This berries and cream cake features a moist vanilla cake, lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries for a delicious dessert that’s not too sweet and looks absolutely beautiful. It’s simple, elegant and perfect for summer.

This delicious berries and cream cake is simple, elegant and perfect for berry season. It starts with a moist and tender vanilla cake. Then it’s piled high with a fluffy cloud with whipped cream and your favorite fresh berries. Because its a single layer cake, it means that there’s no need to fuss with cake layers and it’s much easier to transport to your next summer BBQ or potluck.

The combination of moist cake, whipped cream and sweet berries makes this cake impossible to resist.

Making the Cake

The vanilla cake is a moist and tender white cake – meaning that we’re just using egg whites as opposed to the whole eggs. This makes the cake a little more delicate in flavor – which pairs perfectly with the berries and cream.

1. To get started, you’ll prepare the pan and preheat the oven to 340F (165C). Start by wrapping the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil. Then lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan.
   • Note: For this recipe, there is too much batter for an 8-inch round pan. You will need a 9-inch springform, or a 9-inch round cake pan with 2 inch sides. A 9-inch sandwich tin with 1.5 inch sides will be too small. If using a cake, pan – there’s no need to wrap the pan in foil. Wrapping the springform in foil is to ensure that the pan doesn’t leak.
2. Then in a medium bowl you’ll sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt). Then give them a whisk to ensure everything is mixed together.

3. In a separate large bowl, you’ll beat together the butter and sugar until creamed. It should be fluffy and you should no longer see lumps of butter – there will still be sugar granules though. This process takes around 2 minutes.
4. Then you’ll mix in the vanilla extract along with a little oil. Adding just a touch of oil keeps the cake moist for longer.

5. You’ll then beat in the egg whites one at a time. It’s important that they’re at room temperature before getting started – otherwise the batter is harder to mix together and it can end up looking curdled. After each addition, you should turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that there are no lumps of butter. After mixing in all of the eggs, the batter should look fluffy. You can see the after results below.

6. Then you’ll beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture about 1/3 at a time, alternating with about 1/2 of the milk. By alternating between additions of dry ingredients and liquid, you’ll end up with a more uniform cake batter and help to reduce the risk of overmixing. Overmixing will lead to a tough, dry cake.

7. You’ll then pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the middle of the oven to bake. It will need to bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and you see the edges of the cake pulling away from the pan.

Berries and Cream Topping

The cake is topped with fresh whipped cream and sweet berries. For the whipped cream, we’re adding a touch of powdered sugar and vanilla extract to really take it to the next level.

When making whipped cream, you’ll want to buy what’s labeled as Whipping Cream and comes in a carton. Typically, this will be between 33-35% MF. You’ll beat the whipping cream until medium peaks form but stop before the cream starts to curdle. Whenever making whipped cream, be sure that:

• The cream, bowl and beaters should be cold for best results. Place the bowl and beaters in the fridge or freezer for about 10 minutes before getting started and do not let the cream sit on the counter. Take it directly from the fridge.
• If your cream starts to curdle or look grainy, then you’ve whipped the cream for too long. This can easily be solved by adding in a little more cream (about 1 tablespoon at a time) and folding it into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

You’ll top the cooled cake with the whipped cream, then top with your favorite fresh berries. Make sure that the cake is fully cooled – it should no longer be warm to the touch – otherwise, it will melt the whipped cream.

Make Ahead Tips

I recommend only topping the cake with berries and whipped cream right before serving. However, this recipe can easily be prepped in advance:

• Make the cake the day before you plan to serve. Cool fully, then wrap tightly and store at room temperature overnight. Make the whipped cream, then store in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. I recommend taking the cake out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to allow it to come to room temperature before serving.
• The cake can also be made in advance and then frozen. Cool the cake fully before freezing. Then wrap tightly in plastic and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

This berries and cream cake makes for a delicious summer dessert. Or for more berry desserts for summer, then be sure to try:

• Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
• Blueberry Cake
• Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes