A moist and super easy to make, mixed berry cake using frozen berries and a cake mix.
This cake is moist, full of vanilla and mixed berry flavor and is the perfect combination of sweetness and a little tartness.
It comes together quickly because you’ll be using frozen berries and a cake mix instead of having to mix up scratch cake batter.
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This cake mix berry cake is also a great way to use up any leftover berries that you might have sitting around in your freezer.
The nice thing is that you don’t even need to add frosting or a glaze, but you can if you really want.
Ingredient Notes:
Now let’s talk a little about just some of the ingredients in this easy frozen berry cake. (The printable list of all ingredients are in the recipe card below.)
Vanilla cake mix: The base for this recipe starts with a vanilla cake mix. That’s what makes it so easy. You’ll be adding other ingredients in as well which will give it that homemade, from-scratch taste, but without all the work.
Instant vanilla pudding: Adding in instant pudding just gives this cake an extra dose of flavor and makes the cake a little more durable.
Sour cream: Sour cream is always a star ingredient in cakes and it gives lots of flavor and moisture to cakes. It also helps give this cake its homemade flavor even though you’re starting off with a cake mix.
Butter: Everything’s better with butter, right? Adding a bit of melted butter to this cake adds a nice slight hint of buttery flavor.
Vanilla extract: It’s always good to add a little vanilla extract to cakes and this one is no different. Vanilla extract will also give it that baked from scratch taste.
Frozen mixed berries: The berries are the real stars of this cake and you can use the berry mix that you prefer. I love the mixed berries with the cherries, blueberries and strawberries. You could also use the raspberry frozen mixed berries or even throw in some marionberries if you have those.
(Make sure to check out the FAQ section below in this post for ingredient and substitution questions.)
How to make this cake:
Let’s talk about how to make this easy berry cake. (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Step 1:
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease or spray a 13×9 inch pan.
Step 2:
In a large bowl, add all of the cake ingredients, except for the fruit and the brown sugar, and mix with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed.
You’ll want to mix for about a minute or so until well mixed. Note that the batter will be thick.
Step 3:
Next, gently fold in about 1-2 cups of the frozen berries into the batter. If you want more cake-to-berry ratio, use 1 cup of berries, but if you want more berry-to-cake ratio, use two cups of berries here.
Also, remember that you’ll need to cut up any large strawberries.
Step 4:
Now pour the cake batter into the sprayed pan and spread the batter evenly.
Step 5:
Take another cup of the frozen berries and sprinkle them over the cake evenly, then sprinkle the brown sugar over the berries.
Step 6:
Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 40-45 minutes.
Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving as the inside of the berries will be very hot.
Step 7:
Serve this cake warm, at room temperature, or cold. This cake can be eaten plain, with a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar, with a glaze, whipped cream, or ice cream.
(Remember that the instructions will also be in the recipe card below.)
Easy Mixed Berry Cake with Frozen Berries and Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 1 (15.24 ounce) box vanilla cake mix, dry (I used Betty Crocker's vanilla cake mix)
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box Jello instant vanilla pudding mix, dry
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup melted butter, cooled down a bit
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups frozen mixed berries, cut up any large berries and measure after the berries have been cut up (Keep the berries frozen until added to the batter. If you want a higher ratio of berries to cake, use three cups.)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Whipped cream or ice cream for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray a 13×9 inch pan. (If using a dark coated pan, set the oven to 325 degrees F.)
- In a large bowl, mix all the cake ingredients (except for the fruit and the brown sugar) on medium to medium-high speed with an elecric mixer for about a minute or so until well mixed. The batter will be thick.
- Gently fold in 1-2 cups of the frozen berries into the batter. (Remember to cut up any large strawberries.) If you prefer lots of berries, use 2 cups here.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle another 1 cup frozen mixed berries over the cake evenly, then sprinkle brown sugar over the berries.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 40-45 minutes. (If using a dark coated pan and baking at 325, it may need to bake a little longer.) The cake is baked when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it, but no raw batter.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving. The inside of the berries will be very hot if you don't let it cool a bit before serving.
Notes
If the cake is cold and you want it warm, cut a slice and heat it in the microwave for about 15 seconds at a time. Be careful as the fruit may tend to get a hotter than the cake. For other questions: Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which should answer questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, other pan sizes etc. Nutritional values are an estimate. *This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
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Tips & FAQs:
No, just add the dry cake mix to the bowl and the other ingredients listed in the recipe.
Yes, a white cake mix should work fine although it won’t have as much vanilla taste to it.
No, just add the dry pudding mix to the bowl.
You might try using full-fat plain yogurt instead.
Yes, that’s essentially what you’ll be doing for this recipe. To add them, mix in 1-2 cups of frozen mixed berries to the cake batter, then add another 1/2-1 cup of mixed berries to the top of the batter once it’s poured into the pan, then bake.
You could probably use any frozen mixed berries, but my favorites to use are the classic triple berry mix with raspberries or the cherry blend. Feel free to use any frozen berries that you have though.
If you went blackberry or marionberry picking, feel free to add those in as well.
They don’t sink much in this recipe because the batter is a bit thicker than usual. You’ll also only mix in about half the berries into the batter, then add the other half of the berries to the top of the batter once it’s poured into the pan. This keeps them from sinking.
You can, but it’s good plain as well. To make a quick glaze you can add a cup or two of confectioner’s sugar to a mixing bowl then add in a couple of tablespoons of milk and mix well.
The cake is baked when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it, but no raw batter.
Maybe, although I haven’t tried baking this cake and then freezing it. If you do want to freeze it, make sure to wrap it well with plastic wrap, then foil and place it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
This cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and can last up to 3-4 days.
Maybe although I have not tried it. I think it would work out fine though if baked in two, 8-inch round pans.
I think this recipe would work for cupcakes/muffins. Fill two cupcake pans (24 cupcakes) with cupcake liners and spray the liners with non-stick baking spray.
Add the batter and bake at 350 degrees F. Start checking at about 15 minutes although it may take a few more minutes to bake completely.
Maybe although I have not tried it. If you do try it, make sure to grease and flour the bundt pan very well and the cake might take a little longer to bake through.
Video:
Supplies used for this recipe:
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Baking dish
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand-mixer or stand mixer
- Silicone spatula
- Cooling rack
- Oven mitts
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Made this and it was delicious, came out almost like bread pudding because it was soft. Might not use as much cream next time and/or not add the pudding mix if i want a more firmer cake-like textire. . i’m primarily keto and wanted to use my dh keto yellow cake mix. So i used only 3 eggs. Since its a thick batter and i didn’t have a mixer, i mixed the wet ingredients first so they were well blended then added the pudding mix. I didn’t measure the other ingredients tbh, just poured till i felt it was right – Sour cream, keto toasted coconut vanilla yogurt, whipping cream, a little oil, a little monkfruit sweetener and the frozen berries. i had to bake it for an hr though