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
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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!
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Categories:
Cakes and Cupcakes, Easter, Holidays, July 4th, Recipes, Recipes with video, Sweets and Treats,
How long will the berry filling last in the refrigerator if made ahead of time.
It should last up to a week.
Comment: I’ve made this for my mom’s birthday every summer for the last 6 years, delicious!
Has anyone made it gluten free? She just became gluten intolerant this year.
I’m so glad it’s been a hit! Sorry to hear about the gluten intolerance. I’m not sure about the gluten free piece, but I know there are a lot of things available these days. Gluten free one to one flour would be good to try. Pillsbury has one that might work well. I’m not sure what other substitutions you may need.
Hey Courtney! I have celiac and have made a lot of Lindsay’s recipes with any of the 1:1 flour blends and they always turn out great!
I was wondering if the cake gets a little brown on the top when it is done?
It depends on the oven, but they can.
Hi! Can I make and freeze this cake for a week or so all finished up beside the fruit topping?
That should be fine. Just flash freeze it, wrap it well, then remove the wrapping before thawing in the fridge.
Hi, I have just made these cakes but am concerned about the quantity of sugar in them. I weighed the ingredients rather than use cups, but the amount of sugar is considerably more than the flour. It took longer to cook than recommended too.
I have just turned them out and see that one of the sponges is definitely undercooked, the others very dense.I am disappointed and wonder what I’ve done wrong as I’ve followed the recipe! Sadly I will need to find another recipe and start again. Hopefully I’ll be able to use the berry filling and frosting from your recipe as they are what attracted me to make this cake!
I’m sorry you had trouble with it. This recipe seems to give people an issue sometimes, but I have been unable to recreate the issue to help fix it. I’m sorry. It’s not a lack of care or trying, I promise.
This is the absolute BOMB! The hubs wants more…here’s my question: What to do with the fresh fruits on top to keep them perfect? Mine always weep & go soft so fast! Is there a secret solution? BTW, Your book is beautiful, I’m loving all the hints & recipes.((*_*)) Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Yea, the fresh fruits will kind of do that. Keeping the strawberries whole, rather than cutting them, can help them look fresh for longer. I’m not sure there’s a super solution to that though. I’d just add them shortly before serving the cake.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book! 🙂
This looks and sounds delicious! If I was to make a double layered 5-0
cake using 9×13 pan, would I triple the recipe? Is the icing stiff enough to hold its shape for piping in between layers?
I haven’t made letter/number cakes, so I’m going to give you my best guess. I don’t really know how tall you need the cake to be for it to work, but this recipe makes a 9×13 cake that’s probably 2 inches or so tall. You can see the height of that size in the photos of this cake recipe. If you just need two of those, then you’d only need to double it. If you need the cakes to be taller, then you may want to triple it. And the icing is stiff enough, in my experience, assuming you won’t be weighing down the top of the cake with too many decorations. If would also need to stay refrigerated, since it’s basically a thicker whipped cream. I hope that helps!
Can I use granulated sugar instead of confectioners sugar? If so, how much?
In the whipped cream frosting? I would recommend sticking with the powdered sugar, but you could try granulated.
I. LOVE. THIS. RECIPE. It’s a HUGE hit in my family….made it for my daughter, and then sis wanted one too for her birthday. I’ve made it several times now because word gets around. Thank you, Lindsay!!
Awesome! I’m so glad it’s a hit! 🙂
Hi Lindsay! Would this work well with your delicious yellow cake recipe?
The yellow cake has a stronger flavor and I would probably prefer this cake, but it would probably be fine. Depends on your preferences.
Hi. I love this cake and have made it many times but lately the frosting is not getting firm enough. Can you tell me about how long you whip it and on what speed once you add the mascarpone cheese. Thank you
Gosh, I’m not sure exactly how long I whip it, but it’s not super long. After adding the mascarpone, I’ve found that whipping it on a lower speed until it’s incorporated well, then turning the speed up to more of a medium does the trick. It usually thickens fairly quickly, especially after adding the mascarpone.
Would this cake work for a tiered cake? Was planning on doing an 8 inch and 6 inch. Will 1.5x the recipe be enough?
Tiers should be fine as long as they have some light dowels. I would say 1 1/2 recipes would be enough, but that depends a little on how tall you want each tier.
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday last year and she loved it. I want to make it again but am having trouble finding mascarpone. Can you substitute cream cheese? Would you add it the same way you would the marscapone?
Yes, you can use cream cheese the same way you’d use the mascarpone.
Is it possible to use whipped cream instead of making the whipped cream? I’m a college student with few utensils, but I want to try this recipe so bad!
Something like Cool Whip should be fine.
I have made the cake many times and its one of our favorites! Do you think a filled cupcake version would hold up?
I’m so glad you enjoy it! Yes, a cupcake should do fine. You could fill the vanilla cupcakes with the berry filling and frost with the whipped cream. I also have these berries and cream cupcakes that are similar flavors. The filling uses cream cheese, but could be swapped out for mascarpone cheese.
How can I adjust the recipe/baking instructions for a 10 in cake?
Sure, for the cake layers I’d probably double it. You maybe want to increase the filling and frosting too.