Name: The Easy Berry Cake I’m Making All Summer Long
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray; 1 (15.25-ounce) box white cake mix; Egg whites as needed for cake mix (according to package directions); Milk as needed for cake mix (in place of water according to package directions); 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable; 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 1 pound fresh strawberries; 12 ounces fresh blueberries; 6 ounces fresh blackberries, halved if large; 6 ounces fresh raspberries; 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; 8 ounces cream cheese, well softened; 8 ounces cold mascarpone cheese; 1 3/4 cups (198g) powdered sugar; 4 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 1/4 cups cold heavy cream

1 Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2 In a large bowl, prepare the cake mix according to the package directions using the egg whites, milk, oil, melted butter, vanilla, and almond extract.

3 Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake according to the package directions for a 9x13-inch cake and until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack until room temperature, about 1 hour.

4 While the cake is cooling, hull and slice half of the strawberries. Add the cut strawberries to a medium bowl along with half of the blueberries, half of the blackberries, and half of the raspberries. Add the granulated sugar and toss until combined and the berries begin to look glossy. Transfer to the refrigerator and macerate until juicy, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 1/2 hours. Trim and cut the remaining strawberries as desired for decorating the cake.

5 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), whip the softened cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 30 seconds. Add the cold mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt and beat on medium-low speed until smooth and just combined, 15 to 30 seconds. With the mixer still running on medium-low speed, stream in the cold heavy cream. Scrape down the bowl. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip to stiff peaks, about 1 minute. Keep the chantilly cream chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.

6 Arrange the macerated berries and their juices over the cooled cake in an even layer. Give the chantilly cream a good stir, then scrape the cream over the berries. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to smooth and swoop the frosting as desired. Arrange the remaining fresh berries over the top. Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 2 hours and up to overnight to allow the layers to meld together and the whole cake to chill. Use a sharp knife to cut the cake when serving, wiping between cuts for clean slices. Leftover cake can be stored in the pan tightly wrapped with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!