I love making myself my own birthday cake. I’m not an incredible decorator, but I love something with layers and lots of frosting. This year, the berry lemon layer cake with mascarpone frosting was born. Three levels of lemony sweet sponge cake, with strawberry and blueberry compote in between. Finished with all that creamy, fluffy cream cheese frosting. It’s perfect for summer time and isn’t too challenging to make (as a self-taught novice myself).
Equipment needed to make this berry lemon layer cake
- 3 8 inch-round cake pans – use metal ones! One of my pans was a springform while the other two were standard. Just use parchment paper and you’ll be fine!
- parchment paper – to line your cake pans. Parchment paper is amazing to help the cake slide right out, so don’t skip it.
- A stand mixer – I used my KitchenAid. You can always use a hand mixer with the beater attachments.
- A large bowl – for mixing batter
- A saucepan – to make both the lemon mixture and the berry compote. I used something similar to this one.
- A Whisk
- A rubber spatula
- An icing spatula – optional, but it makes it so much easier to spread frosting this way.
Ingredients needed to make this berry lemon layer cake
Here’s what to add to your grocery list:
- unsalted butter – we need 2 sticks. I love Kerrygold butter when I can get it.
- granulated sugar
- 5 eggs
- vanilla bean paste – I love the vanilla bean paste at Trader Joe’s. Vanilla extract is fine too.
- Milk – if using dairy milk, 2% or whole milk works. I made this cake with almond milk though which didn’t make a difference.
- 2 lemons – for the zest and juice.
- vegetable oil – or use olive oil!
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- a pint of blueberries
- a pint of strawberries – you could easily swap blackberries or raspberries
- an 8 ounce container of mascarpone cheese
- 8 ounces of plain cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- heavy cream – for the frosting
How to make berry lemon layer cake with mascarpone frosting
Let’s make it together!
Step 1
Start with the cake. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line each cake pan with parchment paper and grease each pan thoroughly with oil. In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and granulated sugar. Whisk together. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix together.
Step 2
Add in the milk, vegetable oil and lemon zest. Whisk once more.
Step 3
Then add the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix the batter until just combined.
Step 4
Evenly distribute the batter into the three cake pans and smooth it out. Then place the three pans on the middle rack and bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
Step 5
While the cake is baking, make the lemon syrup. To a saucepan over high heat, add the lemon juice and granulated sugar. Whisk together. Let the sauce come to a boil for about a minute and then set it aside to cool.
Step 6
Use a fork to prick holes into the cakes (don’t pierce all the way through) and use a brush to dab on the lemon mixture onto the surface of each cake. Use as much of the liquid as you’d like – leave behind a couple tablespoons for the compote.
Step 7
Make the compote. In the same saucepan with the leftover lemon syrup, add the blueberries, strawberries and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. After about two minutes, let it cool completely to thicken.
Step 8
Make the frosting. In a stand mixture, add the mascarpone and cream cheese and beat on medium speed for a minute. Then add in the vanilla bean paste and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat again on high speed for another minute or until there are no lumps.
Step 9
Slowly add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time and continue beating on high. Once incorporated and fluffy (it should not appear wet), it’s ready.
Step 10
Assemble. Remove the cake layers from the pans. Place one sponge layer on a cake stand or platter. Add a third of the frosting and use the icing spatula to smooth it out to the very edges. Then add half of the berry compote to the center the cake and use a spoon to spread it across evenly as well.
Repeat the above with the second layer of cake. Then place the third layer of cake on and add the rest of the frosting to the middle of the cake. Use the spatula to push the frosting out to the edges and give it a nice swirl. Then use the remaining berries to arrange a pile in the center for decoration.
Storage
If you have leftovers, keep the cake in the fridge in an airtight container, or wrapped well in plastic wrap. The berry compote will likely start to seep into the sponge layers after a couple days, so expect the layers to start to soften.
When ready to eat, bring to room temperature (about 30–45 minutes) before serving for the best frosting texture and flavor.
Other recipes to try
If you liked this berry lemon layer cake with mascarpone frosting, check out these other recipes:
Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream
Sticky Banana Toffee Coffee Cake
Sticky Date Cake with Butterscotch Sauce
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Berry Lemon Layer Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
Equipment
- 3 8 inch-round cake pans (springform if you have it)
- parchment paper to line your cake pans
- 1 stand mixer to make the frosting
- 1 large bowl for mixing batter
- 1 saucepan to make the lemon mixture + berry compote
- 1 Whisk
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 icing spatula
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 cup milk dairy or almond
- 2 lemons zest only
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
For the lemon syrup
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice from 2-3 lemons
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
For the berry compote
- ¾ cup blueberries
- ⅓ cup strawberries sliced
- 1 tbsp water
For the mascarpone frosting
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- ½ cup powdered sugar sifted
- ½ cup heavy cream
For topping
- blueberries and strawberries for decoration
Instructions
- Start with the cake. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line each cake pan with parchment paper and grease each pan thoroughly with oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and granulated sugar. Whisk together. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix together.¾ cup unsalted butter, 1¾ cups granulated sugar, 5 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Add in the milk, vegetable oil and lemon zest. Whisk once more.1 cup milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 lemons
- Then add the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix the batter until just combined.2¾ cups all purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt
- Evenly distribute the batter into the three cake pans and smooth it out. Then place the three pans on the middle rack and bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
- While the cake is baking, make the lemon syrup. To a saucepan over high heat, add the lemon juice and granulated sugar. Whisk together. Let the sauce come to a boil for about a minute and then set it aside to cool.¾ cup fresh lemon juice, ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Use a fork to prick holes into the cakes (don't pierce all the way through) and use a brush to dab on the lemon mixture onto the surface of each cake. Use as much of the liquid as you'd like – leave behind a couple tablespoons for the compote.
- Make the compote. In the same saucepan with the leftover lemon syrup, add the blueberries, strawberries and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. After about two minutes, let it cool completely to thicken.¾ cup blueberries, ⅓ cup strawberries, 1 tbsp water
- Make the frosting. In a stand mixture, add the mascarpone and cream cheese and beat on medium speed for a minute. Then add in the vanilla bean paste and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat again on high speed for another minute or until there are no lumps.8 ounces mascarpone cheese, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, ½ cup powdered sugar
- Slowly add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time and continue beating on high. Once incorporated and fluffy (it should not appear wet), it's ready.
- Assemble. Remove the cake layers from the pans. Place one sponge layer on a cake stand or platter. Add a third of the frosting and use the icing spatula to smooth it out to the very edges. Then add half of the berry compote to the center the cake and use a spoon to spread it across evenly as well.½ cup heavy cream
- Repeat the above with the second layer of cake. Then place the third layer of cake on and add the rest of the frosting to the middle of the cake. Use the spatula to push the frosting out to the edges and give it a nice swirl. Then use the remaining berries to arrange a pile in the center for decoration.blueberries and strawberries
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