Summer baked into a colorful cake!
This is definitely the most beautiful (and one of the most delicious!) cake I have ever made.
As we approach the end of August, blackberries are in season. So originally this was a triple berry chiffon layer cake, but with the addition of the blackberries, I just called it “very berry.” How can I leave out blackberries? They’re possibly my favorite berry of all. Plus, my uncle planted blackberry bushes in our backyard a couple years ago, and this year, we have so many blackberries!
Chiffon cake is the best type of cake for this shortcake. It’s light, certainly fluffy, and becomes perfectly moist, but not too wet, when it’s sandwiched between berries and whipped cream. The inspiration for this chiffon cake was actually my paternal grandma. My grandma makes the all-time best chiffon cake, and I decided to dress it up with some whipped cream and berries (and flowers…you can’t forget the flowers).
I know this does not seem like a traditional end-of-summer dessert (although I do have one of those in the works) but rather a spring-like cake with all the fresh strawberries. However, if you can get your hands on just a couple types of berries at the farmer’s market, I highly, highly recommend making this cake. It’s both breathtaking and “berry” delicious 🙂
If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your creation with the hashtag #foodfinessa.
P.S. Doesn’t this cake look like the topsy turvy cake at the tea party in Alice in Wonderland? 🙂
Very Berry Chiffon Layer Shortcake.
Chiffon Cake
- 7 egg yolks + 9 egg whites
- 1/2 cup canola oil ((or any neutral oil))
- 3/4 cup milk ((I used 1%.))
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-1/4 cups cake flour
- 1-1/2 cups white, granulated sugar
- 2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Filling
- 24 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut in half
- 3 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
- 2 cups fresh blackberries
- edible flowers ((optional))
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two 9” baking pans with parchment paper on just the bottom. Do not butter or flour the sides of the pan since the chiffon cake “crawls up” the sides of the pan. You can also use one tube pan but do not need to butter or flour any of the sides. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, canola oil, milk, and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, 3/4 cup of the white sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to milk mixture, and stir until just combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Add remaining 3/4 cup of white sugar and cream of tartar to egg whites. Beat until whites are glossy and form soft peaks. Fold in 1/3 of egg white mixture into flour and milk mixture, being careful not to deflate egg whites. Fold in remaining egg white mixture.
- Transfer chiffon batter into tube pan or divide between two 9” cake pans. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake has risen significantly and set at the top (the top will also be a very light golden brown color). Allow to cool upside down (if you have a tube pan) for 1 hour, until it is completely cool. Once cool, cut cake into thirds or fourths (rounds), depending on how many layers of cake you want. Set aside.
- To make filling, add whipping cream to bowl of electric mixer, and beat until it forms soft peaks. Add confectioner’s sugar to cream, and beat until well combined.
- To assemble cake, add one layer of chiffon to cake stand. Spread about 2-1/2 cups of cream on cake layer. Sprinkle about 3/4 cup of chopped strawberries, 3/4 cup of blueberries, 1/2 cup raspberries, and 1/2 cup of blackberries on cream. Add another cake layer on top of berries, and repeat with remaining layers. For top of cake, add about 1-1/2 cups of cream, and 1/4 cup of each type of berry. Garnish with edible flowers, slice, and enjoy!
