This One-Layer Berry Cake with Lemon Curd Cream makes a tasty spring or summer dessert when fresh berries are at their prime!

Instead of chocolate or white cake, try a Berries Cake instead. The lemon whipped cream pushes it over the top!!

slice of berries cake on a white plate with a red handle fork.

  

Why You Must Make

  • Three types of berries give this cake visual interest, moisture, and a delicious flavor.
  • If you’re used to plain old whipped cream to garnish your desserts, this lemon curd cream will knock your socks off.
  • It’s a single-layer cake so it’s a perfect dessert for small gatherings or family dinners. My friend, Beth, made this for our recent dinner club dessert, and we all loved it.

Tester Endorsement:

After I shared this dessert with some girlfriends, I received this text: That dessert was incredible. Really incredible. Do you plan to share?

Ingredient Notes

Labeled berry cake ingredients on a metal sheet pan.
  • Flour – All-purpose flour is used.
  • Baking Powder – See the tip above about checking the expiration date. Note that baking powder is not the same as baking soda.
  • Butter – I use salted butter in almost all my recipes.
  • Sugar – Granulated sugar in the batter and coarse (or sanding) sugar to sprinkle on top. You can use regular sugar for sprinkling, but I like the sparkle from coarse sugar granules.
  • Eggs – Large eggs at room temperature.
  • Whole Milk – Also at room temperature.
  • Fresh Berries – Just keep the total amount the same if you choose to use just one or two of the berries listed. Look for plump, fresh berries without blemishes.
  • Lemon Curd – I use Wilkin & Sons Tiptree lemon curd. Of course, you can always make your own.
Slice of berry cake recipe with lemon whipped cream on a white plate in front of a cake stand.

Expert Tips

  • Prepping your pan properly prevents the cake from getting stuck in the pan. Grease with butter or non-stick cooking spray and also line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
  • Room temperature eggs and butter will incorporate best. Trying to cream cold butter into sugar will make it tough to have a smooth batter.
  • PRO-Tip: Alternating wet and dry ingredients helps keep the batter stable. Adding all the liquid at once may cause the batter to separate.
  • Gently fold in the berries so they don’t get smashed. There will be some bleeding into the batter no matter how careful you are.
  • PRO-Tip: Check your baking powder’s expiration date. Baking soda has a much longer shelf life and is used more often. Baking powder often expires before you even make a dent in the can. For your cake to rise properly, you’ll need an active baking powder. If you’re unsure, put a spoonful in hot water and it will bubble vigorously if the baking powder is fresh.
  • You may top this cake with sweetened whipped cream without the lemon curd if desired.
  • PRO-Tip: Whipping your cream in a chilled bowl will help stabilize the cream, so it’s less likely to separate. The cornstarch in powdered sugar also helps stabilize your cream.
One layer cake with berries on a cake stand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Lemon Curd?

Curds are creamy mixtures made from juice, sugar, butter, and egg yolks. Usually made with citrus, curds are cooked until thick. When cool they can be toppings for baked goods or used as spreads.

Is this a Chantilly Cake?

A chantilly cake is a French term that refers to a cake prepared with or served with sweetened whipped cream. So, yes, this can be considered a chantilly cake.

Can You Make this Cake with Frozen Berries?

Yes, though frozen berries will definitely bleed when mixed with the batter. They may also exude more juices than fresh berries. Frozen berries may be tossed in a bit of flour before adding to the batter to compensate for their juiciness.

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Slice of mixed berry cake on a white plate topped with lemon cream and fresh berries

Berries Cake with Lemon Curd Cream

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield 8 servings

A tasty one-layer cake chock full of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Served with a dollop of sweetened lemon curd whipped cream makes for a delicious pairing.

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 egg white, at room temperature
  • ⅓ cup whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup fresh raspberries
  • ¾ cup fresh blackberries
  • ½ cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (or more regular sugar), to sprinkle over the batter.

Lemon Curd Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • ½ cup lemon curd
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter. Line the pan with a round of parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350°.
  3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and set aside.
  4. In a medium to a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add the whole eggs and egg white, one at a time, and mix just until incorporated.
  6. Mix in the vanilla.
  7. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk, starting with about a third of the dry ingredients, then half the milk, another third of the dry ingredients, the rest of the milk, then the last of the dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
  8. Gently fold in the berries (they will bleed into the batter a bit).
  9. Scrape the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar (or use regular sugar).
  10. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  11. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan to a serving dish.
  12. To make the lemon cream, place the heavy cream and sifted powdered sugar in a chilled bowl and beat on high until soft peaks form.
  13. Mix in the vanilla and lemon curd and beat until combined.
  14. To serve, slice the cake and serve with a dollop of lemon cream and fresh berries if desired.

Notes

Check the expiration date on your baking powder as it usually expires before you use it all.

There will be leftover lemon curd cream. It's delicious on pancakes or waffles, ice cream, and angel food cake.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 480Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 315mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 2gSugar: 35gProtein: 7g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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