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    Home » Cakes

    Published on: April 24, 2014 by Janice; Updated on: January 4, 2022 6 Comments

    Berry chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting (eggless)

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Chocolate cake with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and cream cheese frosting served on a cake stand

    This berry chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is made with a moist eggless chocolate cake recipe, topped with a thick cream cheese frosting and fresh berries!

    Chocolate cake with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and cream cheese frosting served on a cake stand with serving knives, and a stack of plates and forks with a pink napkin

    I love layer cakes, and to me, this is the perfect cake: alternating layers of moist chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, then topped with a mountain of berries. The cake layers are chocolaty, and the frosting tastes like cheesecake. Together, they are made even better paired with slightly tart, fresh berries.

    Ingredients to make an eggless chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting.

    The chocolate cake recipe is based on this eggless chocolate cake that is so easy and the batter is mixed in one bowl, just like cake mix. The cake is made with cocoa powder instead of dark chocolate, so that it has a more pronounced, deep chocolate flavour.

    Janice Lawandi frosting a layer cake on a cake stand

    I baked the cake in three 6-inch cake pans so that it was easier to handle and it bakes faster than one tall cake that you would split in 3 after cooling. 

    Layer cake with cream cheese frosting (creamy white colour) topped with a pile of fresh berries on a cake stand

    As for the cream cheese frosting (taken from the beautiful book Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop), I cannot stress enough how important it is to start by beating together the butter with the icing sugar first, before adding in the cream cheese after. Otherwise, you will end up with a soupy mess.

    This is the secret to making thick cream cheese frosting that's pipeable even though it has less than half the icing sugar of most recipes. This cream cheese frosting also tastes great on a poppy seed cardamom cake with cranberries.

    Another option for a thick cream cheese frosting is this white chocolate cream cheese frosting that is sweetened with melted white chocolate instead of icing sugar!

    Chocolate layer cake with berries and cream cheese frosting

    In the summer, the easiest way to decorate this cake is by topping it with a mound of fresh berries (local strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries). In the winter months, you can top it with chocolate curls or even slices of orange. And if all else fails, you can always sprinkle liberally with sprinkles!

    A slice of berry chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting on a blue-rimmed white plate with a pink napkin with the big layer cake in the background on a cake stand, serving knife with crumbs and a couple more dessert plates stacked with a couple forks

    To bake the cake layers, I split the batter between three 6-inch cake pans. Take the time to prepare the cake pans before baking, by buttering the pans, lining the bottom with parchment, and dusting the sides with flour. This way your cakes will slide right out of the pan, without any resistance.

    berry-chocolate-cake with cream cheese frosting
    Print Pin

    Berry chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    This berry chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is made from layers of eggless chocolate cake and topped with berries.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Keyword Berry chocolate cake, chocolate cake wiith cream cheese frosting
    Prep Time 35 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
    Servings 12
    Calories 503kcal
    Author Janice

    Equipment

    Shop now
    5 Qt mixer
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    OXO whisk
    Mini offset
    Ateco turntable

    Ingredients

    Eggless chocolate cake

    • 185 grams (1½ cups) bleached all-purpose flour
    • 7.5 mL (1½ teaspoon) baking soda
    • 37 grams (⅓ cup) Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
    • 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
    • 15 mL (1 tablespoon) white vinegar
    • 5 mL (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
    • 250 mL (1 cup) skim milk (fat free)
    • 60 mL (¼ cup) canola oil
    • 200 grams (1 cup) light brown sugar

    Cream cheese frosting

    • 218 grams (1¾ cups) icing sugar
    • 173 grams (¾ cup) Stirling Creamery unsalted butter room temperature
    • 500 grams (1 lb) Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular) this is 2 blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese

    Toppings (optional)

    • 225 grams (½ lb) fresh strawberries
    • 225 grams (½ lb) Fresh raspberries
    • 225 grams (½ lb) fresh blueberries

    Instructions

    For the cake:

    • Preheat the oven to 175 ºC (350°F). Prepare a three 6-inch cake pans by brushing the bottom and sides with melted butter and dusting it with cocoa, then lining the bottom with a round of parchment. Set aside.
    • Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa into a medium bowl and set it aside.
    • Combine the milk, vinegar, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Stir, then let it stand for a few minutes so that the milk curdles and thickens.
    • Whisk in the oil and brown sugar.
    • Add the wet ingredients to the sifted dry ingredients and stir until combined.
    • Pour the batter in the prepared pans and bake until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean (about 30 minutes but keep an eye on it after 25 minutes).

    For the frosting

    • The order of these steps is very important! First, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the icing sugar and butter until it is smooth.
    • Then, when the butter and sugar are nice and smooth, add in the cream cheese, and beat until you get a creamy, fluffy frosting, for at least 2 to 3 minutes, if not more.

    To assemble

    • Trim the cakes to level them with a large, serrated bread knife.
    • Place the bottom layer on a cake turntable (find it on Amazon), and smooth on about ¼ of the frosting. Top with the second layer of cake, frost, and repeat with the third layer. Smooth the last of the frosting on the sides and top of the cake.
    • Top the cake with a tall mound of the berries.

    Notes

    • I used Stirling Creamery unsalted butter for this recipe
    • I used Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder - Extra Brute, which is a very dark cocoa powder
    • You can also bake this recipe in one 3-inch deep 6-inch cake pan. It will take 60 minutes to bake and make sure to check if the cake is done baking in the middle before taking it out of the oven or else there's a risk that the cake collapses.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @bakesomethingawesome or tag #bakesomethingawesome!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 350mg | Potassium: 298mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 905IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 2mg


    I do my best to bake with the finest ingredients. Stirling Creamery, a Canadian company, has provided the butter for this post.

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    Comments

    1. Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says

      April 25, 2014 at 9:19 am

      Love the redesign and the beautiful new photos! And I'm always up for a chocolate cake 🙂

      Reply
      • Janice says

        April 28, 2014 at 3:48 pm

        Thanks, Ashley! I appreciate all the support 🙂

        Reply
    2. Marlene says

      April 27, 2014 at 10:29 am

      The cake is a work of art, and so is the wonderful photography! It's so nice to see you working in your kitchen (all dressed up, because that's how we all roll, right

      Reply
      • Janice says

        April 28, 2014 at 3:48 pm

        Thanks, Marlene!
        It's amazing how simple it is to just pile the berries on a layer cake, but it really does make for a beautiful cake 🙂

        Reply
    3. Stephanie says

      May 02, 2014 at 12:18 am

      I love the new look, it's beautiful and suits your gorgeous photography and recipes.

      Being photographed is awkward for me, especially when I'm working. Kudos on looking relaxed and confident 🙂

      I

      Reply
    4. Heather says

      May 31, 2014 at 9:22 am

      Looks amazing! I love cakes piled high with berries!

      Reply

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    This is a picture of Janice Lawandi

    Hi, I'm Janice! I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

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