Gluten Free Berry Chantilly Cake

This gluten free chantilly cake is a layered vanilla cake with a homemade berry jam, chantilly cream frosting, and lots of fresh berries. Perfect for a summer dessert!

I am obsessed with cakes with berries. Whether they’re chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, whatever it may be, I love it.

A chantilly cake is a vanilla cake with layers of berries or jam and chantilly frosting that is made from whipping heavy cream, sugar and mascarpone cheese. I also added some almond extract to the cake because I think it gives it such a great flavor and almost a strawberry shortcake feel.

This recipe is inspired by Whole Foods – but better and of course gluten free! It’s easy to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser this summer! If you love this recipe, try my gluten free pound cake or gluten free coconut cake next!

Before we get started…

• I used three 8 inch cake pans, though you can definitely make this in just two nine inch cake pans. You will need to bake for at least 10 or so minutes longer because the layers will be thicker.
• For the jam, you can use fresh or frozen berries! But you want to use fresh berries to decorate the cake.

How to make gluten free chantilly cake

Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Line 3, 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add in the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla bean paste and almond extract. Beat to combine.

Add in the remaining cake ingredients. Beat to combine. Divide the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake for 26-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.

Once the cake is done, let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Meanwhile, add all ingredients for the jam to a pot on the stove.

Let simmer over medium/low heat, mashing the berries with the back of a fork. Remove from the heat to let cool, then transfer to a container and place in the fridge to finish thickening.

To make the frosting, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese and powdered sugar for about 1 minute with an electric mixer.

Add in the vanilla and salt. Add in the heavy whipping cream and beat with the mixer on low speed to combine, then switch to high speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Taste and add more sugar as desired.

Once the cake has completely cooled, assemble by adding a layer of frosting, then the berry filling with fresh berries on top if desired, then add the second layer and repeat. Frost the outside of the cake with the frosting and top with fresh berries. Enjoy and try my gluten free almond cake next.

Key ingredients & swaps

Sugar. This recipe calls for white sugar, and I don’t recommend an swaps here!

Flour. I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, which I recommend here! You can try another blend, just make sure it has xanthan gum or add 1/2 teaspoon for every 1 cup of flour – so 1 1/2 teaspoons for this recipe.

Dairy. For this recipe, we need a few different types of dairy – milk, butter, mascarpone, cream cheese and heavy cream. For best results, I recommend sticking with the regular dairy versions, especially for the frosting. For the cake, you can safely swap the butter for oil or a dairy free butter, and the milk for a dairy free milk.

However, the mascarpone and heavy whipping cream are key ingredients for the frosting, so I don’t recommend any swaps there.

Eggs. The eggs are a key ingredient for the light and fluffy texture. Since we are using three eggs, I don’t recommend any subs. My cut off is usually 2 eggs in a recipe to safely be able to swap with a vegan version.

How to store

This gluten free chantilly cake is best fresh, but it will keep for up to 3-5 days. Once sliced, the cake will start to dry out a bit so it’s best to keep it in an air tight container to keep it moist! Because of the fresh ingredients in the frosting (plus the berries), I suggest storing in the fridge.

You can definitely prep this cake ahead of time and freeze the layers until you’re ready to bake. You’ll want to let the cake cool completely, then wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap, place in a large ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

You can frost the cake from frozen, just be sure to let it sit at room temperature before serving.

How to decorate

There are a lot of ways to decorate a chantilly cake! A lot of the times you will see the outside of the cake is bare- so no frosting on the outside, just between the layers.

I find it holds up better with some frosting on the outside, but it’s totally up to you. You can also add more jam on top or swirled into the frosting, but I love the look with just fresh berries. I used the whole variety – raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, but whatever you have is fine!

More gluten free cake recipes!

• Marble Bundt Cake
• Banana Cake
• Gluten Free Pistachio Cake
• Strawberry Cake

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