This Berry Cake has an incredible combination of red velvet cake with naked layers and delicious layers of creamy, smooth frosting and fresh berries.
It’s super soft, moist, and is made using a natural red beet juice dye instead of the typical store-bought red food coloring.

It’s a beautiful cake with a classic look that’s perfect for just about any occasion! Make it for parties, anniversaries, or the holidays and everyone around you will fall in love with it!
The berries are what make the cake, and the elegant look of the cake is sure to catch everyone’s attention.
I can guarantee that you will absolutely love this cake. As many taste testers as I have, this cake flies off the table literally in minutes. Seriously, I’m not even exaggerating!
Want to learn how to make this beautiful Red Velvet Berry Cake? Then keep on reading!
Table of Contents
- What is a Berry Cake?
- What Makes This Berry Cake Recipe Special?
- Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Berries for This Cake?
- What You Need to Make Red Velvet Berry Cake
- How to Make Berry Cake (Step-by-Step)
- Tips for Making the Best Berry Cake Every Single Time
- How Long Can You Store This Berry Cake in the Fridge?
- Can You Freeze a Berry Cake?
- Similar Cake Recipes
- Recipe Card
- Easy Red Velvet Berry Cake (With Step-by-Step Pictures)
- Comments
What is a Berry Cake?
A Berry Cake is a delicious cake that usually has layers of fresh berries and frosting. The classic version of this cake is a naked cake. A naked cake is a style of cake that doesn't have much frosting on the outside as most cakes do.
So it cake is prepared using layers of cake that have been baked and then layers by filling it with plenty of filling in order to provide taste and moisture to the cake.
The cake is then served without an outside layer of icing so that you can easily see the beautiful cake layers, cream, and berries in each layer.
It’s truly a classic style that’s great for a special occasion and never fails to impress!
What Makes This Berry Cake Recipe Special?
This is a classic recipe that creates the most beautiful Berry Cake every single time with the perfect taste! It has a light, fresh, and naked style that is not only easy to decorate but looks stunning every single time.
Most other Berry Cakes are either simple vanilla cakes with berries or chocolate cakes with berries.
But this one has a delicious red velvet cake base that brings out the berries' flavors and enhances it more than any other flavor does!
Since we love chocolate in our family a little too much, I added a bit of extra cocoa powder to this cake as well.
For a more reddish color reduce the amount of cocoa powder in half but keep the red beet juice as per the recipe.
The cocoa powder is optional, if you don't add any, the cake sponge will result in a dark pink color. Beautiful, with no chemical additives!
You can celebrate the season’s fresh flavors thanks to how versatile this cake recipe is! Even though this is essentially a Berry Cake, there is no reason why you can’t add other types of seasonal fruits to this recipe instead!
You can also adapt it to your favorite cake flavors by adding different essence to the batter and omitting the natural red dye I’ve used. But trust me, there just isn’t anything like a Red Velvet Berry Cake!
Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Berries for This Cake?
I highly recommend using fresh berries for this cake as they look great visually in this cake due to its naked layers.
But you can also use frozen berries if you don't have any fresh ones at hand. Before arranging the berries into the cake, be sure to properly defrost them and wipe out any extra moisture.
This will ensure that the cake doesn’t get soggy from the berries which can alter the texture of the cake and also ruin its look.
What You Need to Make Red Velvet Berry Cake
Making this delicious Red Velvet Berry Cake at home only requires simple ingredients you probably already have in the pantry! Here’s everything you’ll need to make this cake:
For the Red Velvet Cake Batter:
- Red food color: The beauty of red velvet cakes come from that rich red flavor in each layer. I’ve used natural red food coloring obtained from beets. Check out the recipe HERE to make it at home and to avoid any unnatural ingredients that are in regular food colors.
- All-purpose flour: All you need is some all-purpose flour to make this delicious Berry Cake. In case you were wondering why we add flour to cake mixes, it’s so that the cake has the right structure since the starch in flour helps do that.
- Cocoa powder: We love chocolate in our family, therefore this cake has been loaded up with an additional dash of cocoa powder. Reduce the amount of cocoa powder by half for a more reddish color, but keep the red beet juice as per the recipe.
- Baking soda: Baking soda reacts quickly with acidic substances and provides instant leavening when the cake is being baked. It’s an important ingredient that will help make your cake light by leavening it to the right level.
- Baking powder: Baking powder keeps reacting with the heat to give a leavening boost while the cake is in the oven. By using a combination of both baking powder and soda, it gives this cake recipe the perfect level of leavening.
- Sea salt: We’ll be adding a little sea salt to the recipe to help enhance the flavors and bring them out to just the right level.
- Eggs: You’ll be needing 6 large eggs at room temperature for this recipe. I used home-raised chicken eggs while making this cake at home. Eggs are an important ingredient in this recipe as they help with the structure of this cake as well, and give it the perfect level of firmness and airiness.
- Sugar: To sweeten this cake to just the right level, we’ll be using some regular granulated sugar in this recipe.
- Vanilla extract: We’ll use one teaspoon vanilla extract to balance the flavors of all the other ingredients being used.
For the Berry Cake Frosting:
- Cream cheese: We’ll be using softened cream cheese in this recipe for the perfect level of creaminess and balance of flavor.
- Sugar: For the right level of sweetness, we’ll add some regular granulated sugar to the frosting.
- Vanilla extract: You’ll need some vanilla extract to bring out the flavors of the rest of the ingredients and give it a subtle vanilla flavor.
- Greek yogurt: This will add a creamy texture to your frosting and add a lightly acidic flavor to it that will bring out the taste of the berries.
- Heavy whipping cream: We’ll be using some cold heavy whipping cream to add silkiness to the frosting and also make sure it’s at the right consistency. When heavy whipping cream is chilled, the fat fuses better, resulting in the right texture and thickness when whipped.
Fruits for Berry Cake:
You can use a variety of different berries for this cake, or you can even pick any one that’s your favorite. Berry cakes, however, are usually made using more than one variety. Here are some options and the ones I’ll be using:
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
How to Make Berry Cake (Step-by-Step)
Making this delicious Berry Cake is incredibly easy. Here’s how to make it step by step:
How to Make Red Velvet Berry Cake Batter
Let's make the Berry Cake batter first. Combine all dry ingredients, that is flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder, and sift into a large bowl. Set it aside until ready for use.
Next, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Beat together eggs and sugar for 10 minutes on high speed or until the mixture is thick and fluffy. Then reduce speed to low and stir in vanilla extract. You can also add vanilla right before mixing in the flour.
Now add the flour mixture in three additions. Using a hand whisker gently fold from the bottom up just until combined.
Next, add beet juice red dye in 3 additions, and using a silicone spatula fold gently into the batter. Try to make sure to not deflate the air bubbles as much as possible.
Baking Red Velvet Berry Cake
Finally, divide and pour the batter evenly into 3 – 8” round cake pans greased with butter or cooking spray. In case you’re using baking pans without removable sides you will need to line them with parchment paper on the bottom of the pan only).
Bake all 3 pans at the same time for 15 minutes at 350 F (180 C). Remove from the oven, and cool for 5 minutes before removing cake sponges from the cake pans. Cool sponges completely before frosting.
How to Make Cake Frosting
Now let's make the cake frosting! Add softened cream cheese and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat them together for a couple of minutes on high speed until sugar dissolves.
Next, reduce the mixing speed then add vanilla and Greek yogurt. Mix well again. Scrape the sides of the mixer bowl to remove cream cheese lumps.
Finally, add all cold liquid heavy cream then start beating on low speed and gradually increase the mixing speed as the cream becomes thicker up to a medium high speed.
Once more, scrape the sides of the mixer bowl to make sure all the ingredients get incorporated and beat again for 30 seconds or so.
Make sure to not overwhip the cream. It should be thick so it can be piped easily but if you keep beating it too much, heavy cream can start turning into butter which will ruin the consistency of your frosting.
How to Assemble the Cake
Now let’s put it all together! Rinse and paper dry berries. Place a cake sponge onto a cake platter of your choice.
Next, pipe cream out on top of the sponge starting on the edge of the cake and working your way towards the middle. Push berries inside the cream. You may use as many berries as you like.
If you don’t want to pipe the cream, you can also layer it using an offset spatula, but I personally love how elegant piped cream looks.
Now place another sponge cake on top of cream and berries and repeat the same steps. The top layer needs to be a little more presentable. Layout berries nicely on top of the cream instead of pushing them in. Place half-cut strawberries with stems for a beautiful touch of green.
Your beautiful Berry Cake is ready to be served!
Tips for Making the Best Berry Cake Every Single Time
Here are some useful tips that will give you incredible results every single time you make this Berry Cake:
- For the perfect cake layers, spend a few extra minutes leveling them with a serrated knife. This will allow you to have a take that stands perfectly straight and also allows the flavors in the cake to infuse properly into the layers.
- To layer your frosting onto the cake with ease, cool your cake layers before frosting them. Not only will it help make sure your cake is more stable as you layer it, but it will also make sure the frosting stays at the right consistency when you’re piping it on.
- Try different flavors of frosting to change up the flavor of your cake, by adding different extracts, like almond extract, or other ingredients such as lemon zest or a few drops of lemon juice to it.
- Get the right consistency in your frosting by chilling your heavy whipping cream before using it in the recipe. The fat in heavy whipping cream fuses better when chilled, resulting in the ideal texture and thickness when whipped.
- Make sure not to overwhip your frosting as the heavy cream will turn into butter if you keep whipping it after it has stiff peaks.
How Long Can You Store This Berry Cake in the Fridge?
Cake with cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit should always be refrigerated. This cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, after that the fruit may start to spoil.
When storing it, you can place plastic wrap on the sliced part of the cake to prevent it from drying out. You can also slice the cake and wrap each slice in plastic wrap before putting it in an airtight container and popping it in the fridge.
Can You Freeze a Berry Cake?
I would not recommend freezing this cake with fresh berries since berries will release water during the thawing process resulting in a soggy cake.
Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Recipe Card
Easy Red Velvet Berry Cake (With Step-by-Step Pictures)
Ingredients
Cake Batter Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup – organic all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. – cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. – baking powder
- 1 tsp. – baking soda
- 6 large – eggs
- 1 cup – organic sugar (or white granulated)
- 1 tsp. – pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup – beet juice red dye
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 8 oz. – softened cream cheese
- ½ cup - organic sugar (or white granulated)
- 1 tsp. – pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup – Greek yogurt
- 2.5 cups – heavy whipping cream (40 %)
Fruits
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
Instructions
How to Make Red Velvet Berry Cake Batter
- Let's make the Berry Cake batter first. Combine all dry ingredients, that is flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder, and sift into a large bowl. Set it aside until ready for use.
- Next, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Beat together eggs and sugar for 10 minutes on high speed or until the mixture is thick and fluffy. Then reduce speed to low and stir in vanilla extract. You can also add vanilla right before mixing in the flour.
- Now add the flour mixture in three additions. Using a hand whisker gently fold from the bottom up just until combined.
- Next, add beet juice red dye in 3 additions, and using a silicone spatula fold gently into the batter. Try to make sure to not deflate the air bubbles as much as possible.
Baking Red Velvet Berry Cake
- Finally, divide and pour the batter evenly into 3 – 8” round cake pans greased with butter or cooking spray. In case you’re using baking pans without removable sides you will need to line them with parchment paper on the bottom of the pan only).
- Bake all 3 pans at the same time for 15 minutes at 350 F (180 C). Remove from the oven, and cool for 5 minutes before removing cake sponges from the cake pans. Cool sponges completely before frosting.
How to Make Cake Frosting
- Now let's make the cake frosting! Add softened cream cheese and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat them together for a couple of minutes on high speed until sugar dissolves.
- Next, reduce the mixing speed then add vanilla and Greek yogurt. Mix well again. Scrape the sides of the mixer bowl to remove cream cheese lumps.
- Finally, add all cold liquid heavy cream then start beating on low speed and gradually increase the mixing speed as the cream becomes thicker up to a medium high speed.
- Once more, scrape the sides of the mixer bowl to make sure all the ingredients get incorporated and beat again for 30 seconds or so.
- Make sure to not overwhip the cream. It should be thick so it can be piped easily but if you keep beating it too much, heavy cream can start turning into butter which will ruin the consistency of your frosting.
How to Assemble the Cake
- Now let’s put it all together! Rinse and paper dry berries. Place a cake sponge onto a cake platter of your choice.
- Next, pipe cream out on top of the sponge starting on the edge of the cake and working your way towards the middle. Push berries inside the cream. You may use as many berries as you like.
- If you don’t want to pipe the cream, you can also layer it using an offset spatula, but I personally love how elegant piped cream looks.
- Now place another sponge cake on top of cream and berries and repeat the same steps. The top layer needs to be a little more presentable. Layout berries nicely on top of the cream instead of pushing them in. Place half-cut strawberries with stems for a beautiful touch of green.
- Your beautiful Berry Cake is ready to be served!
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Tanya says
Can you please share what Wilton tip you used to pipe out the frosting?
Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says
Wilton 199.
lina says
100% would recommend! Best cake I've made from an online website!!! thanks
Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says
I’m so happy to hear you loved the cake! We love it very much too! Thank you kindly for an amazing review! 🙂
Nellie says
Sush a gorgeous cake! I will be making it soon. Thank you for the recipe!
Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says
Thank you! It tastes delicious too! I hope you love it as much as we do. 🙂