Berry Chocolate Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting (Eggless)

This easy 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!

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 when paired with slightly tart, fresh seasonal berries. I also paired a flavourful cake with cream cheese frosting and a tart element in this moist gingerbread cake recipe topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and tart homemade lemon curd. These chocolate cupcakes with raspberry frosting are another example of combining berries and chocolate cake.

What You Need

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 a cake mix. The cake is made with cocoa powder instead of dark chocolate so that it has a more pronounced, deep chocolate flavour.

• Cocoa powder: Make sure you use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which has a deeper more pronounced flavour and darker colour than natural cocoa powder, which has a flat taste and a red colour. If you aren't sure about the difference, you can read all about the types of chocolate used in baking.
• Oil: Use a neutral, flavourless oil like canola oil. Olive oil would impart more flavour unless you use a light olive oil.
• Vinegar: You need the vinegar to activate the baking soda. You can use regular white vinegar or even apple cider vinegar.
• Milk: I use cow's milk (sometimes skim or low-fat milk, but use up to 3.25 % fat to create a more moist cake). You can also replace this with non-dairy milk, like oat milk or soy milk with great results!
• Salt: I bake with Diamond Crystal Fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the cake may be too salty.
• Cream cheese: Use full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese if you can. I prefer the taste and texture of this cheese. Use the block form of cream cheese. Do not use whipped or spreadable cream cheese.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter for the frosting preferably because cream cheese is already bringing a lot of salt to the recipe.
• Berries: Use whatever is in season (or on sale). I love to combine strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, but you can also try red currants, blackberries, or even gooseberries. You can keep the stems on many of these for a more whimsical look. In the winter months, you can top this cake with chocolate curls or even slices of orange. And if all else fails, you can always sprinkle liberally with sprinkles!

Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

How To Make This Berry Cake

This dark chocolate cake starts with an eggless chocolate cake recipe, which is baked in three pans and layered with thick cream cheese frosting and fresh berries. Here's how to make this recipe:

Step 1—Whisk the wet ingredients together in a large measuring cup, including the sugar (image 1). Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl (image 2).

Step 2—Pour the wet ingredients over the dry (image 3) and mix the two together to form a smooth chocolate cake batter (image 4). I like to use a Danish dough whisk for this task.

Step 3—Divide the cake batter between three buttered and floured 6-inch cake pans (or dusted with cocoa powder) (image 5). Make sure the cake batter is level in the pans by briefly spinning them on the counter. Band them a couple of times on the counter to release any big bubbles (image 6).

Tip: 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.

Step 4—Bake the cakes on the middle rack of the oven (image 7), checking them with a cake tester to ensure they are baked through. Set them on a cooling rack to firm up before unmoulding with the help of an offset spatula.

Tip: I baked the cake in three 6-inch cake pans so that it was easier to handle. The three layers bake faster separately than one tall cake that you would split into three equal layers after cooling. 

Step 5—Combine the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (image 10) and whip them together until light and fluffy (image 11).

Step 6—Add blocks of cold cream cheese to the bowl of butter and sugar (image 12) and continue whipping the mixture until smooth and thick (image 13).

Tip: It is very important to start by beating together the softened 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.

Step 7—Level the cake layers using a large serrated knife once completely cool (image 14). This creates a flat surface for more stable stacking. Layer each cake with frosting in between, setting the cake on a cake stand and smoothing it with a mini offset spatula (image 15). Smooth a layer of icing on the outside of the cake as well (image 16). Top the cake with a mound of fresh berries (image 17).

Variation—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!

Storage

Given this berry chocolate cake is made with cream cheese frosting, it's best to store it in the fridge. If you've cut into the cake, just cover the cut edges with pieces of parchment to prevent them from drying out. Place the cake in the fridge until the frosting is firm and cold, then cover the whole thing with aluminum foil. You can store this cake for up to a week, or freeze slices for later.

Take the cake out of the fridge at least 30–60 minutes before serving to give time for the frosting to soften. For a detailed explanation, read about how to store cake.

More Chocolate Recipes

If you love chocolate (who doesn't?), here are a few more chocolate dessert recipes to try:

If you tried this recipe for the best berry chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Berry Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

AuthorAuthor : Janice Lawandi

This berry chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is made from layers of eggless chocolate cake and topped with berries.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 503 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• ▢
  OXO balloon whisk
• ▢
  Mini offset
• ▢
  Ateco turntable

Need measurements in CUPSUse the button options below to switch from Metric to US measurements! It's that easy!

Ingredients

 

MetricUS

 

0.5x1x2x3x

Eggless chocolate cake

• ▢ 185 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• ▢ 7.5 mL baking soda
• ▢ 37 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• ▢ 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• ▢ 15 mL white vinegar
• ▢ 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 250 mL skim milk (fat free)
• ▢ 60 mL canola oil or your favourite neutral oil
• ▢ 200 grams light brown sugar

Cream cheese frosting

• ▢ 218 grams icing sugar
• ▢ 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 500 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular) cold

Toppings (optional)

• ▢ 225 grams fresh strawberries
• ▢ 225 grams Fresh raspberries
• ▢ 225 grams fresh blueberries

Instructions

 

For the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Prepare three 6x2-inch (15x5-cm) round 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

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• I used Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder - Extra Brute, which is a very dark cocoa powder
• Where I live, Philadelphia cream cheese is sold in 250 grams (0.55 lb) blocks. Do not use whipped or spreadable cream cheese.
• I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt. Add less or the cake may be too salty.
• Vinegar: You need the vinegar to activate the baking soda. You can use regular white vinegar or even apple cider vinegar. Do not omit the vinegar.
• Milk: I use cow's milk (sometimes skim or low-fat milk, but use up to 3.25 % fat to create a more moist cake). You can also replace this with non-dairy milk, like oat milk or soy milk with great results!
• If it's not berry season, you can top this cake with chocolate curls.
• 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 6gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 350mgPotassium: 298mgFiber: 5gSugar: 39gVitamin A: 905IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 2mg

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