This iced berry cake couldn’t be easier. A store-bought cake is filled with fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and whipped cream. An easy and fast celebration cake.
As author Bill Collison explains, “This is an all-singing, whooped-up, somewhat-over-the-top, photo-opportunity cake that requires no cooking at all and can be assembled–because it is essentially an assembly job–by a five-year-old. Which is, after all, the point: that it has been, at least in some small way, prepared by the children.” Though we strongly encourage you to indulge in a made-from-scratch cake of any sort, provided you have the time and patience (and, if you’re under the age of 10, the adult supervision), But there’s no shame in relying on a store-bought cake. But why stop with cake? Even a brownie could be a lovely foundation for this stack of customized happiness. And if you don’t mind even more of a mess than what’s already in store for you, consider swapping softened ice cream for whipped cream. May as well pull out all the stops.–David Leite
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Iced Berry Cake FAQs
What type of cake is best for this iced berry cake recipe?
That depends on who you’re serving, and what your preferences are. You can use white, yellow, chocolate, even strawberry or lemon cake for this easy berry cake recipe. You can use angel food, sponge, or chiffon cakes, and either storebought or homemade. Choose berries and chocolate toppings that pair well with your base flavor. Have fun. Be creative.
What are some suggested flavor combinations?
Again, this depends on your preferences. Lemon and raspberries pair well with white or milk chocolates. Vanilla cake, strawberries, and whipped cream are perfect served with any sort of chocolate. Slather some lemon curd or raspberry jam in between the layers. Skip the chocolate altogether if that isn’t your thing. Toss on some sprinkles. Make it your own.
In this recipe
Iced Berry Cake
Ingredients
- 20 ounces berries, fresh or frozen, a mixture of varieties is fine
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 3 1/2 ounces really good-quality chocolate, preferably milk chocolate or white melted
- 1 store-bought or homemade cake, single layer or double layer
- A selection of interesting edibles for decorating
Directions
- If using frozen berries, remove them from the freezer. (By the time you serve the cake, the chocolate will hopefully be melting the berries so they are still cold but not frozen.)
- Whip the cream until it is thick and softly peaked.
- Plop the cake on a plate. Slather the whipped cream across the top of the cake and layer on the berries. If using a layer cake, slip some berries between the layers and lavish some of the cream and berries on the top layer, too. Drizzle the warm melted chocolate across the top of the cake and pile on the decorations.
- Everything may be on the slide, but that’s still perfect. Present it with pride.
Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This was a fun, easy berry cake. I used a Victoria Sponge Cake I made earlier in the week. It really took no time at all to assemble and it presented beautifully in a messy sort of way. The whipped cream gave it a heavenly look. Berries, peanut butter cups, and melted chocolate gave the cake a true “celebration” feeling. A big slice of this iced berry cake on the plate was fun to eat. It reminded me of something you would eat in a cartoon. Everyone enjoyed it.
Originally published May 11, 2012
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Care to share it? =)
Share our portion of Iced Berry Cake, Carol? Or share our short list of what would go on a no-holds-barred, messy-as-can be cake? If the former, hmmmm, that’s asking a lot. If the latter, it would include black raspberries dipped in simple syrup and rolled in superfine sugar, melted (and lovely quality) chocolate, chunks of more said chocolate, a few partially melted scoops of homemade gelato between the layers of cake along with homemade black raspberry preserves, and…well, that’s just me.
This is really incredible. I love when some recipes keep in mind some people just don’t have time to bake. That’s refreshing to see. I love to bake myself so I’m actually going to take some of the LC notes and try this with a twist. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Can’t wait to find out what the twist is, Kim! We’re so pleased that you’re getting clever with cake…it’s just what that recipe calls for!
We can’t wait to hear how it turns out either, Kim! Let us know what sort of merriment you make…
My daughters are both grown now with children of their own. Both are accomplished cooks in their own way, with their own specialties that they make better than Mom’s or Dad’s. (He was an accomplished cook, also, and to this day I cannot make biscuits like his.) Their first culinary concoctions in the baking world were usually based on brownies. A great first experience for a young child because it can be mixed by hand and in fact is best that way. Most of their celebration “cakes” were topped with ice cream (cause we all like that) and lots of sprinkles and jimmies and whatever else their imagination decided had to be there. One in particular sticks in my mind because it was a little tough to eat. It was 4th of July and she thought it needed red! So ketchup it was–over the top of the ice cream and with the sprinkles, etc., on top of that. Daddy and I ate every mouthful and smiled. A day or so later I explained the difference between sweet and savory and how if you have never seen it together maybe you ought to taste some of it together first.
Thanks for the memories! Love the photo! That’s the stuff memories are made of!
Oh, Judy, ketchup on brownies! There’s no telling what we do for our children. Sounds like you’ve done quite a lot to instill in them the confidence and curiosity to concoct what they will. Thanks for sharing this, you made my day.
Beautiful cake any Mother would be proud of, I’m sure! Love that photograph!
Our thoughts exactly, Robyn! Here’s hoping one lands on your kitchen table this weekend…