooth texture.
- Mascapone Cheese: The combination of cream and mascarpone cheese makes this a chantilly icing. The taste and texture are amazing.
- Powdered Sugar: gives just the right amount of sweetness. Some call this confectioners’ sugar, but it’s all the same.
- Heavy whipping cream: This whips up so nicely and makes this icing light and fluffy.
- Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract: Using a little of both give this icing a really beautiful flavor. It makes it something special.
- Fresh Berries: Garnish with your favorite fresh berries that complement the jam filling. It adds freshness and really tops this cake off nicely.
How to Make this Chantilly Cake Recipe
✱ Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact ingredients and full recipe instructions!
Step 1 | Vanilla Sponge Cake
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare Jelly Roll pan or 9 X 13 baking dish by spraying with baking spray.
Place cake mix in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs, milk, and vegetable, canola oil or melted butter. Beat with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.
Step 2 | Bake and Cool the Cake
Spread batter into the pan evenly and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes for a 9 X 13 dish or 10 to 15 minutes for a jelly roll pan. It will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let slightly cool while preparing jam filling.
Step 3 | Jam Filling
In a microwave-safe bowl, pour strawberry and raspberry jam and mix together. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until the jam becomes runny or liquified. Spread evenly over hot cake.
Allow cake to cool completely.
Step 4 | Chantilly Cream
In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat heavy cream, vanilla, and almond extracts until stiff peaks form.
In a separate mixing bowl, cream together softened cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar until combined and smooth.
Gently fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture using a rubber spatula. Fold until just combined. Refrigerate until the cake is cooled and ready to assemble.
Spread evenly onto the cake with an offset spatula.
Garnish with fresh berries, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the cream cheese and mascarpone cheeses are completely softened/room temperature. This will make even mixing to make sure your icing is very smooth.
- For a true white frosting, use a clear vanilla extract.
- Sift the powdered sugar before mixing it into the cream cheese. This is optional but it’s a professional baking tip I learned to guarantee a smooth icing every time.
- Check the cake cook time 5 minutes before it’s finished. All ovens are different temperatures and you don’t want the cake to over-bake.
- Spread the jam layer over a warm cake. This allows the jam flavor to infuse into the cake as it cools.
- Allow the cake to cool completely for frosting. If you don’t your frosting will run everywhere and be very messy!
- Don’t leave the cake out at room temperature for too long. You can serve this at room temperature for about 1 to 2 hours, then pop it back into the fridge or the icing will begin to melt.
Variations and Substitutions
Traditionally, this cake is made with a combination of fresh berries. Here are a few ideas that I think would also be delicious:
- Use one berry: You could feature just one particular berry and use the complimenting jam.
- Try another type of fruit: I think this would be delicious with fresh peaches or nectarines and peach jam. Guava, mango, or papaya sounds delicious too.
- Make it pineapple: A tropical vibe would be amazing with fresh pineapple on top, pineapple jam filling, and use coconut extract in place of the almond extract.
- Try elegant whipped cream rosettes: Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe rosettes of whipped cream around the edges of the cake. It adds a fancy touch and helps keep the berries in place. You can even pop a berry on top of each rosette for extra flair.
- Add edible flowers: Want to make your cake extra special? Add some edible flowers like pansies or violets. They’re not only beautiful but also safe to eat! Just place a few between the berries for a splash of color.
- Give it some crunch with nuts: Try adding toasted almond slices or chopped nuts around the sides or on top of the cake. It gives a nice texture contrast and tastes delicious with the frosting and berries.
FAQs
Chantilly cream may sound a little fancy, but it really is just a sweetened whipped cream made with heavy cream. The name Chantilly actually comes from the place where it was is thought to be invented, Château de Chantilly France.
Often you may hear a Chantilly cake referred as a Gentilly cake.
Really the difference is a Gentilly cake is typically made with buttermilk rather than milk like in a Chantilly cake.
Mascarpone (pronounced mahs-car-Poh-nay) is an Italian double or triple cream cheese. It is smooth and silky in texture and made from cow’s milk, which gives it a high butterfat content for a rich buttery texture.
It is much more creamy than American cream cheese which is firmer and tangier. It is also more expensive as well, but well worth it in for this recipe my opinion.
Usually, you can find this in the deli aisle in your grocery store, where the specialty cheeses are located. Keep in mind this cheese usually has a freshness date of only a week or so. You won’t want to buy this too far in advance when making this recipe.
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Berry Chantilly Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 box white Cake Mix - (I used Duncan Hines)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- 3 eggs - you can also use only whites
- ½ cup strawberry jam
- ½ cup seedless raspberry jam
- 8 ounces cream cheese - full fat
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- Fresh Fruit to garnish – I use strawberries - raspberries, blueberries and blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare Jelly Roll pan or 9 X 13 baking dish by spraying with baking spray.
- Place cake mix in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs, milk, and vegetable, canola oil or melted butter. Beat with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.
- Spread batter into the pan evenly and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes for a 9 X 13 dish or 10 to 15 minutes for a jelly roll pan. It will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let slightly cool while preparing jam filling.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, pour strawberry and raspberry jam and mix together. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until the jam becomes runny or liquified. Spread evenly over hot cake.
- Allow cake to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat heavy cream, vanilla, and almond extracts until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate mixing bowl, cream together softened cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar until combined and smooth.
- Gently fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture using a rubber spatula. Fold until just combined. Refrigerate until the cake is cooled and ready to assemble.
- Spread evenly onto the cake with an offset spatula.
- Garnish with fresh berries, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
- Make sure the cream cheese and mascarpone cheeses are completely softened/room temperature. This will make for a smooth icing.
- For a true white frosting use a clear vanilla extract.
- Want a super-smooth icing? Sift the powdered sugar before mixing it into the cream cheese.
- Keep in mind how hot your oven cooks (all oven temperatures are different) and watch the cake cook time. I like to check about 5 minutes before the earliest cook time to be sure it doesn’t overbake.
- You can serve this at room temperature. However, I wouldn’t keep it out any more than 1 to 2 hours. I definitely don’t recommend serving this cake outside in warm temperatures. The whipped cream icing melts quickly in the heat.
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Can it be made 1 day ahead
Yes! Be sure to get the fruit really nice and dry before topping or add the berries before serving. Enjoy!
Has anyone ever used chocolate cake with this recipe? I’m considering making it for a shower and want to have half vanilla and half chocolate?
have you or anyone else done this in two layers? i’m making a cake for a big birthday party and thinking about making it in a 13 x 18 pan and cutting it in half (to have two 13 x 9 cakes) and putting filling between the layers… anyone know if this should work well? and if the cooking time will change? thanks so much, i look forward to it!
What is the best size pan for this? Can’t wait to try it!!!
Hi Jenny, I have made it in a 9 X 13 or a Jelly Roll pan which is 15 X 10. I have cook times in the recipe card for both. A 9 X 13 will be thicker slices. I like a jelly roll pan but both work. You could also use round pans and cook as cake mix times suggest. I like to always check a little early as all ovens vary. This is one of our favorites. I hope you enjoy and can’t wait to hear what you think.
Super easy to make! Absolutely love this recipe!
Thank you, Victoria! I just made one this past week for my daughter’s birthday. It is her favorite.
Such a pretty cake. I love that you gussied up a box mix. Looks delicious!
Beautiful! One of my faves!
Thank you Jennie! It’s def one of my favorite cakes too!