This Mixed Berry Cake is a fluffy, flavorful vanilla cake layered with mixed berry jam, strawberry cream cheese frosting and fresh, juicy berries. It’s the perfect layer cake for any summer occasion!
Mixed Berry Cake is a must try if you love berries! It is a soft, moist vanilla cake filled and topped with mixed berry jam and strawberry cream cheese frosting. Extra strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries make the best topping.
I love this cake with freshly picked berries. If it’s not berry season, you can use fresh berries from the store.
For more berry cakes, try my lemon blackberry cake, strawberry and chocolate cake, and chocolate raspberry cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The vanilla cake is soft and fluffy just like my pomegranate cake.
- This cake is layered with homemade mixed berry jam. It’s completely homemade but only takes 15 minutes to make. Store bought jam can also be used!
- Strawberry cream cheese frosting is lucious and delicious. It adds even more berry flavor to this summery cake.
- The cake is decorated with mixed berries. Add your favorite berries to top off this showstopping dessert.
Ingredients
Here are some useful notes on some of the ingredients needed to make this berries cake.
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature butter is used in both the cake batter and the cream cheese frosting.
- Cake flour: Cake flour gives this cake its soft, light texture.
- Egg whites: 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.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat brick style cream cheese for the frosting. It’s important the cream cheese is at room temperature. If the cream cheese or butter are cold, the frosting will be lumpy.
- Mixed berries: Use your favorite combination of fresh mixed berries for the jam and decoration. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries are great options.
- Fresh mint: Add fresh mint to the jam once you take it off the heat. Mint gives the jam and the cake a refreshing, unique flavor. If you are not a fan of mint, you can leave it out or swap in vanilla extract for it.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Store bought jam can be used in place of homemade mixed berry jam. Use 1/2 cup of your favorite jam. Spoon the jam into a microwave safe bowl and warm for a few seconds to make the store bought jam more spreadable.
- If you don’t have cake flour, use this cake flour substitute.
- In place of fresh mint, use 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract in the jam.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are the directions on how to make and bake this berry cake recipe.
Step 1 (Picture 1 above)– In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium high speed til smooth. Add the granulated sugar and mix on high speed for 2 minutes.
Step 2 (Picture 2 above)– Reduce speed to low speed. Mix in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Step 3 (Picture 3 above)– Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Turn mixer to low speed and add the flour followed by the milk until just combined. Pour batter into two 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 23-27 minutes.
Step 4 (Picture 4 above)– Set pans on cooling racks for 15 minutes then remove from pans. Allow to cool completely on racks.
Step 5 (Picture 5 above)– Combine berries, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the mint.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)– Heat strawberries, sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat til mixture reduces to about 3 tablespoons. Allow to cool. In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese til combined. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cooled strawberries and salt.
Step 7 (Picture 7 above)– Spread a layer of frosting over the top of one of the layers. Spread 1/2 cup of the mixed berry jam over the frosting. Top with other cake. Frost the cake. Swirl the rest of the jam into the frosting if you like.
Step 8 (Picture 8 above)– Swirl or spread the rest of the jam into the frosting, if desired. Decorate with fresh berries.
Hint: Prepare the berry jam before the frosting. This will give the jam time to cool completely before assembling the cake.
Expert Tips
Tip #1: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. If you dredge the measuring cup into the flour, the flour will become compact. This can lead to a dry cake.
Tip # 2: Don’t overmix the batter. Mix it until just combined.
Tip #3: Use full fat brick style cream cheese for the frosting. It’s important the cream cheese is at room temperature. If the cream cheese is cold, the frosting will be lumpy.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the cake layers, jam and cream cheese the day before. I suggest assembling the cake the morning you plan to serve it. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and store the jam and frosting in airtight containers. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to assemble, allow jam and frosting to come to room temperature for about an hour til spreadable.
Use this delicious mascarpone whipped cream in place of strawberry cream cheese frosting.
Store this mixed berry 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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Mixed Berry Cake
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer with the paddle attachment
- 2 9-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 2½ cups cake flour sifted
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 5 egg whites large, room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream full fat, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk room temperature
Mixed Berry Jam
- 2 cups mixed berries
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar add up to 1/2 cup sugar, according to taste
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint finely chopped, optional
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cups strawberries finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese brick style, full fat, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 pinch salt
Decoration
- Mixed Berries Any combination of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or sliced or whole strawberries.
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch cake pans. and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Grease the parchment paper.
- 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.
- 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.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just combined.
- With the mixer on low, mix in the milk until just combined.
- Divide batter equally in the prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a spatula or offset sptaula.
- Bake for 23-27 minutes until a toothpick when inserted in the center of a cake, comes out clean.
Mixed Berry Jam
- Combine the mixed berries, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a medium pot set over medium heat.
- Stir while bringing mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture for 10-13 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chopped mint. Pour mixture into a glass measuring cup or heatproof bowl. Cover and allow to cool completely. Jam will thicken as it cools.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the chopped strawberries, sugar and water or lemon juice to a small saucepan over low heat. Stir often for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens and reduces to about 3 tablespoons. Remove from heat and pour strawberries in a small bowl to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese on medium high til combined.
- Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on medium high for 1-2 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the vanilla extract, cooled strawberry mixture and a pinch of salt. Beat 1-2 minutes until completely combined. Place the strawberry cream cheese frosting in the fridge to chill until you're ready to frost the cake.
Assembling and Decorating
- Use a long serrated knife to level off the tops, if needed.
- Place one layer on top of a cake stand or cake turntable.
- Spread a layer of frosting over the top of the cake. Spread 1/2 cup of the cooled mixed berry jam over the frosting.
- Place the top layer bottom side up on top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the rest of the frosting over the top of the cake. Spoon the remainder of the jam on top and use an offset spatula or spoon to swirl it into the frosting or use an offset spatula to spread it over and into the frosting. Top with fresh berries, slice and 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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