Chantilly Cream Cake

The cake is fluffy and sweet with delightful floral notes from the elderflower liqueur and a gently tart berry cream filling.

Ingredients

Cake

3 cups (about 11 1/4 ounces) bleached cake flour (such as Swans Down), plus more for dusting cake pans

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing cake pans

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1/4 cup elderflower syrup (such as Belvoir Farm)

Filling

1 cup freeze-dried red berries (such as strawberries and raspberries) (about 1 ounce)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mascarpone Chantilly Cream

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 teaspoons elderflower syrup (such as Belvoir Farm)

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

Additional Ingredinets

Fresh berries (such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries)

Directions

Prepare the cake

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third position. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with butter. Line bottoms of cake pans with parchment paper; grease with additional butter, and dust lightly with flour, tapping out excess. Using a fine mesh strainer fitted over a medium bowl, sift together flour and baking powder; whisk in salt, and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla on medium speed until lighter in color and very fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 15 seconds. Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, stopping to scrape sides of bowl once or twice, beating until combined, about 45 seconds total. With mixer on low speed, gradually add milk, beating until mixture loosens and is just combined, about 20 seconds. Pour batter into prepared cake pans (3 1/4 cups pan).

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean, 22 to 28 minutes. Remove cakes from oven, and let cool in cake pans for 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire rack; remove parchment paper, and immediately brush bottoms of cakes evenly with elderflower syrup (2 tablespoons per cake). Let cool completely, about 2 hours.

While cake is cooling, prepare the filling

Process freeze-dried berries in a food processor until a very fine powder forms, about 1 minute. Using a fine mesh strainer, sift berry powder into a small bowl (you should have about 1/4 cup). Add powdered sugar, and whisk together; set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream and vanilla on medium-low speed until mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. Add berry powder mixture; increase mixer speed to medium, and whisk until stiff peaks form, 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl (you should have about 3 cups); cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble cake.

Prepare the mascarpone chantilly cream

In stand mixer fitted with a clean bowl and whisk attachment, whisk mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla, and elderflower liqueur on medium-low speed until creamy, about 20 seconds. With mixer on low speed, gradually add about 1/2 cup of the cream; beat until thickened and well combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups cream; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3  minutes. (Take care to not overbeat.) Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble cake.

Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate, bottom side up. Spread about 2 cups Filling over top, leaving about 1/4-inch border around edge. Reserve remaining Filling for decoration, if desired. Top with second cake layer, bottom side up. Frost sides and top of cake with Mascarpone Chantilly Cream. Garnish with fresh berries and Filling as desired.