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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!
Watch How To Make It
SHOP THE RECIPE
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Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 26 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 11 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
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!
Ingredients
VANILLA CAKE
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) 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) 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
1. 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.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
3. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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
8. 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.
9. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in the berry puree.
10. Cook over medium heat, stirring consistently until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 8-10 minutes.
11. Allow to boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Refrigerate and allow to cool completely.
FROSTING AND ASSEMBLY
12. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
13. Add the mascarpone cheese to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form. It will happen fairly quickly.
14. To assemble the cake, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. Add the second layer of cake and repeat the filling layer with the remaining berry filling and additional mascarpone frosting.
19. Add the final layer of cake on top, then smooth out the frosting around the sides of the cake.
20. Frost the outside of the cake, then use an icing decorator (I use this Ateco Icing Smoother ) to add a striped pattern to the sides.
21. Finish off the cake with some swirls of frosting and fresh berries.
22. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Cake is best for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 678
- Sugar: 53 g
- Sodium: 216.6 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Carbohydrates: 74 g
- Protein: 8.7 g
- Cholesterol: 118.4 mg
Enjoy!
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I was asked to make a cake for a coworkers surprise bridal shower. Since it was eight in the morning, I didn’t wanna have a chocolate cake. I started browsing and thought this might sound light and good. It definitely was both. It got such rave reviews I had people asking me to make it for their birthday (some even months and months away!) thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! I will make it again!
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
Not sure what I did maybe mixed batter too long , the cakes didn’t rise and the frosting came out too thin!
The cake recipe for some reason seems to give some people trouble. You can try reducing the amount of water in the cake and that seems to help. As for the frosting, it’s basically just whipped cream. When whipped properly it should be fine. Just be sure to use heavy whipping cream and not just whipping cream and don’t over mix the mascarpone cheese because that can make it too soft and a little liquidy.
I am going to make this on the weekend- excited!
Can I bake cake one at a time so will the batter stand in fudge? Also can I freeze the cakes only wrapped separately for 1 week and make frosting the day before assembly?
It’s not ideal to make them all separately, but it should be fine. As long as you’re baking them one right after the other you don’t need to refrigerate the batter. yes, you can wrap the cake layers well and freeze them and then thaw them in the fridge before using them.
Oh. My. Gosh! This is so so so good!
The frosting is creamy and not overly sweet which is a perfect balance for the sweet filling. I used 2 boxed white cake mixes in lieu of homemade cakes (I know, I know – homemade is better. I have a gluten allergy, and boxed cake mix puts less flour in the air saving me from a reaction).
I made this as a gift, so I can only vouch for the parts I could taste, but if they are any indication, I’m sure the cake is just as divine!
So glad you were happy with it!
Can I use frozen fruit?
That should be fine. Theres usually extra water in frozen fruit though, so I would either thaw the fruit and remove pat it dry or you may need to cook the filling a touch longer.
Just made this recipe for a birthday. Everyone loved it. It is a wonderful recipe. I’m sure it will be a frequently requested cake.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
More than delicious. Easy to follow instructions. Everyone just loved it. Thank you!
I’ve made this and it was amazing!!! I tagged you on my IG page. I was wondering if I could make cupcakes with this recipe?
So glad you enjoyed it! Cupcakes should be fine. I’m not sure if you’ll need more filling or not to fill all the cupcakes. This much cake batter would make about 24 cupcakes.
HUGE hit!! I’ve made this many times now, even for my own birthday cake! Love it 🙂
I have made this cake probably a dozen times since I found the recipe, and it’s a winner every time! The amount and types of fruit vary depending on what I have, etc, but it’s loved and devoured immediately! Such a delicious cake – and it looks spectacular!!!
So glad it’s been a hit!
Hi!
Can you make this can in 3 layer 6” version? If so what would be the bake time? 🙂
Sure. I’d cut the recipe in half. Bake time may be 15-20 minutes.
I have made this cake many times! It is a favorite of family and friends! I would like to use the cake recipe and frosting recipe for cupcakes. Has anyone ever tried making cupcakes with the cake recipe? Does it stick to the wrapper terribly? I would think I should bake them at the same temperature for about 20-25 minutes. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
So glad you enjoy it! You can find the cake layers as cupcakes here – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-vanilla-cupcakes/
Hi! I’m thinking about making this cake for my daughter’s 4th birthday. Will the cakes be okay if I were to make it the night before, let it cool, then wrap it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge overnight then decorate the next morning? I’m trying not to do everything at once to make it less stressful 😅. Also, can I use light food coloring in the icing if I wanted to do something fun for her?
Yes, you can definitely make the cake layers a day ahead. I usually do. If you want to add color to the whipped cream, I would recommend gel icing color so that you don’t thin out the whipped cream.
Thank you for answering! I will remember that about the gel coloring. I forgot to ask one more thing. How can I bake this if I wanted to do a sheet pan option? With the amount of batter, what size sheet pan is best?
You could make it as a 9×13.
I made this for my sisters birthday. It was such a huge hit! It’s a little pricey but so well worth it! I’m making it Friday again for my friend. She requested it! Thanks so much for sharing it.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Here’s my attempt! I don’t know how you get the icing so smooth but looks decent enough. https://imgur.com/a/BwOv2be
It looks great!!
Making this cake! Can I use 1% milk in this recipe?
Sure! I typically use 2%. The extra fat will help give you a fluffier cake. But 1% will be fine.