Using any soft/light cake recipe of your choice, you can create a delicious fresh berry cream cake. I recommend using my white cake recipe below or you could even try chocolate, pistachio, or a 6 inch cake instead. This minimally decorated naked-style cake is layered between fresh and fluffy whipped cream and piled high with juicy berries.
Channeling strawberry shortcake cake with this one!
Tell Me About This Fresh Berry Cream Cake
Using practically any soft/light cake recipe of your choice, you can create a naked-style cake with three lovely layers of whipped cream and fresh berries. If decorating layer cakes makes you nervous, this cake is FOR YOU; no complicated decorating involved!
I chose my vanilla flavored white cake because it’s ultra soft and sponge-like, which pairs beautifully with light whipped cream and summer berries. Heavier cakes would make this difficult to cut and serve. I have a list of other cake flavors you can use below.
This cake is:
- Towering tall with whipped cream and berries
- Light, fresh, and naked-style
- Very easy to decorate—less is more!
- Celebrating the season’s fresh flavors
- Like a fruit pizza in cake form
- Adaptable to many cake flavors
What a beautiful choice for Memorial Day recipes or 4th of July desserts!
Use Any Cake You Love
Let’s talk cake flavors. As I mentioned above, I use my white cake recipe. I divide the batter between 3 round cake pans. I used 8-inch cake pans for the pictured cake. Three 9-inch pans work too, but the cake layers will be pretty thin. I love using this white cake recipe because it’s soft, moist, and doesn’t overpower the delicate whipped cream or fresh berries. It’s made with cake flour, egg whites, and sour cream to guarantee the softest crumb. Highly recommended! If white cake isn’t your ideal choice, I have a few other flavor ideas. Most are actually adapted from my white cake recipe:
- Pistachio Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Lemon Cake
- Chocolate Cake (spongey and delicious!)
You Could Also Make a 6 Inch Cake
Don’t want to make such a large cake? You can use this exact decorating technique on a 6 inch cake. I have plenty of 6 inch cake flavor ideas in my 6 Inch Cake recipes post. (Use my vanilla cupcakes batter or any cupcake batter!) Simply halve the amount of whipped cream and berries.
Prepare the Cake Pans
No matter which size round cake pans you use, I always recommend lining them with parchment paper rounds. Cakes release seamlessly from the pans this way:
- Make a parchment paper round. Trace the bottom of the cake pans on a large piece of parchment paper. Cut out the parchment circles.
- Very lightly grease the baking pans.
- Place the parchment round inside.
- Grease the parchment round too. Using butter or nonstick spray, I grease the pan AND the parchment. This promises an ultra non-stick environment for your cake. Never any sticking.
If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.
Garnishes for Fresh Berry Cream Cake
- Whipped Cream: I recommend the whipped cream recipe below, which yields plenty for a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake. (See recipe note about a 6 inch cake.) It’s a slightly scaled up version of my vanilla whipped cream. I add a little almond extract for extra flavor like I do in my berry icebox cake, but that’s optional. You know what would be equally tasty? The mocha whipped cream from my flourless chocolate cake—double that whipped cream to ensure you have enough for a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake. Interested in chocolate whipped cream? Add 3 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 extra Tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar to the recipe below. You could also flavor the whipped cream with various extracts such as lemon extract, orange extract, coconut extract, etc. Leave out the almond extract, replace with 1/2 teaspoon of your desired flavor, taste the finished whipped cream, then fold in more extract if desired.
- Fresh Berries: Layer fresh berries into the cake on top of the layers of whipped cream. You can use blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or even fresh sliced cherries.
- Florals: Use edible flowers or flowers that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides. Avoid strong-smelling flowers as the smell may linger on the cake. The pictured white flowers here are called kalanchoe flowers.
3 Final Success Tips
- Level your cakes. Level off the top of each cake layer so both sides are flat. This is important because flat and even layers add stability to your finished cake. You can use a cake leveler or large serrated knife. I always use a serrated knife.
- Keep it simple. Make it easy on yourself! I’ve seen many naked cake recipes that call for a soak in simple syrup to prevent it from drying out. You can absolutely take this route, but I don’t find it necessary if your cake is moist to begin with (like the white cake below or any others listed above).
- The refrigerator is your friend. Chill this assembled cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving. Why? This stabilizes all of your hard work! It helps the whipped cream adhere to the cake layers and ensures a neater slice.
See Your Fresh Berry Cakes!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
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Fresh Berry Cream Cake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours, 30 minutes (includes cooling and chilling)
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This minimally decorated naked-style cake is layered between fresh and fluffy whipped cream and piled high with juicy berries.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (285g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
Whipped Cream & Berries
- 2 cups (480ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup (5 Tablespoons; 40g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 2 cups (280-300g) fresh mixed berries
- optional: dusting of confectioners’ sugar and/or fresh florals
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.) I recommend using nonstick spray for greasing. I also recommend 8 inch cake pans as the 9 inch cakes will be pretty thin.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites. Beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 22-24 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before assembling.
- Make the whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for decorating cakes. Use immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Yields about 4 cups.
- Assemble cake: If cooled cakes are domed on top, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called “leveling” the cakes. (Discard thin layer or crumble over ice cream.) Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly spread 1 heaping cup of whipped cream on top. I always use an icing spatula to spread. Arrange a single layer of mixed berries on top. Top with 2nd cake layer. Spread another 1 heaping cup of whipped cream on top, then a single layer of berries. Top with 3rd cake layer. Spread remaining whipped cream on top and garnish with fresh berries. Add a dusting of confectioners’ sugar on the berries, if desired, and/or garnish with fresh florals.
- Chill the assembled cake, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day before slicing and serving. This time in the refrigerator helps the whipped cream thicken and makes cutting neater and easier. If chilling for longer than a few hours, you can carefully cover it with plastic wrap or use a cake carrier for storing in the refrigerator (what I always store my cakes in!). *Note that the berries could begin to release their juices if kept in the refrigerator for longer than 2 hours. For cutting, I recommend using your sharpest knife and cutting slowly.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 4. Wrap the individual baked and cooled cake layers tightly and keep at room temperature for 1 day or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature (if frozen) then continue with step 5. See How to Freeze Cakes if desired. Whipped cream can also be made 1 day ahead of time. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. If it’s too stiff after refrigerating, stir in 1 extra Tablespoon of heavy cream or even milk to help thin out. I don’t recommend freezing the assembled cake as the whipped cream and berries won’t thaw very nicely. However, you can wrap and freeze leftover individual slices for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Round Cake Pans or 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Leftover Egg Yolks: Make some lemon curd! You can add thin layers of it between the cake layers on top of the whipped cream and under the berries. Here are other recipes where you can use leftover egg yolks.
- Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cake may not be as light. Same goes with a lower fat milk.
- Other Flavor Cakes: See above for alternative flavor ideas. Each cake listed yields a 3 layer 9-inch cake. If you want a 3 layer 8 inch cake instead, add about 2 minutes of bake time to its recipe. If using chocolate cake, see those recipe notes about turning into a 3 layer cake.
- 2 Layer Cake: I highly recommend sticking to a 3 layer cake for this look. A 2 layer cake would be pretty short. If desired, though, use this white cake recipe (which is 2 layers) or turn any 3 layer cakes listed above into a 2 layer 9-inch cakes by extending the bake time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Halving the whipped cream should leave you with plenty for a 2 layer cake. Use a heaping 1 cup of fresh berries.
- 6 Inch Cake: You can use this exact decorating technique on a smaller 6 inch cake. I have plenty of 6 inch cake flavor ideas in my 6 Inch Cake recipes post. Halve the ingredients in the whipped cream recipe and use only about 1 cup of berries.
Keywords: naked cake, fresh berry cake, whipped cream
Like pound cake with fresh berries and cream, but much lighter!
I’m so glad I made this!!! The BEST white cake recipe ever!! The moment I tasted the batter, I was in love!!! I love boxed cake mix flavor and many homemade cakes can’t match that. This was even better than that! This will be my go-to from now on! The whole family loved it, and that never happens!!
★★★★★
The adults loved it, and the kids devoured it. No leftovers! Safe to say this will be repeated often.
★★★★★
We had a family reunion on the 4th of July and I made this for them. It was beautiful and delicious! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
Love it!! Got stuck with only two 7″ pans but used the cupcake measurements and it still worked like a dream. Another huge win using a Sally’s recipe 🙂 Thank you!!
★★★★★
I made this cake for the 4th and my whole family loved it! I used an olallieberry whipped cream for one of the whipped cream layers using your recipe for blueberry whipped cream on your vertical lemon and blueberry cake. I’m 33 weeks pregnant send I’ve been in the kitchen almost daily trying out your recipes! Every single one has been a hit, thank you Sally!
★★★★★
I made this cake for the 4th of July! It was phenomenal. I enjoyed that it was light and fluffy, and not too sweet! The fresh whipped cream and berries together made this the perfect summer cake!
This cake was a hit! I made it for a small 4th of July gathering and I got 2 great compliments! One person told me it was the best cake they ever ate, and the other person told me that they don’t normally like cake and they loved this one! This was really fun to make, too!
★★★★★
This is such a great recipe, I totally recommend making it! It was fun and not too difficult. It was perfect for the Fourth, very festive. My family loved it too! Thanks, Sally!
★★★★★
I made this and it was amazing!!! I would definitely make it again! Sally’s recipes are what I like to call idiot-proof! I feel like no matter how much I mess it up it still works out somehow!
★★★★★
I made this with my 3 year old and my whole family loved it! I made lemon curd with the leftover egg yolks and added a thin layer on the cakes (as Sally suggested) and it was an amazing addition. Highly recommend this recipe, I’m looking forward to making (and eating) it again and trying different varieties.
★★★★★
Perfect summer recipe, especially for around Independence Day because you can make this a patriotic cake! Recipe is well written as usual and the steps were easy to follow. The cake came out pretty much as advertised and pleased everyone at our gathering! I’d describe it as a heavier angel food cake. Oh, and the almond extract in the whipped cream was DELICIOUS with the berries and sponge. Another bonus is the cake isn’t super rich, just light and refreshing even after a heavier meal on a hot day.
Note: I learned a lesson with the whipped cream… definitely follow Sally’s advice to apply right after making. I tried transporting it 5 minutes in a hot car to assemble at my in-laws, and it liquefied slightly. Everything was still delicious, but clearly the whipped topping did not hold it’s form, so it got a little runny down the sides. Get that cream on and in the fridge ASAP.
★★★★★
I completed the July baking challenge by adapting this recipe to a 6-in cake. I wasn’t able to figure out how to properly reduce the white cake in this recipe so I chose one of Sally’s cupcake recipes, the one she made for her wedding. My only critique is that the cake turned out much more dense than I hoped but I didn’t have sour cream and I had to use Greek yogurt so that’s probably why. I did however take her suggestion of using the leftover yolks for making a lemon curd and I loved that part! Everyone really enjoyed it and so did I but next time I would like to try a lighter fluffier cake like the recipe intended. And I might have over whipped my cream because it didn’t look silky smooth like hers. Mine was a little more stiff so I’ll be more careful with that next time, too!
★★★★★
I made this for the 4th of July and it was perfect! I made the lemon cake and it had a wonderful lemon flavor that was refreshing and matched the other flavors perfectly.
I don’t eat processed sugar so I subbed honey for the sugar in the cake. (I know, it’s crazy, but I’m experimenting with how to still have baked goodies and it was worth the risk to know if it could possibly work!) I’d done it once before in a cake but it was a much simpler and less sweet (and smaller) cake so I was quite apprehensive about how this would turn out. It’s probably fluffier done the way it’s written but it still turned out great. I also made a honey and vanilla whipped cream.
Sally, your recipes are great. I’ve long been a proficient baker with family standbys but it’s hard to know which recipes to trust when branching out. I’ve been branching out more in recent months and have consistently found that your recipes work great and the notes are always really helpful. Now when I search for something new I want to try, when your website comes up, I just use it. Thanks for all the work and love you put into them!
I just made this for my family for the fourth of july. Everyone loves it! The addition of the lemon curd from your notes really adds a great tart note, and the cake itself is delicate and sweet, really letting the berries shine. It’s delicious. Even my 11 month old baby girl loved the whipped cream and lemon curd! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
First off, I love baking your recipes and this site is my #1 go to for anything baking wise. This challenge was very fun, and I loved making the cake. All of the elements were incredibly easy and putting it together was just as simple! The only thing I changed was I adding a ganache, since my family loves chocolate, which replaced the top layer of whipped cream. Can’t wait to eat it! Stay safe and continue posting amazing recipes!
Beautiful cake and so yummy! I LOVE the way directions are explained! Perfect for a newbie baker!
★★★★★
I used Sally’s lemon cake recipe, and topped it with cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Even my dad, who’s more of a pie fan, ate two slices!
We just made this for a July 4th celebration and it was amazing!
Easy, straightforward and delicious! Love your recipes Sally!
★★★★★
Created this beauty for the July baking challenge. I used the egg yolks to make lemon curd and put a little schmear of that on each layer under the whipped cream. Somehow in all of my cooking and baking I have never made a whipped cream. I was intimidated, but followed the directions, and even with my handheld mixer, it came out great. I’m having a little slippage, but I think it’s because of the curd. I may not I have let it cool enough. Great recipe!
Oh my goodness!
This recipe was so easy to make!
And it was delicious.
I was making it for the fourth of July, but just couldn’t wait to have a slice.
This recipe is definitely a keeper and I wouldn’t change a thing.
★★★★★
This cake was heaven Sally! Got polished off in minutes as was an absolute perfect celebration for my family. I threw in all the berries I could find, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapes for a bit of green … delightful! Thanks a ton!
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
Every time I bake a cake the edges and top are too brown before the centre cooks, which doesn’t look great on a naked cake!
I’m using 6” pans and have already tried lowering the temperature a little. Any ideas what’s going wrong?
Thanks!
Hi Bec, Any chance you are using dark metal pans? The darker color pans retain more heat and will brown the edges a bit more. For the tops of the cakes you can loosely cover the tops with aluminum foil part way through the bake time if they begin to brown before the cake is finished baking.
Hi Stephanie,
No, I have the Fat Daddio’s light ones.
This oven is a challenge!
I’ll try the foil on top, and maybe some DIY cake strips around the sides next time.
This was one of my favorite cakes of yours to make!! I absolutely loved it!! I made it for my husbands 4th of July potluck tomorrow! I had some of the shavings from leveling off and left over whip cream and let me tell you what they are such a noce compliment to each other!!! This cake is light, airy, fluffy and refreshing!! Thank you!! Definitely will make it again!
★★★★★
Just made this & oh my goodness, it is so good!!! The perfect summer cake because it is so fresh and light! The whole family LOVED it!!
★★★★★
Made exactly as the recipe is written (with blueberries and strawberries because its for the 4th of July) but I can’t wait to try it with many different flavor combinations!
★★★★★
I’m thinking about making this for the Fourth of July and might try making It with the lemon cake.
Can I add a little zest to the whipped cream? And would I use any juice or extract?
Thank you
Hi Kolina, using a lemon cake sounds delicious! To add lemon flavor to this whipped cream, leave out the almond extract, replace with 1/2 teaspoon of your desired flavor (like lemon extract), taste the finished whipped cream, then fold in more extract if desired. I don’t recommend using lemon juice as you’d need a lot for true lemon flavor, which would make the whipped cream too runny.
Hi Sally-
This looks fabulous and I am going to try it for the holiday weekend. I LOVE lemon and berries so I will try your Lemon Layer Cake for the cake. I wanted to see if you had a suggestion as far as giving the Whipped Cream a touch of lemon taste as well? Could I add lemon juice? I think a 1/2 teaspoon instead of the almond would not give it enough flavor but I do not want to put too much in and not have the whipping cream whip up!
Oh, and thank you for all the wonderful recipes! I have tried a number of them since finding your recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits with a Google search a couple of months ago. By the way those turned out beautifully- all the layers! I felt certain I would have received a hand shake from Paul Hollywood if I had been on the Great British Baking Show!
Thanks
Hi Katherine, thank you so much for your kind words! To add lemon flavor to this whipped cream, leave out the almond extract, replace with 1/2 teaspoon of your desired flavor (like lemon extract), taste the finished whipped cream, then fold in more extract if desired. I don’t recommend using lemon juice as you’d need a lot for true lemon flavor, which would make the whipped cream too runny.
Can I use buttermilk instead of whole milk?
Hi Jamie, The best way to use buttermilk is to have it replace both the sour cream AND milk in this recipe. Use 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk, then leave out the sour cream and whole milk.
So, is this like a layered version of Victoria sponge cake?
Hi Jamie, Almost! It’s heavier than a true sponge cake.
Thank you for this recipe! My 2 year old absolutely loved it, he took a bite of the cake right after blowing the candle!
★★★★★
Could you add cream cheese to the cream to give it more flavor ? How much do you think might work ?
Hi Traci, We haven’t tested it, but you could certainly try using a cream cheese frosting and folding in unsweetened whipped cream after the frosting comes together. (Just whip cold heavy cream into medium peaks and fold it in.) We don’t recommend adding cream cheese to prepared whipped cream.
Sally, I can’t wait to try this cake! And I love your idea about e d idle flowers. What are the little white ones you’re using called please?
Thanks Pam! These florals are called kalanchoe flowers.