Blueberry And Almond Chantilly Cake Recipe

From shortcakes to angel food, vanilla cake with berries and cream is a classic and beloved combination. This blueberry and almond Chantilly cake — courtesy of recipe developer Julie Kinnaird — showcases a light and airy Chantilly cream and mascarpone icing. Its base is a delicate vanilla butter cake soaked with sweet almond syrup, and it's filled with a combination of fresh blueberries and blueberry preserves. With four layers of cake and filling, this cake is gorgeous to cut into and works for any kind of celebration or special occasion.

Making a great Chantilly cake relies on using high-quality ingredients to enhance the simple flavors. Start with finding a good-quality Italian mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone has double the cream content of regular cream cheese and a more delicate, sweet flavor. Use super-fresh heavy whipping cream and a top-notch jam. Make the cake your own and enjoy the process of assembling and decorating it with fresh, eye-catching garnishes!

To make the cake layers, you will need egg whites, whole milk, vanilla and almond extracts, cake flour for delicate texture, granulated sugar, baking powder, sea salt, and unsalted butter. The cake layers are moistened with an almond simple syrup made from granulated sugar, water, and almond extract. To finish the cake, you will make a Chantilly cream icing from Italian mascarpone cheese, heavy whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and more of the flavorful almond and vanilla extracts. The cake is filled with blueberry preserves and fresh blueberries. You will decorate your iced cake with additional blueberries, some sliced almonds, and, if desired, edible or cake-safe flowers. 

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease and line 2 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, ¼ cup milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt on low speed.

Add the butter and remaining milk and mix on low speed until combined.

Mix the batter on medium-high speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl once.

Add the egg white mixture in 3 batches, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes on a rack for 30 minutes.

Loosen the cake edges with a small metal spatula or thin knife and invert onto racks to completely cool.

While the cakes are baking, prepare the almond simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved completely.

Turn off the heat, stir in the almond extract, and set aside to cool.

For the Chantilly cream, chill a large mixer bowl and hand mixer beaters or a stand mixer whisk attachment.

Add the mascarpone to the chilled bowl and beat on medium-low speed.

Slowly add the heavy cream, about ½ cup at a time, fully incorporating after each addition.

Beat the mixture until soft peaks form.

Add the confectioners' sugar and extracts.

Beat on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to use.

Slice both cakes horizontally to create 4 layers.

Place one of the bottom layers on a cake circle or platter.

Brush the layer with some of the almond simple syrup to barely moisten the whole surface.

Spread on a thin layer of blueberry preserves.

Add a thin layer of the Chantilly cream.

Sprinkle on about ⅓ cup blueberries.

Place the next cake layer cut-side up on top of the blueberries. Repeat the process with the remaining layers, finishing with the second cake bottom on top.

Brush the top layer with the almond simple syrup.

Spread the remaining Chantilly cream over the cake, decorating as desired.

Garnish the cake using additional fresh blueberries and sliced almonds.

Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Chantilly cake has had a bit of a TikTok resurgence recently, especially with the popularity of Whole Foods' Berry Chantilly Cake. Although this recipe is not a copycat version, both cakes share a common history that may have origins in France but more likely in New Orleans. Chantilly cream definitely originated in France and is simply the French version of sweetened whipped cream with a touch of vanilla or almond. 

Taking this French influence, bakers in New Orleans added cream cheese, mascarpone, or both to their icing for a vanilla sponge cake and layered it with jam or berries. The version made so popular by a New Orleans Whole Foods bakery manager was tweaked from her own grandmother's recipe. Kinnaird's blueberry and almond Chantilly cake pays homage to the original versions and keeps the flavors focused on almond, blueberry, and mascarpone. 

Blueberry and almond Chantilly cake is quite easy to assemble if all of the parts are prepared ahead. The cake layers can be baked and chilled a day before assembling, or they can be wrapped tightly in plastic or foil and frozen for up to 3 months. The almond simple syrup will keep well in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

The Chantilly cream icing is the only thing that is best made right before decorating, or at least no more than 2 hours in advance. This is due to the fragile nature of the cream. Although the heavy whipping cream is stabilized by the mascarpone, making it close to the time of decorating will ensure that it does not lose any volume. The cake layers can be moistened with the syrup, spread with the jam and cream, assembled, and then chilled before doing the final icing. Once put together, this cake will keep well under refrigeration for up to 5 days.