Mixed Berry Cake

Layers of soft vanilla cake, juicy fresh berries and sweet vanilla buttercream make up this gorgeous Mixed Berry Cake. Not only is this showstopper delicious but it’s gluten free, nut free, egg free and easily vegan. If that wasn’t enough, it’s so so simple to make! The most perfect cake for your summertime BBQS!

Yes we all know how much I love chocolate but I have to tell you, this cake with berries is sweet and refreshing; simply perfect for summer!

This Mixed Berry Cake contains strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and black raspberries. I got all the berries at my local farm because it’s berry season! 

But don’t worry! You don’t have to wait till berry season to make this beauty. You can of course use the fresh berries that are sold at your local grocery store! 

This cake is so beautiful and will definitely give that wow factor but it’s so simple to make!

Love berries? Try my Strawberry Red Velvet Cake, Blueberry Cupcakes and Strawberry Apple Dump Cake!

What makes this Cake so delicious?

• Fresh Berries- 6 cups of fresh berries go into this cake. 

• Vanilla Buttercream- Most cakes like this use whipped cream instead of buttercream. I never liked how the whipped cream texture played with the rest of the cake. I decided to use buttercream. The berries kind of sink into the buttercream so you end up with fruit in every bite of buttercream. What’s even better is how simple it is to make buttercream vegan!

• Vanilla Cake- The recipe for this cake is vegan by nature. You can of course make it with dairy by using regular milk instead of non dairy milk. 

Baking Tips

For The Cake

• Let the cakes cool completely before cutting them in half- This recipe makes 2 layers of cake in 8 inch pans. Once the cakes have completely cooled, slice the cakes in half horizontally. Now you have 4 thin layers of cake.

• Split your frosting up into 4 equal sections- This way you will use the exact same amount of frosting on each layer. 

For The Berries

• Only use fresh berries- I would NOT use frozen for this recipe because frozen berries contain more liquid and the cake will be even more wet as the fruit thaws. 

• Wash and dry the berries- Make sure you pick through your berries, wash and dry them. You want them to be as dry as possible because the raspberries will ooze liquid.

• Only cut the strawberries- Leave the other berries whole. Depending on the size of the strawberries you have, cut them into quarters if they’re small, or eighths. You basically want the strawberry slices close in size to the other berries. 

• Mix the berries ahead of time- Combine the 4 cups of mixed berries with the 2 cups of cut strawberries. 

• Place the berry layer on top of the buttercream layer- This way the berries stick and won’t fall out. The 3 buttercream layers use about 1 cup of the mixed berries per layer. As for the top of the cake, you can do another cup or as much as you would like. You will have some leftover berries if you only decide to put a cup of berries onto the top of the cake. 

Keep it Cool

• Refrigerate the cake before serving- After you assemble the cake, store it in the fridge. Technically you could serve it right away but it will be a bit of a mess. When the cake is room temperature, the berries bleed when you slice into it. That will turn your white buttercream, red. Once the cake has completely chilled in the fridge, the berries don’t run as much when it’s sliced and that buttercream stays a bright white, like you can see in the picture below. 

Can this cake be vegan?

Yes! Follow these tips to ensure the cake is vegan:

• Use a gluten free flour that’s free from dairy.

• Make sure to use vegan baking sticks instead of butter.

• Use a non dairy milk of choice. 

This delicious Berry Cake is a refreshing dessert option that looks like it took hours to assemble. It’s so simple to make, so yummy and allergy friendly! Enjoy!

Mixed Berry Cake

Lee

Layers of soft vanilla cake, juicy fresh berries and sweet vanilla buttercream make up this gorgeous Mixed Berry Cake. Not only is this showstopper delicious but it’s gluten free, nut free, egg free and easily vegan. If that wasn’t enough, it’s so so simple to make! The most perfect cake for your summertime BBQS!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 Slices

Calories 836 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the cake:

• ▢ 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cups milk of choice
• ▢ ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ▢ ½ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the buttercream:

• ▢ 2 sticks vegan baking sticks 1 cup
• ▢ 6.5 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup water

For the berries:

• ▢ 4 cups fresh mixed berries: Blueberries raspberries and black raspberries
• ▢ 2 cups fresh strawberries cut to the size of the other fruit

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and line two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk of choice, the light brown sugar, the vegetable oil and the vanilla. 
• Slowly add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and use a spatula to combine as it gets thick. 
• With a spatula, scoop half the frosting into one pan and the other half into the other pan. Smooth the tops with a butter knife.
• Bake cakes in the center rack for 35 minutes.
• Let them cool in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack. 
• Once the cakes have cooled completely, we are going to cut them in half horizontally. Now we will have 4 layers.
• Make the frosting: Beat all frosting ingredients together until smooth. If the frosting seems too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time. If it seems too thick, add more confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. We don’t want it runny.
• Divide the frosting into 4 equal servings.
• Combine all the berries together.
• Place one cake layer on the cake stand. Take ¼ of the frosting and frost the top. Take 1 cup of all the berries and scatter them all over the top of the buttercream. Place another layer of vanilla cake on top of the berries. Repeat the buttercream and berries. Repeat this process with all the cake layers. For the top, you can either scatter the berries all over or you can pile them in the center of the cake like I did. 
• Refrigerate the cake immediately so the berries don’t ooze as much liquid. 
• Let sit out 5-10 min prior to serving. Store extras in the fridge in a cake dome or wrapped with plastic wrap. 

Nutrition

Calories: 836kcalCarbohydrates: 140gProtein: 5gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 468mgPotassium: 160mgFiber: 5gSugar: 116gVitamin A: 900IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Berries, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Vanilla Cake, Vanilla Frosting, Vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The recipe for the vegan cake was adapted from The Food Network's Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes.