This post is sponsored by Philadelphia® Cream Cheese. I’m pleased to partner with them to bring you this delicious recipe featuring their products. All opinions are mine alone.
This delicious Very Berry Vanilla Layer Cake is the best recipe for your summer occasions, and after just one bite your guests will agree!
Is it just me or does the summer heat make you want to eat berries by the carton too? I LOVE berry season and this cake recipe has no shortage of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries!
Speaking of summer, it’s also shower season. No – not rain showers, but wedding showers! When I created this recipe, I could not stop thinking about how perfect it would be for a wedding shower or summer celebration. This Very Berry Vanilla Layer Cake would be a tasty addition to any shower set-up for the bride’s-to-be and groom’s-to-be in your life.
Let’s talk texture..
One of my favorite things about this cake is the different textures in each bite.
First you have the vanilla cake that is light and fluffy with gooey blueberries baked into the batter. Then you have the smooth and creamy blackberry cream cheese frosting made with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. And then there are all those juicy berries!
Next let’s talk taste..
This Very Berry Vanilla Layer Cake is just the right amount of sweet. The berries bring forth a sweet-sour, acidic vibe where the delicious blackberry cream cheese frosting brings out mild, sweet notes thanks to the hero ingredient, Philadelphia Cream Cheese. This frosting would be nothing without it!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or 1 tbsp vanilla paste)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 pkg.(8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 ½ tsp of pure vanilla extract
- 6 oz fresh blackberries
- 10 medium or large fresh strawberries
- 1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 1/3 cup fresh red raspberries
- 1 1/3 cup fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare three 9-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix by hand or with hand-mixer until well combined. Then set aside.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, add milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well, then add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Gradually add the water to the batter and mix slowly or on low until well combined.
- Evenly divide the batter between the 3 prepared cake pans.
- Add 2/3 cup fresh blueberries to each of the 3 prepared cake pans. Gently press into batter.
- Bake for 26-30 minutes or until cake passes the toothpick test.
- In a blender or food processor, puree the blackberries.
- Using a strainer, separate the blackberry puree and seeds. Throw out the seeds, then set puree aside.
- In a stand mixer, mix butter and Philadelphia Cream Cheese until well combined.
- With mixer on low, add powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Add vanilla extract halfway through adding the powdered sugar.
- Add blackberry puree and mix until well combined. The frosting will go from a white color to a light purple color.
- Place the first cake round on a cake stand, serving plate or cardboard cake round.
- Spread a thin layer of Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting over the top of the first cake round. I use an angled icing spatula, but a silicone spatula or spreading knife will work as well.
- Repeat process with second and third cake rounds until all three cake rounds are stacked and frosted. Note the top layer should be a moderate layer of icing where the bottom layers should be thin.
- With the remaining frosting, spread frosting around the outside of the cake using a cake scraper, spreading knife or silicone spatula. To achieve the “naked cake” look, scrape icing from the cake layers until visible through the frosting. The goal of a naked cake is to allow parts of the cake to show with no exact pattern. All frosting may not be used, depending on how thick you want to layers to be. Any excess frosting can be refrigerated for up to 7 days.
- Cut half of the strawberries into halves. Place halved strawberries, whole strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries and blackberries on top of the cake and around the base of the cake. There is no exact pattern to placing the berries on or around the cake so place them however you would like.
- Let cake set in refrigerator for 45-60 minutes for frosting to firm.
- Serve & Enjoy!
Notes
1.Cake can be refrigerated for 5-7 days. 2. You need flat cake tops when you’re making a layer cake. If your cake has a slight dome, use a large serrated knife to cut the dome off the top of each layer.
What is your favorite berry recipe?