This Fresh Berry Vanilla Layered Cake is light, fruity and the perfect dessert for sharing! It’s also easy to make and with the red and blue, it’s prefect for the Fourth of July!
This post is sponsored by Driscoll’s Berries, but all opinions are my own.
Summer is one of my favorite times of year. There are fresh berries galore and they’re all on sale! I love getting them not only for snacking, but for desserts. Berry-filled desserts are easily some of the hubs and I’s favorites. And I always know that Driscoll’s is a great brand of berries that I can trust to be delicious!
So of course I was excited to join them in sharing Driscoll’s Food Art and creating the picture perfect plate. I’ve mentioned before how fruit is nature’s art and that could not be truer than with berries. There are so many fun ways to use them to decorate food. Such a great thing to do with kids too.
In the case of this cake, I used strawberries and blueberries and made a big beautiful berry flower on top of the berry-filled cake. I was totally in love with the look of it. So bright, beautiful and summery.
One of my favorite looks for a cake is the naked look. I love being able to see the pretty layers and being naked, it’s even easier to put together, since you don’t have to worry about icing it.
For the layers of this cake, we’ve got a light vanilla cake, whipped cream and fresh Driscoll’s berries. And to take it up a notch, holes are poked into the cake layers and then strawberry and blueberry puree is poured over them. It adds even more berry flavor to every bite and makes the cake layers extra moist! Plus, it adds some extra color to the inside of the cake when you cut into it.
And don’t be intimidated by the big fruit flower on top. That’s probably the easiest way you could decorate a cake. Strawberries are sliced and placed around the outside of the cake in three rows, then the center of the flower is filled in with blueberries. The effect is striking, don’t you think?
This is a great cake for sharing with a group of friends. It makes a statement of it’s own and it’s a light treat that’s perfect for the warm weather. My parents have friends over every July 4th for dessert and if you’re anything like them, I know this cake could be the perfect dessert to share.
Also, if you are looking for other fun berry desserts, you can check out Driscoll’s recipe page. And if you have a love of berry fruit art, be sure to enter the Driscoll’s sweepstakes. Just create your own treat, upload a photo and tag it to win.
More Berry-Filled Treats
- Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake
- Strawberry and Blueberry Cheesecake Icebox Cake
- Triple Berry Trifle
- Strawberry Cream Pie
- Strawberry Bread
Fresh Berry Vanilla Layered Cake
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Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (168g) salted butter (room temp)
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (173g) sour cream
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
Strawberry Puree
- 1/2 cup (120ml) strawberry puree (from about 6 medium-large Driscoll’s strawberries)
- 5 tbsp (75ml) water
- 4 tsp granulated sugar
Blueberry Puree
- 1/4 cup (60ml) blueberry puree (from about 2/3 cup of Driscoll’s blueberries)
- 2 1/2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
Whipped Cream and Topping
- 2 1/2 cups (600ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cups (144g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Additional strawberries and blueberries for flower on top*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans by placing parchment paper circles in the bottom of the pans and greasing the sides.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add egg whites in two batches, beating until well combined after each addition.
- Combine flour and baking powder in another bowl.
- Alternating adding dry ingredients and milk to batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth after each addition. There should be three additions of dry ingredients and two additions of the milk.
- Divide cake batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake for 23-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- While cakes cool, make the purees. You’ll make the strawberry puree mixture separately from the blueberry one and have more strawberry than blueberry. To puree the berries, add them separately to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Add the water and sugar to the strawberry puree and stir until combined. Repeat with the blueberry puree. Set both aside.
- To make whipped cream, whip heavy whipping cream until it begins to thicken.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks form.
- To stack the cake, first remove the domes from the cakes with a large serrated knife. Then, use a small straw, or something similar, to poke holes in the top of each cake.
- Place the first layer of cake on your cake plate. Spread half of the strawberry puree over the cake, so that it soaks into the holes.
- Top cake with a layer of whipped cream. You’ll use about 2 cups of whipped cream per layer.
- Top the whipped cream with blueberries and sliced strawberries.
- Repeat layers 14-16 with the second layer of cake using the blueberry puree, whipped cream and berries.
- Top the cake with the last layer of cake, using the other half of the strawberry puree, then spread with remaining whipped cream.
- Slice remaining strawberries for use on the top of the cake to make the flower.
- To make the flower, place slices of strawberries around the top edge of the cake, allowing the bottoms of the “petals” to touch. Make three rows of slices, overlapping them.
- Fill in the center of the flower with blueberries.
- Refrigerate cake until ready to use. Best if eaten within 2 days of making.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Enjoy!
Hi! Really excited to try this recipe! I wanted to check on what size cake pans we should use (I want to follow the same as the recipe)?
I used three 8 inch pans. I hope you enjoy it!
About to make the cake for tomorrow. Will it last overnight? Thank you!
Yes, it should be fine.
I love this recipe but I absolutely can not get it to rise correctly. Any advice?
Love this recipe but do you whip the egg whites before putting them with the butter?
I don’t. If you want to try that, you’d have to fold the whipped egg whites in at the end.
My son requests this cake every year for his birthday. Perfect for my July boy!
Wonderful! So glad he enjoys it!
Hi I’d like to ask about washing the fruit. How do you ensure it is completely dry before using on the cake
I dry it with a paper towel.
Could you do this cake is a 9 by 13 pan?
Possibly, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it.
Do you or anyone tried or knows if you can add blueberries directly to the cake batter?
Excellent recipe thank you! If wanted can we use this recipe to make fresh cream cupcakes?
I’m sure it’d be fine as cupcakes.