 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 alayer cake filled with berries andchantilly cream (a type of sweetenedwhipped cream).[1] It is popular in theSouthern United States.[1]
One well-known version of berry chantilly cake was designed by baker Chaya Conrad while working at aWhole 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 awhite cake.[2] She includesmascarpone 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 withrice flour, filled it with jam andcustard instead of fresh berries, and topped it with chantilly cream.[5] This version was also calledtrifle cake, aftertrifle.[5]
