This Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake has layers of fluffy vanilla cake, fresh berry filling and mascarpone whipped cream frosting! It’s light, fruity and perfect for spring!
Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake
I never really realized how much of an effect caffeine has until I stopped drinking it recently. As part of the IVF process, caffeine isn’t really recommended so I’ve been doing my best to not drink it. Since soda has less caffeine than coffee, I’ll have a little if I’m desperate. I’d rather have coffee though. 🙁 Much more yummy.
Point is though – the lack of a picker-upper is brutal! And the tiredness is making me crave a way to increase energy so now I just want to eat all the carbs and sugar, which I’m also avoiding. Sometimes I feel like I just can’t eat anything. It’s not a good situation. I’ve gotta find a way to muster up some energy!
My go-to move right now is to play some of my favorite music and dance around while working. Gets the blood flowing and pumps me up. 🙂 Yay for 90s music! That’s my era.
And this is my cake.
Boy, do I love this cake! Fresh berries are some of the best things ever and we’ve had them galore for the last month or so. I can’t get enough of them! Especially the blueberries and strawberries. I just want to eat a carton at a time. And I can eat fruit – yay! 🙂
How to Make Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake
This cake starts with a moist and easy vanilla cake. The batter is so easy to put together, you could simply use a whisk to combine everything if you wanted. I always love a good stand mixer – it takes the work out of it for you – but you could do it by hand. Just combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then add them all together with a little water. Done! Plus, the ingredients are all nice and straight forward. Rock on.
Then there’s the berry filling. You could almost think of it as a homemade jam, but not quite as thick. I used an even mix of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, but you could use whatever combo you like. The berries are purred in a food processor, then cooked over heat with some sugar and cornstarch. The heat reduces the liquid a bit and the cornstarch helps thicken everything. Once it’s cooled, you’ve got the perfect berry filling!
The mascarpone whipped cream frosting is used both to add to the cake filling and to frost the cake. I love how light this frosting is! You basically make whipped cream and add mascarpone cheese to it. The mascarpone flavor is lighter than a more straight forward mascarpone frosting, but this version runs much less risk of getting a super soft mascarpone frosting. Just be sure to add the full amount of powdered sugar to make sure the frosting stays stable. It makes a great addition to the cake and keeps things light and fresh!
The final cake is perfect for spring, Easter and all through the summer! It was a huge hit!
More Berry Dessert Recipes
- Mini Berry Almond Cheesecakes
- Raspberry Dream Cake
- Berries and Cream Cupcakes
- Fresh Berry Vanilla Layer Cake
- Berry Lemon Cheesecake Cookie Cups
- Triple Berry Trifle
Watch How To Make It
Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake
save this recipe
Enter your email & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get new recipes from us every week!
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) water
Berry Filling
- 1 1/2 cup (240g) mixed berries (I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries)
- 3 tbsp (45ml) water
- 3/4 cup (155g) granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
Whipped Mascarpone Frosting
- 2 1/2 cups (600ml) heavy whipping cream (cold)
- 1 1/2 cups (173g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 16 oz (452g) mascarpone cheese (chilled)
Instructions
Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper in the bottom. These cakes can have a tendency to stick to the pans a bit, so I strongly recommend the parchment paper in the bottom.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
- Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 24-28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling. These cakes can have a tendency to stick to the pans a bit so jiggle them a bit to loosen from the sides of the pan before turning the cakes out to cool.
Berry Filling
- To make the berry topping, add the berries and water to a food processor and puree until smooth. You should end up with about 2/3 cup puree.
- Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in the berry puree.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring consistently until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 8-10 minutes.
- Allow to boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Refrigerate and allow to cool completely.
Frosting and Assembly
- Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add the mascarpone cheese to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form. It will happen fairly quickly.
- To assemble the cake, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes.
- Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Pipe a dam of frosting around the outside of the cake. I use Ateco tip 808 for the dam so that it’s tall.
- Spread half of the berry filling evenly on top of the cake layer, inside the dam. It should fill the dam about half way full.
- Add some additional mascarpone frosting to the top of the berry filling and spread into an even layer to fill in the remaining dam space.
- Add the second layer of cake and repeat the filling layer with the remaining berry filling and additional mascarpone frosting.
- Add the final layer of cake on top, then smooth out the frosting around the sides of the cake.
- Frost the outside of the cake, then use an icing decorator (I use this Ateco frosting smoother) to add a striped pattern to the sides.
- Finish off the cake with some swirls of frosting and fresh berries.
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Cake is best for 2-3 days.
Video
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!
This post contains affiliate links.
Categories:
Cakes and Cupcakes, Easter, Holidays, July 4th, Recipes, Recipes with video, Sweets and Treats,
Can I add white chocolate to this recipe?
In what way do you want to add it? I’m not sure it would incorporate into the cake itself or the frosting very well. You could add some white chocolate ganache between the layers?
How long will the left over mascarpone filling last in the fridge ? Love this filling.
The mascarpone whipped cream will last in the fridge for 5-7 days and holds up great on the cake for that long. If you’re storing it separately, the issue will be that it will likely deflate when you stir it back up to use it. It may still be usable, but won’t be as thick and as ideal for frosting a cake or piping at that point. Glad you like the filling!
My whipped cream gets lumpy after adding cold mascarpone and whipping it. What is this happening or do I need to whip it more. I used a chilled bowl and whisk attachment.
You don’t want to over whip the cream, so only whip until you have stiff peaks. You could try letting the mascarpone sit out for 5-10 minutes first. The main thing is you don’t want it to get too warm because it’ll start to get watery. You can also stir it up before adding it. And then try starting the mixer slowly after adding the mascarpone, and as it looks to be incorporated and not lumpy, you could turn the speed up. I hope that helps!
I made this as a 50th wedding anniversary cake for my sister and her husband. People are still talking about how amazing it was! Thank you!!
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
I have made this recipe at least 20 times. I always get compliments on how light and fluffy it is, as well as it being “not too sweet”. I’ve made it as a 3 layer 6 inch cake (I typically make a whole recipe and pour leftover batter into ramekins or cupcake tins) as well as 2 thicker layer 8.5 inch cakes and it always turns out beautifully. Just note: this is not a very stable cake, so the 6 inch one has a tendency to sploosh out or slide around. Also stay light on the toppings as to not put too much weight on it.
I’m glad to hear you enjoy it and that it’s worked in so many ways!
I made this for a birthday cake for my boss. His wife was raving about the beauty and taste. Thank you so much for sharing.
Awesome! I’m so glad it was a hit!
What do you think about putting buttermilk in instead of milk? Will it give the cake more moisture?
I haven’t tried it with this cake, so I’m not sure. You could try it, but it really is quite a moist cake already and doesn’t really need it.
This recipe is ALWAYS a BIG hit! Thank you for sharing.
I’m curious if you have ever modified the mascarpone frosting into a chocolate version? If so, can you share the recipe for that?
I’m so glad to hear that! Yes, I’ve made a chocolate version. For this particular frosting, you can reduce the powdered sugar to 1 cup and add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder.
Hi! I made these as cupcakes and they were perfect! I want to make it as a 12 x 18 sheet cake that has 2″ height. What adjustments do I need to make? Do you think it will be ok to make with that height or should I do 1″ layers?
Glad you enjoyed them! It should be fine as a sheet cake. I’m not sure exactly how much batter you need for that size. I know the amount listed in this recipe works well for a 9 x 13. I’m guessing you may need to double it.
I would love to try this for cupcakes. How many cupcakes came out of this recipe? Or did you need to adjust. I only need 24 ct
You can find the vanilla cupcake recipe here. It makes 24 cupcakes.
The icing and the filling were good, I did sub a little extra fruit for the amount of cornstarch. The cake recipe made thin dense cakes, almost crepe like but dense. I was nervous of that with a lot of water and no butter being from the south! Overall icing was the best part!!
The cakes shouldn’t be that thin. I’m not sure what happened, but it doesn’t sound right. I’m glad you still enjoyed it though!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS
I have made this cake 2x within the last 7 days and I am making it again next week -by request. It truly is a delightful cake and so pretty. EVERYONE LOVED THE MASCARPONE FROSTING. Thank you AGAIN Lindsay for another fabulous cake!!!
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that!
I love this cake and have made it many times and I wanted to make it for my daughter’s upcoming birthday but I was wondering if it would still work out if I use a buttercream frosting on the outside so that I could add color to it or could I color the marscapone frosting?
You could color either. You just want to be careful not to over mix the mascarpone frosting and deflate it.
I love this recipe and have made it a few times, with a great response from my guests every time!! I am wondering if you have made the cake layers in advance and wondered how they faired?
I’m so glad to hear that! I usually make it a day ahead of frosting it and it does very well. I think I’ve extended it to 2 days and it’s also been fine. They should also freeze pretty well.
Hi , do I need to keep it I the fridge all the time or can it stay on counter for few days ?
This cake definitely needs to be refrigerated with the filling and whipped cream frosting.
Unfortunately this cake didn’t work and was too raw in the center and starting to burn on the bottom, didn’t rise.
This was my birthday cake so now I won’t have one because it needs to go in the trash. Ouch
I’m sorry to hear that. Are you sure you used baking powder and not baking soda?
The cream and berry filling are both tasty, but the cake itself tastes like water…even with all the sugar in it. Does it have to be 1 full cup of water? Or substitute some with more milk/eggs?
You can certainly try adjusting it, if you’d like. I wouldn’t recommend more eggs. You could try milk, but keep in mind that the extra fat will make the cake more dense.
The perfect cake! I just bought your cookbook; arrives Friday! I’m making this for my daughter’s first birthday and will be making the regular sized cake in addition to two 4 inch pans… any idea how much additional batter I should make? Is it about 1/4 more of the recipe?
Awesome! I hope you enjoy the cookbook!
For a 6 inch cake, I normally cut the recipe in half. For 4 inch pans, you could probably do 1/4 of the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you!!