Chantilly cake is a

layer cake A layer cake (US English) or sandwich cake (UK English) is a cake consisting of multiple stacked sheets of cake, held together by a filling such as frosting, jam, or other preserves. Most cake recipes can be adapted for layer cakes; butte ...

filled with berries and

chantilly cream Whipped cream, also known as Chantilly cream or (), is high-fat dairy cream that has been aerated by whisking until it becomes light, fluffy, and capable of holding its shape. This process incorporates air into the cream, creating a semi-soli ...

(a type of sweetened

whipped cream Whipped cream, also known as Chantilly cream or (), is high-fat dairy cream that has been aerated by whisking until it becomes light, fluffy, and capable of holding its shape. This process incorporates air into the cream, creating a semi-soli ...

). It is popular in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. One well-known version of berry chantilly cake was designed by baker Chaya Conrad while working at a

Whole Foods Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined. Examples of whole foods include grains such as oatmeal and rice, fruits, vegetables, dried beans, nuts, seeds, unprocessed meats, and fish. Depending on the context this may sometimes refe ...

in New Orleans in 2002 or 2005.Massov, Olga. (18 September 2023). The making of a berry big hit. ''The'' ''Washington Post,'' Her original inspiration was a recipe from her grandmother. Over the years, and while working for different bakeries, Conrad has changed the recipe many times. At Whole Foods, she used a yellow cake, and at the bakery she opened later, she uses a

white cake White cake is a type of cake that is made without egg yolks. White cakes were also once known as silver cakes. White cakes can be butter cakes or sponge cakes. They became widely available in the later part of the 19th century, and became ass ...

. She includes

mascarpone cheese Mascarpone (, ; ) is a soft Italian acid-set cream cheese. It is recognized as a ''prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale'' (PAT). Production process After denaturation of cream, the whey is removed without pressing or aging. Mascarpone may als ...

in the whipped cream. The cake has been described as a cult favorite. In 2024, Whole Foods attempted to standardize the cake across all of its stores. The standardized design used berries on top of the cake and jam between the layers, and resulted in complaints from customers who were accustomed to fresh berries in the filling. According to Conrad, the varying prices, seasonal availability, and perishability of the berries can make the original cake design complicated to manage from a business perspective. A 19th-century variation used a cake made with

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

, filled it with jam and

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...

instead of fresh berries, and topped it with chantilly cream. This version was also called ''trifle cake'', after

trifle Trifle is a layered dessert of English origin. The usual ingredients are a thin layer of Lady fingers or sponge cake soaked in sherry or another fortified wine, a fruit element (fresh or jelly), custard and whipped cream layered in that ascen ...

References

{{Cakes American cakes Cuisine of the Southern United States Cuisine of New Orleans

See also

References