Berry Vanilla Cake with Whipped Mascarpone Frosting
Berry vanilla cake with homemade compote and mascarpone whipped cream - your ultimate berries & cream cake! It's perfect for spring & summer picnics or parties. It has a soft vanilla cake that stays moist for days, and the homemade berry compote is so good with the mascarpone frosting!
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 597kcal
Equipment
- 2 8x8 Cake Pans
- Kitchen Scale
- Measuring Spoons
- Saucepan
- Piping Bag
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 4 large large eggs room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- 1 ½ cups mascarpone cold
Mixed Berry Compote
- 3 cups frozen berries
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- lemon zest
- 2-3 mint leaves, sliced optional
Instructions
Berry Compote
- To save time, you can use store-bought compote or jam. If using store-bought, just skip this section! You can make this mixed berry compote up to a week in advance.
- In a saucepan, mix the frozen berries with the sugar, zest of a lemon, mint (if using) and lemon juice. Place over medium-low heat and simmer for 20 minutes, making sure to stir frequently.3 cups frozen berries, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2-3 mint leaves, sliced, lemon zest
- You’ll know the compote is ready when you place the back of a wooden spoon in the mixture and it coats the back of the spoon and you can draw a line through it with your finger.
- Let the mixture cool completely, then pour into a container.
- Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Grease and line two 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter with the oil and sugar until creamy on medium speed. This will take about 2-3 minutes, and it'll look a bit grainy and fluffy.⅓ cup unsalted butter, 1 ⅔ cup white sugar, ¼ cup neutral oil
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition.4 large large eggs
- Mix in the almond and vanilla extract.3 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder and salt.2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then mix on low. Add ½ the buttermilk. Repeat once more, then end with the flour mixture.1 cup buttermilk
- Pour the smooth cake batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before removing and letting them cool completely on wire cooling racks.
Frosting
- I recommend chilling your mixing bowl for about an hour before using! Not required but it does help keep the ingredients cool.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, whisk the heavy cream, salt, sugar and vanilla on medium-low for 2 minutes. The sugar needs to have completely dissolved.¾ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup heavy cream
- Increase the speed to high and whisk for 2 minutes, until it looks very thick like Greek yogurt.
- While the mixer is running on a low speed, add the mascarpone. Turn off the mixer, and scrape the entire bowl to make sure no mascarpone is left on the side. Turn the speed to high, and whip for 20-30 seconds until smooth. You should have stiff peaks. Use immediately.1 ½ cups mascarpone
Assembly
- Place one cake layer on your cake plate or cake stand. I recommend placing strips of parchment paper in between the cake and the plate, that way you don't get frosting all over the cake!
- Evenly cover the top of the first cake layer with mascarpone whipped cream frosting. Place some of the frosting in a piping bag with a large round tip, and pipe around the edge of the cake. This creates a barrier so the compote doesn't spill out.
- Spoon out some of the berry compote into the middle of the cake. Use a small offset spatula or a spoon to evenly cover the cake, going to the edge where you piped that ring of frosting.
- Place the second cake layer on top. Cover the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate with fresh berries.
Video
Notes
My recipes have been developed and tested in cups and metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way.
I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients before you start baking for the cake - make sure the heavy cream and mascarpone for the frosting are cold though!
Compote: Feel free to swap out the homemade compote for store-bought or your favorite flavor of jam!
Neutral Oil: Use a neutral oil like sunflower oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. We want something without a lot of taste or smell!
Almond Extract: This is totally optional, I just love how it tastes with the frosting and berries.
Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt. Please note, I am using Diamond Crystal kosher salt and not Morton Salt, which is far too salty for this recipe.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 597kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 526mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 984IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 2mg
