If you’re headed to a Fourth of July party or summer cookout, this berries and cream cake is what you should bring!🫐🍓 It’s a fluffy vanilla sheet cake with cream cheese whipped cream topped with fresh berries. You can make, transport and serve right from the pan and it’s always a huge hit!
Check out all my homemade cake recipes for more inspiration!
I adapted this berries and cream sheet cake from my mixed berry cake recipe. It has the same fluffy vanilla base, but I use a combination of butter and oil to keep it extra soft for days.
It’s baked in one pan (no layering needed) and topped with cream cheese whipped cream instead of frosting. Pile on your favorite fresh berries and you’re done!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: Simple pantry ingredients, no special tools or equipment needed — just like my chocolate and raspberry cake!
- Bake, transport and serve from the pan. You don’t need need a cake carrier or cake stand.
- Stays soft for days: A combination of butter and oil keeps every slice tender and moist.
- Make ahead dessert: Bake the cake a day or two ahead of time. Once cooled, cover it with plastic wrap. Top with whipped cream before serving.
- Crowd pleaser: Perfect for summer cookouts, Fourth of July parties and potlucks. Adults and kids love it!
- Easy to decorate: Spread the whipped cream on for a rustic look or pipe it for something fancier. It looks pretty however you make it.
- Mix and match berries: Use strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or any combination you love, just like this berry galette!
Ingredient Notes
Here are some useful notes on some of the ingredients needed to make this cake with berries and cream.
- Use cold full fat brick style cream cheese for the whipped cream. Use cold cream cheese to help firm up the whipped cream. Make sure to whip the cream until it’s free of lumps.
- Use room temperature unsalted butter and canola oil or vegetable oil for the cake. Oil makes the cake extra moist and soft and the butter adds flavor.
- Cake flour gives this cake its soft, light texture.
- This cake is made with 5 large egg whites. Eggs are easiest to separate when they are still cold. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Allow egg whites to come to room temperate before using.
- Top the cake with any combination of fresh berries. I like to use a mix of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Blackberries also look and taste great on this cake.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Don’t have cake flour? You can use all-purpose. The cake won’t be quite as tender, but it’ll still be soft and delicious.
- Only have one kind of berry? That’s fine!
- Want to use stone fruit? Sliced peaches or nectarines are also great here. Make sure they’re ripe and juicy.
- Big fan of mascarpone? Swap in mascarpone cheese in place of cream cheese just like this lemon olive oil and rosemary cake.
- Want to use cool whip? You can definitely swap in cool whip as an easy short cut for the topping.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until fluffy. Mix in the oil until combined. Mix in the egg whites one at a time. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Turn mixer to low speed and add the flour followed by the milk.
Step 2: Pour batter into a 9 by 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 28-35 minutes.
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Step 3: Set the cake on a rack. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
Step 4: Make the cream cheese whipped cream right before serving. Beat the cold cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla. In a large bowl, beat the cold cream until medium peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula.
Step 5: Keep the cake in the pan or pull up on the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Spread or pipe the cream cheese whipped cream over the cooled cake.
Step 6: Top with fresh berries and enjoy!
Natalie’s Top Tips
- Let the cake cool completely! I know it’s tempting, but adding the whipped cream to a warm cake will cause it to melt.
- Drain your berries well. Pat them dry and make sure there’s no excess liquid before adding them to the top. Wet berries can make the whipped cream watery.
- Use fresh berries. Fresh berries make such a difference in flavor and appearance. I don’t recommend frozen berries for the topping.
- Use full fat brick style cream cheese. It’s important the cream cheese is cold. Mix it until it’s lump-free.
- Sift your powdered sugar. It only takes a few seconds and keeps the whipped cream lump-free.
- Make the cake 1-2 days ahead of time. Whip up the the whipped cream and top it just before serving.
- Decorate and serve the cake right from the cake pan or lift it out of the cake. Pull up on the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan.
Recipe FAQs
Rinse berries gently under cold water just before using them. Pat them dry with a paper towel or lay them out on a clean kitchen towel and let them air dry. Make sure they’re completely dry before adding them to the whipped cream — wet berries can make the whipped cream watery!
Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. They are actually the same thing! Both contain at least 36% milk fat, which is what helps the whipped cream hold its shape. Avoid light whipping cream, which has a lower fat content of 30-36% and won’t hold up as well.
A 9×13 inch sheet cake yields about 24 servings when cut into 2×2 inch pieces — that’s 4 columns by 6 rows. You can cut larger pieces for fewer servings or smaller pieces if you’re feeding a bigger crowd!
Store this berry sheet cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The cake tastes best at room temperature. Allow cake to come to room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
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Berry and Cream Cake
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer with the paddle attachment
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 2½ cups (312 g) cake flour sifted, or use all-purpose flour
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (112 g) canola oil or vegetable oil
- 5 (150 g) egg whites large, room temperature
- ½ cup (115 g) sour cream full fat, room temperature
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (183 g) whole milk room temperature
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- 7 ounces (198 g) cream cheese brick style, full fat, cold
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar sifted, add more for sweeter taste
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy whipping cream cold
Decoration
- 2½ cups (387 g) fresh berries for decorating, use any combination of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or sliced strawberries
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9X13 inch pan with baking spray or grease with butter. Line it with parchment paper leaving an overhang on the two longer sides.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed til smooth, about 1 minute.
- Slowly add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Add the oil and mix until completely combined.
- Reduce speed to low and add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract until combined.
- Turn the mixer to low speed. Add about half the dry ingredients. Next, add the milk followed by the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix just til combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the tops with a spatula or offset spatula.
- Bake for 28-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake pan on a cooling rack. Let cool completely in the pan before topping with whipped cream.
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cold cream cheese on medium speed for about 2 minutes until creamy and smooth. Mix in the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Beat the cold heavy cream in a separate large bowl until medium peaks form.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in two additions, folding gently until no streaks remain. If the mixture feels soft, chill for 15-20 minutes before frosting.
Decorating
- Wash berries gently with cold water just before using them and give them time to dry. Pat them dry with a paper towel and lay them out on a clean kitchen towel to let them air dry. Make sure they're completely dry before adding them to the whipped cream.
- Once the cake is completely cooled, spread or pipe the cream cheese whipped cream over the cake.
- Top with fresh berries. Arrange them in any way you like or as generously as you like.
- Use a long, sharp knife to slice. Wipe knife clean in between cutting for clean slices. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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