Bright as sunshine and perfectly tangy-sweet, this Lemon Berry Spring Fling cake is quite possibly my new favorite summer cake. With layers of lemon buttermilk cake, a tangy sour cream whipped cream frosting, and fresh berries, this gorgeous naked cake is the perfect festive dessert for any patriotic celebration. 

three layer naked cake topped with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Why You Should Make This Cake

This pretty cake is essentially a mix of three of my favorite cakes: Tres Leches, the Spring Fling Cake from The Market in Denver, and the ever-so-yummy Berry Chantilly Cake from Whole Foods.

The cake layers were adapted from this Lemon Buttermilk Cake. I am not sure what I love most about this cake recipe — the delectably tangy lemon flavor from a triple threat of lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract, or the fact that it is impossibly light and fluffy. Either way, it’s stellar.

The whipped cream is a combo of sour cream and whipping cream, which yields a fluffy and glossy topping that is delicious without being overly sweet. As an added bonus, the sour cream-whipped cream mix holds up way better than plain whipped cream, even after sitting out for a couple of hours.

Adding loads of fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries between the layers adds juicy brightness and a welcome pop of color. Seriously, amigos. Make this scintillating showstopper of a summer cake pronto! Everyone is sure to love it.

fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and lemon slices strewn across a marble counter.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Aside from lemons and berries, the majority of ingredients for this Spring Fling cake are pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need to grab:

  • All-Purpose Flour – You can also swap in cake flour if you prefer.
  • Granulated Sugar – Plain white sugar is perfect here. You can also swap in a cup-for-cup sugar substitute for a lighter cake if you like.
  • Baking Powder – Remember that baking powder starts to work as soon as it touches liquid, so be sure to preheat the oven before making the cake batter.
  • Ground Ginger – I love lemon and ginger together, but you can omit this if you prefer.
  • Lemon – You’ll need both zest and juice here, so go for 2-3 fresh lemons. To get the most juice out of your fruit, give them a firm roll on the countertop for 10-15 seconds before slicing in half.
  • Eggs – Let them come to room temperature to make them easier to incorporate.
  • Buttermilk – You can make your own buttermilk by either using powdered buttermilk, or using regular dairy or plant-based milk that you curdle with some acid. The ratio is 1 teaspoon of acid (e.g. lemon juice or white vinegar) to 1 cup of milk.
  • Sour Cream – I prefer the flavor of full-fat sour cream over any alternatives here, but you can swap in full-fat Greek yogurt or your favorite plant-based sour cream alternative.
  • Neutral Oil – Vegetable, corn, canola, peanut, grapeseed, or avocado oil will all work.
  • Lemon Extract – I like the pucker-y flavor of a lot of lemon in this cake, but you can swap in vanilla extract if you need. Almond extract would also make a nice complement.
  • Heavy Whipping Cream – Heavy whipping cream has the highest fat content of the creams, which makes for the best mouthfeel. If needed, swap in regular whipping cream or coconut cream.
  • Powdered Sugar – If you’re out, you can make your own using granulated sugar and cornstarch.
  • Vanilla Extract – This adds a lot of depth of flavor and complexity to the sour cream frosting. If needed, feel free to use vanilla powder or vanilla paste. (If you use paste, it’ll have gorgeous flecks of vanilla bean!)
  • Fresh Berries – I wanted a cake that’d be red, white, and blue for the 4th of July so I used a mix of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Feel free to use your own favorite blend.
  • Edible Flowers & Powdered Sugar – These are optional but pretty touches.

How To Make My Lemon Berry Spring Fling Cake

Making this layered buttermilk lemon cake is easier than it might appear at first glance. Remember that the cake and whipped cream can both be made in advance, meaning you can break this up over multiple days. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Make Cake

Step 1: Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three (9-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then spray with cooking spray.

Step 2: Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt, if using. Whisk in lemon zest; set aside.

Step 3: Wet Ingredients. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, oil, and lemon extract.

Step 4: Wet + Dry. Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Small lumps will be present, don’t overmix or try to stir them smooth.

Step 5: Bake. Turn batter out into greased pans. You may have extra batter left over that can be baked in a separate pan. Bake cakes for about 28 to 31 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.

Step 6: Cool. Place pans on a wire rack and allow cake to cool.

Make-Ahead Tip: Cake layers can be baked, cooled, wrapped, and frozen up to a month in advance!

2. Make Sour Cream Frosting

Pro Tip: Chill your bowl and beaters in advance.

Step 1: Whip Cream. Combine chilled cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Start blending at low speed, continue blending until cream increases and soft peaks start to form.

Step 2: Add Sour Cream. Lightly blend in sour cream.

overhead shot of the top of the lemon berry spring fling cake decorated with fresh berries, edible flowers and a light dusting of powdered sugar.

3. Assemble & Serve

Step 1: Layer Cake, Frosting, & Berries. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand and spread 1/3 of the whipped cream over the cake and add a handful of fresh sliced strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Repeat with the remaining two cake layers.

Pro Tip: Be careful not to overfill your layers with fruit or the cake will be hard to slice.

Step 2: Serve or store in the fridge for up to 1 day. If desired, decorate the cake with edible flowers and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

single slice of 3-layer naked spring fling cake on a white plate with an antique silver fork.

Optional Variations

  • Use vanilla or almond extract in place of the lemon extract. While I love the triple lemon flavor in the recipe as written, lemon also plays nicely with vanilla or almond. These extracts (or a combination of all three) can be used as you see fit.
  • Make it lime. Swap the lemon for fresh lime and consider using coconut cream or coconut extract in your frosting. A sprinkling of toasted coconut is a lovely touch.
  • Make it dairy-free. Opt for plant-based milk to make your own buttermilk and non-dairy sour cream to make this layered lemon buttermilk cake safe for your lactose intolerant friends.

Expert Tips

While the instruction list may look long for this lemon berry layer cake, it’s actually pretty simple to execute. That said, I have some tricks up my sleeve to ensure your cakes come out perfectly every time:

  • Work in stages. Don’t feel like you have to finish this towering work of art all in one go. Feel free to make the cake layers up to a week in advance and the sour cream whipped cream up to 3 days in advance.
  • Doing a triple layer of oil-parchment-cooking spray might seem like overkill, but it’s a simple and fast way to ensure you don’t lose any pieces of this magnificent centerpiece.
  • Cool the cakes COMPLETELY before you start assembling. While sour cream whipped cream is more stable than just whipped cream, it’ll still melt. Make sure the cake is nice and room temp before you start building your masterpiece.
  • Assemble only when you’re ready to serve. Technically, you can store this beauty for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. That said, its towering stature makes it difficult to fit in many refrigerators. Plus, you don’t want anything to slip off when you pull it out!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this a gluten-free buttermilk lemon cake?

I’ve honestly not tried the recipe using a gluten-free cup-for-cup all-purpose flour substitute, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. If you do, let me know how it turns out in the comments below so you can help other readers!

Where is the original Spring Fling cake from?

The inspiration for this tasty cake came from my friend Donna’s amazing interpretation of the Spring Fling Cake at The Market in Denver, Colorado. However, instead of using a zucchini white cake as the base, she brilliantly made the layers out of buttermilk lemon cake. YUM!

What does adding buttermilk do to a cake?

The answer is threefold: first, the added fat helps to ensure a tender crumb. Second, the acidity lends a nice, tangy flavor that pairs magnificently well with the lemon flavor. Finally, that acidity also helps to activate the baking powder, which in turn helps the cake to rise. Who said science wasn’t cool??

More Berry Tasty Desserts

If you tried this recipe for my Lemon Berry Spring Fling Cake, please be sure to rate and review it below!

Lemon Berry Spring Fling Cake

5 (1 rating)
Bright as sunshine and perfectly tangy-sweet, this Lemon Berry Spring Fling cake is quite possibly my new favorite summer cake. With layers of lemon buttermilk cake, a tangy sour cream whipped cream frosting, and fresh berries, this gorgeous naked cake is the perfect festive dessert for any patriotic celebration. 
Print Pin Rate
Yield: 15 to 18 servings
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch salt, optional and to taste
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk, see notes
  • 2/3 cups sour cream
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 6 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 4 teaspoons lemon extract, vanilla or almond extract may be substituted

Whipped Cream:

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup sour cream

Toppings:

  • Strawberries, sliced
  • Raspberries
  • Blueberries
  • Powdered sugar
  • Edible flowers, optional

Instructions 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three (9-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then spray with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt, if using.
  • Whisk in lemon zest; set aside.
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, oil, and lemon extract.
  • Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Small lumps will be present, don’t overmix or try to stir them smooth.
  • Turn batter out into greased pans. You may have extra batter left over that can be baked in a separate pan.
  • Bake cakes for about 28 to 31 minutes, or until center is set and not jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
  • Place pans on a wire rack and allow cake to cool.

Sour Cream Whipped Cream

  • Chill your bowl and beaters in advance.
  • Combine chilled cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Start blending at low speed, continue blending until cream increases and soft peaks start to form.
  • Lightly blend in sour cream.

Assemble

  • Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand and spread 1/3 of the whipped cream over the cake and add a handful of fresh sliced strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Repeat with the remaining two cake layers.
  • PRO TIP: Be careful not to overfill your layers with fruit or the cake will be hard to slice.
  • Serve or store in the fridge for up to 1 day. If desired, decorate the cake with edible flowers and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Video

Notes

  • You can make your own buttermilk by either using powdered buttermilk, or using regular dairy or plant-based milk that you curdle with some acid. The ratio is 1 teaspoon of acid (e.g. lemon juice or white vinegar) to 1 cup of milk.
  • Work in stages. Don’t feel like you have to finish this towering work of art all in one go. Feel free to make the cake layers up to a week in advance and the sour cream whipped cream up to 3 days in advance.
  • Doing a triple layer of oil-parchment-cooking spray might seem like overkill, but it’s a simple and fast way to ensure you don’t lose any pieces of this magnificent centerpiece.
  • Cool the cakes COMPLETELY before you start assembling. While sour cream whipped cream is more stable than just whipped cream, it’ll still melt. Make sure the cake is nice and room temp before you start building your masterpiece.
  • Assemble only when you’re ready to serve. Technically, you can store this beauty for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. That said, its towering stature makes it difficult to fit in many refrigerators. Plus, you don’t want anything to slip off when you pull it out!
Calories: 341kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Cholesterol: 75mg, Sodium: 43mg, Potassium: 234mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 685IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 120mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Yvette Marquez
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Mexican

Photography by Jenna Sparks
Originally published: July 2019.