 The cake is composed of yellow sponge layers with berries and sweetened whipped cream. | |
| Type | Cake |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | South |
Chantilly cake is a layer cake filled with berries and chantilly cream (a type of sweetened whipped cream). [1] It is popular in the Southern United States. [1]
One well-known version of berry chantilly cake was designed by baker Chaya Conrad while working at a Whole Foods in New Orleans in 2002 [2] or 2005. [3] [4] Her original inspiration was a recipe from her grandmother. [2] Over the years, and while working for different bakeries, Conrad has changed the recipe many times. [3] At Whole Foods, she used a yellow cake, and at the bakery she opened later, she uses a white cake. [2] She includes mascarpone cheese in the whipped cream. [3] The cake has been described as a cult favorite. [2] In 2024, Whole Foods attempted to standardize the cake across all of its stores. [2] 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. [2] 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. [2]
A 19th-century variation used a cake made with rice flour, filled it with jam and custard instead of fresh berries, and topped it with chantilly cream. [5] This version was also called trifle cake, after trifle. [5]
