This raspberry-filled chiffon cake is inspired by the layered fruit and cream cakes in Japanese bakeries—it’s light, airy, and delicately sweet. It’s both visually striking and startlingly deep in flavor, and as far as most cakes go, it’s fairly make-ahead friendly. Since cakes with whipped cream filling always need to be refrigerated, using chiffon cake—which uses oil, not butter—is a strategic choice as the layers will remain soft and tender even straight out of the fridge. (Butter-based cakes, on the other hand, seem hard and leaden after a stint in the cold.) The whipped cream, which is flavored with freeze-dried raspberries and dotted with whole fruit, stays stable for a few days. Be sure to use ungreased regular (not nonstick) cake pans so that the batter can cling to the sides and rise tall as it bakes.
Watch Shilpa make the cake and talk through her decisions here, or at the bottom of this recipe.
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What you’ll need
Piping Bag and Tips Set
$13 At Amazon
Stand Mixer
$299 At Amazon
8-Inch Cake Pan
$10 At Amazon
Scale
$27 At Amazon
Silicone Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Offset Spatula
$12 At Amazon
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Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
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Ingredients
12 servings
Cake
4
1
½
1
⅓
1
1
½
Assembly
1
1½
3
1
1
¼
2
Special equipment
Preparation
Cake
Step 1
Position a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Line two 8"-diameter cake pans with parchment paper rounds (do not grease). Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and ½ cup (100 g) sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-low speed until egg whites are broken up, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until meringue is glossy and holds firm peaks, 8–10 minutes.
Step 2
Whisk egg yolks and remaining ½ cup (100 g) sugar by hand in a large bowl until pale and well combined, about 2 minutes. Whisk in oil, vanilla, and ⅓ cup room-temperature water. Sift flour and baking powder over and whisk vigorously to combine.
Step 3
Add one fourth of meringue to egg yolk mixture and mix thoroughly to incorporate (this will lighten the batter). Add remaining meringue in 3 batches, gently folding after each addition until only a few streaks of meringue remain (err on the side of mixing slightly less rather than more to keep batter billowy).
Step 4
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and gently smooth surface. Bake cakes 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° and continue baking until golden brown and tops spring back when gently pressed, 35–40 minutes more. Remove from oven; invert pans onto a wire rack. Let cakes cool in pans (cooling them upside down reduces shrinkage), 60–70 minutes. Turn cakes over and run an offset spatula around sides of cakes to loosen, then invert cakes onto wire rack. Peel away parchment.
Assembly
Step 5
Finely grind sugar and 1½ cups (37 g) freeze-dried raspberries in a spice mill or food processor (if using food processor, sift powder through a fine-mesh sieve after to remove seeds). Transfer to the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; add cream, vanilla, and salt and beat on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, 5–7 minutes.
Step 6
Stir jam in a small bowl to loosen, then gently fold in fresh raspberries.
Step 7
Place 1 cake on a cake platter or large plate. Scoop a heaping cupful of raspberry cream on top; spread evenly with offset spatula. Spoon berry mixture on top of cream, leaving a 1" border around the edges (this will prevent berries from spilling over the sides). Place second cake layer on top. Spoon a heaping ½ cup raspberry cream into pastry bag fitted with tip. Frost top and sides of cake with raspberry cream still in bowl, then pipe dollops of raspberry cream around edges of top of cake. Chill cake, uncovered, at least 2 hours.
Step 8
To serve, sprinkle top of cake with crushed freeze-dried raspberries if desired. Slice cake with a serrated knife, wiping clean between cuts.
Do ahead: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead; store tightly wrapped at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 week. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator overnight before using. Cake (without crushed raspberry topping) can be assembled 1 day ahead; cover loosely and chill.
How would you rate Raspberry Cake With Whipped Cream Filling?
Leave a Review
Reviews (47)
Back to TopGreat recipe! I followed the recipe to a T and came out with an absolutely delicious cake. From the light and airy frosting with just enough sweetness and tartness from the freeze-dried raspberries. To the supple and tender chiffon cake. Layered in the center with a decadent and tart raspberry jam and fresh raspberry filling. Even the crunchy freeze-dried raspberries on top, everything was perfection. I served this at a small get-together with friends and everyone was crowding around for seconds. It was a hit!
Gabrielle Miranda
Manchester, NH
12/6/2022
I made this recipe and it turned out...ok. The saving grace are all the flavors, but the chiffon recipe lacks the correct texture--light and some richness. I definitely didn't get the rise that she had in the video. What was striking was that she used a whisk to fold the beaten egg whites in the batter. I was curious to why she did this and guessed that's it's likely that because she instructs to beat the egg whites until glossy AND and add sugar to it--which makes the whites have a lot of structure--that she has to use the tips, almost, of the whisk to incorporate and break up the whipped egg whites in the batter so that it won't have air pockets. I mean, if you over-whip you egg whites then they'll be so stiff that they won't be incorporated evenly in the folding process or in the oven naturally given air pockets in the cake's final results. It would've been better to not state to whip to have "firm peaks", but billowy peaks instead, because the amount of sugar added with the cream of tartar already adds enough structure.
Stephen
California
11/21/2022
I didn't make the cake, because I was making a birthday cake for my chocolate loving husband, but was obsessed with wanting to try the frosting because chocolate raspberry is his favorite combo. The raspberry whipped cream frosting is outstanding and now I want to try other freeze-dried fruit varieties! I will definitely try the cake at a later date :-)
Cher
Castro Valley, CA
10/16/2022
This cake is delicious. The instructions, as others have stated, are not fantastic. Firstly, in no universe will your chiffon cake take an additional 35 minutes to bake at 325. Start checking it at around 25 minutes. Equally, your meringue will set up in way less time than her suggested 8-10 minutes, and your whipped cream will set up in about 3 minutes, not 5-7. I would also skew on the side of slightly less sugar for the raspberry cream, as 1 whole cup is a tad unctuous. I used slightly more than 3/4 cup and it was perfect.
Christopher
Nashville, TN
10/14/2022
Best cake I've made in ages, and I make cakes once a week. Everyone in my family loves it. It's hard to resist eating it only and living on cake.I do omit the raspberry jam since it would be too sweet for us.
Anonymous
Colebrook ct
10/4/2022
Following instructions exactly, although I think I was slightly shy on the freeze dried raspberries so my frosting was not as pink, and maybe a little lacking in flavor. However it was easier than I thought to make.
Chicagocooks
Chicago
6/16/2022
This was super good! The chiffon cake was easier to make than some I've done in the past- it was nice and fluffy. And the raspberry cream is incredible- I kind of just want a big bowlful of it. Went over well at the birthday party I brought it to, would definitely make again!
Jade
Madison, WI
6/14/2022
Made this over the weekend. I could not find dehydrated raspberries so used strawberries for the frosting but raspberries inside. The cake was beautiful and delicious with a tender crumb that, as described, held up to the refrigeration that the whipped cream frosting needs. The not too sweet but intensely berry frosting was a hit with my family that always complains that buttercream is too sweet. I will continue to look for the dehydrated raspberries as I would love to try that flavor combo too. I am thinking blueberry would also be delicious and hold up beautifully in the center with some jam.
MNF65
Florida
6/14/2022
Made as part of our collective 'Bon Appetit" Dinner last night - favorite dish for most! I'd like to adapt and make the cake a lemon chiffon - same cake just adapt with some lemon juice / lemon zest for cake for my son's Birthday. Any suggestions?
Kelley Lang
Houston, TX
5/14/2022
10/10 Would eat again.
Anonymous
Denmark
5/9/2022
Cake was delicious and whipped cream filling was amazing!!!
Tina Fisher
Pittsburgh Pa
4/18/2022
Everyone loved this cake! You could say it was *berry* delicious. Easy to make and perfect for spring - light, airy and bright berry flavor. Would absolutely make again.
Spatulacity123
Los Angeles
4/18/2022
Fantastic! Decided this would be our dessert for Easter this year. The recipe was easy to follow, and the result was truly a special occasion dessert. Light, yet full of flavor.
Pinniped
Fort Worth, TX
4/18/2022
Cake is amazing. Directions not so much. Part of the recipe calls for 1/3C water at room temperature. No biggie, except that its not listed in the ingredient deck! And with so many different steps, it would be helpful if the measurements for the ingredients called for were listed within the instructions for each step as well.
Holly Cooley
Virginia
4/9/2022
Awesome cake, delicious.
Suzanne
wausau wi
3/29/2022