MMMMMM, Berry Creme Fraiche Cake. Just look at those plump berries! Don’t they look wonderful? Our daughter LOVES fresh raspberries. All berries really, but especially raspberries. When she saw these sitting on the counter ready for the cake it was CONSTANT badgering to, “Please let me have one berry, Mom!”
I think this cake is wonderful, and it comes from one of my favorite dessert cookbooks, A Passion For Desserts, by Emily Luchetti (Keep reading for details on the giveaway!). Creme Fraiche is a delicious twist to just boring old whipped cream and I love it. It’s so tasty with the poppy seed cake and the sweet berries. We had this for our Easter dessert and I could have just kept picking away at it for the rest of the night. Plus, it really is a beautiful cake. I love it when a dessert is pretty too.
What Is A Fraiche Cake?
Creme Fraiche cake is a cake that is made with creme fraiche.
Creme Fraiche is a soured cream product.
It contains 10-45% milk fat and is soured with a bacterial culture.
What Is The Difference Between Creme Fraiche And Sour Cream?
The difference between the two is how they are made.
Sour cream is made by adding lactic acid culture to cream and sometimes milk to thicken and sour it.
Crème fraîche is made by adding fermenting agents with the necessary bacteria to cream.
Can you Substitute Sour Cream For Creme Fraiche?
Plain sour cream is a great substitute for crème fraîche.
Sour cream be slightly more sour than creme faiche.
Berry Creme Fraiche Cake
Berry Creme Fraiche Cake
Description
Ingredients
Poppy Seed Cake
- 2 1/2 Cups Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 sticks Butter, Unsalted, softened
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Cup Poppy Seeds
Creme Fraiche
- 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
Creme Fraiche Berry Filling (I always triple the berries)
- 1 Pint Blueberries, I always use blackberries
- 1/4 Cup Sugar, plus 2 Tablespoons
- 2 Cups Creme Fraiche, 16 oz store-bought or homemade (see note below)
- 2/3 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Pint Raspberries
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease the bottom of 2 9 inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat the butter with the sugar until light, 1 min on medium-high speed with a stand mixer or 3 min handheld.
- On medium speed add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds and periodically scraping the bowl.
- Stir together the buttermilk, and vanilla.
- On low speed add half the buttermilk.
- Mix until incorporated and scrape down the bowl.
- Add half the dry ingredients and mix again.
- Repeat with last half of buttermilk and dry ingredients.
- Fold in the poppy seeds.
- Divide the batter between two pans.
- Bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, 15-20 min (Mine always take a little longer, but make sure to watch!)
- Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 min and remove.
- Once the cakes are completely cool use a serrated knife to cut each in half horizontally, making 4 layers.
Creme Fraiche
- In a plastic container, stir together cream and buttermilk.
- Cover with an airtight lid and store at room temperature for 24 hours.
- Stir and cover.
- Again let sit for 24 hours.
- If the cream fraiche is thick, refrigerate. If it is still thin, let sit another 24 hours.
Filling
- Cook the blueberries in a saucepan over medium-low heat with 1/4 cup sugar.
- Stir often until the berries are beginning to pop and the juices are flowing.
- Let cool to room temp.
- Whip together the creme fraiche, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and heavy cream until stiff enough to hold its form.
Assemble Cake
- Place a cake layer on a serving platter.
- Spread one quarter of the creme fraiche filling on the cake and top with 1/4 the berries.
- Repeat layers.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Or click Here for another method

Ok, enough with the food. Let’s get on to the Free Stuff!!! This book seriously is wonderful. I love that you aren’t going to find a single chocolate chip cookie recipe in here…sounds crazy, but seriously! I like having a cookbook that has wonderful, delicious, AND beautiful desserts. They are all separated by season which is nice because sometimes in the winter I have a hard time thinking up something fabulous. I love that the desserts will not only taste yummy, but you probably haven’t had it before and your guests will be so impressed with it.
Remember the white chocolate and red berry trifle from last year? Yep, it’s from this book! You will find other great recipes like, Baked Pears with Almond Streusel, Caramel Chocolate Chunk Tart, Frozen Lemon Parfait with Lemon Ginger and Cassis Sauces, Macaroon Pineapple Napoleans, and so much more!
To enter the giveaway just leave a comment by April 13th and become a follower. Winner announced the 14th. Make sure to leave a way to contact you. Winners must reply within two days or else a new winner will be selected.
Extra entries if you blog about this giveaway or post it on your facebook.
brit
funniest thing… i looked everywhere for creme fraiche, just to find it around the corner from my house at my little neighborhood market:) looks delish! & the book looks like a keeper too!
Red Couch Recipes
Looks like a lovely book. Please enter me. Joni
Jordan
Any recipe book you trust I will trust!!!!!
jen
i love any cookbook that is categorized by season; and of course if it has anything to do with dessert i'm instantly in love. both the trifle and berry cake look delicious!
The Double Dipped Life
I found your blog through Utah Hive. Love the idea of this book! thanks!
SGS
Oh my. My plans *were* to lose a few pounds. Sigh …
That cake looks incredible.
Jessica
I could use a good dessert recipe book, this one looks amazing! Thanks for the give-away 🙂
andyandjessie@gmail.com
Kirsten
I love raspberries too, and in our area you can pick them in the summer. Yum. kwoodward@sps.lane.edu
ariel
i love berries of all kinds too 🙂 sounds like a fabulous book!
Carrian
ooops! I fixed that part about the poppyseeds. You just fold them in at the very end.
Aggie
Gorgeous cake! Perfect for spring!
Grumpy & HoneyB
I am posting on my FB fan page – will hopefully send some more entries your way!
Grumpy & HoneyB
I am posting on my FB fan page – will hopefully send some more entries your way!
Grumpy & HoneyB
I am a follower 🙂
Grumpy & HoneyB
I am a follower 🙂
Grumpy & HoneyB
Grumpy loves Raspberries too…and its great for us that my parents grow them 🙂 I definitely would love the book, I would like that it is divided up by season too!
Grumpy & HoneyB
Grumpy loves Raspberries too…and its great for us that my parents grow them 🙂 I definitely would love the book, I would like that it is divided up by season too!
Talita
Wow!! What a yummy cake!! I love poppy seed, but here in Brazil it's illegal. =(
Elizabeth
Who couldn't use a book with fabulous seasonal desserts?!? I'm a follower.
Whit,Tiff and B
This looks so good!!! I'm totally going to make it!!! I have a food blog too and I love looking at yours. Mine is masteringthemenu.blogspot.com
Check it out. I would love this book!! I'm now a follower!!
Ashley and James
You're a wonderful baker! They look so delicious 🙂
anjrogers0804@gmail.com
linda
A new cookbook would be so fun to “read”…
linda.muir@earthlink.net
linda
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joanna
I love desserts!! I can't wait to try this after tax season!
Kelli
Guess it would help me out if I gave you my email address, huh? kelbrun@ymail.com
Kelli
What a fun birthday present this would be for me! I'm a little behind the times and just started following blogs a few months ago and I'm loving yours!
Erin
There is nothing i love more than going through a new cookbook with new recipes!
eb_happy1 @ yahoo dot com
Cassie
I am definitely a dessert person, and these look beautiful! By the way, I don't have premie sleepers. Darnit! Just newborn ones.
cassmaster@gmail.com
The Porter’s
Pick me. I want to cook just like you..
Joan Callaway
Nothing I love more than desserts.
joancallaway@yahoo.com
tam
this is my favorite blog in the whole wide world. i check it most frequently and often refer to it whilst cooking. also. i am a huge fan of carrian cheney, she is rad.
also. i love dessert.
Raven
Thanks for the fun giveaway! Sounds like a delicious book 🙂
Bonnie
OOH, I'd love this book. Love your blog.
TeaLady
Your desserts are beautiful. Very elegant looking.
What a wonderful book to have.
travelingteapot@hotmail.com