I made an impulse purchase the other day and bought this sage green Belgian waffle maker, mostly because it’s the most beautiful color ever and also because Belgian waffles are probably my favorite brunch food of all time. And then I thought, what if I made a whole stack of them with fresh berries and jam and delicious mascarpone cream between each one? Which naturally snowballed into this: a Belgian waffle layer cake!
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This Belgian waffle cake is so fun to make and the perfect centerpiece for a brunch. The mascarpone cream, jam, and fresh berries keep it classic and delightful for Spring. If it were May I would have added some chamomile flowers to make it even cheerier so tuck that idea away if you’re making this recipe at the right time of year!
From-Scratch Waffles vs. Waffle Mix
I love the from-scratch Belgian waffle recipe below because it’s fairly easy to make and uses simple ingredients that end up tasting so special. Maybe it’s the hint of cinnamon. The waffles turn out nice and fluffy on the inside and perfectly crunchy on the outside. You will have to use far more dishes between whipping the egg whites and mixing the dry and wet ingredients separately, but it feels very chef-like to make the waffles from scratch and you will be pretty proud of yourself when you’re finished!
If you’d rather keep it as simple as possible, this recipe will absolutely work (and still taste great) with waffle mix. I personally like Krusteaz brand, but you can use any Belgian waffle mix that you know you’ll love. Regardless of whether you choose the from-scratch route or box mix, the mascarpone cream frosting will elevate your waffle cake to new heights!
Crispy Waffle Tip: If your waffles are more on the floppy side instead of crispy when they come out of the waffle maker, you can crisp them up by placing them in a 250ºF oven (right on the rack) for 5-8 minutes. Just be sure to bring them back to room temperature before assembling with the frosting.
The Easiest Mascarpone Cream Frosting
This mascarpone cream frosting is so creamy and light and just the right amount of sweet. Even saying the words mascarpone cream makes it sound a little fancy, but the truth is it couldn’t be easier to make. There are only four ingredients and all you do is add them into your stand mixer (at the same time!) and let the machine whip them into the perfect frosting. Simple as that!
Since there is a lot of dairy involved in the frosting, it’s not recommended to leave out at room temperature for longer than two hours. This means you’ll need to refrigerate any frosting you make ahead of waffle cake assembly time, plus take care not to leave the assembled cake out for longer than two hours on display.
Making Components Ahead of Time
The one downside to this Belgian waffle cake is that it needs to be assembled pretty close to serving/display time so that it’s fresh. BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare all the elements ahead of time and have them ready to go. The assembly process takes less than 10 minutes if you’re prepared for it.
You can make the Belgian waffles up to a week ahead and store them in the freezer, then defrost them in the oven to bring them back to their fluffy/crispy texture. Just make sure they’re entirely room temperature before assembling with the mascarpone cream frosting so it doesn’t melt. And if you’d rather not make the waffles that far in advance, it’s also perfectly acceptable to make the waffles the day of and store them at room temperature for up to 6 hours.
Since the mascarpone cream frosting is so simple and comes together in about 5 minutes, I would recommend making it right before assembling to make sure it’s the perfect consistency. If you’re in a pinch though, the mascarpone cream can be made up to two days ahead of time, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It may need to be gently re-mixed when made ahead, but be careful not to over-beat it or else it could become curdled. Your safest bet is to make it the day of, when you have your Belgian waffles ready to go.
Once you assemble the cake, put it on display and amaze all your guests with your brunch-inspired masterpiece! It’s impressive and inviting all at the same time, and I can’t wait for you to taste the layers together.
Slicing & Serving the Belgian Waffle Cake
I’m not going to lie, this cake isn’t the easiest to cut into slices. I found that a sharp serrated knife worked best for keeping the layers from squishing down too much in the cutting process. But even though some of the bottom layers got squished, the cake still tasted AMAZING. And although the slices are a little messy they look delicious and inviting in their imperfectness.
If you’d rather, you could disassemble the waffle cake and cut it into slices from there. Whatever you feel is easiest! It’ll still be completely delicious as long as you get all the elements in every slice, which is easy to do. Between the fluffy waffles, sweet hint of jam, creamy mascarpone frosting, and the beautiful fresh berries, you’ll be in heaven.
Belgian Waffle Layer Cake
Ingredients
Homemade Belgian Waffles
- 2 1/4 Cups (298g) all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp (38g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 Cups (480ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Mascarpone Cream Frosting
- 1 3/4 Cups (210g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 Cup (8oz, 225g) mascarpone cheese, cold
- 2 1/4 Cups (540ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
Berry Layers
- 1/2 Cup berry jam of your choice (I used strawberry)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1/4 Cup fresh raspberries, halved
- 1/4 Cup fresh blueberries, halved
- 1/4 Cup fresh blackberries, halved
- 1/4 Cup fresh strawberries, quartered
- 1/4 Cup all of the above berries, kept whole for garnish
Instructions
Make the Belgian Waffles
- Preheat your waffle maker. Mine specified not to use cooking spray, but if your waffle maker requires it, add a coating of cooking spray now and in between each waffle.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Add the egg whites into a medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, add the egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined, then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Gently fold in the egg whites with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter onto your hot waffle maker and cook according to the manufacturer's directions. My waffle maker took about 2.5 minutes per waffle.
- Set the waffles aside to cool completely before assembly.
Make the Mascarpone Cream Frosting
- Place all of the mascarpone cream ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on low speed to combine for about 1 minute.
- Turn the mixer to high speed and whip until it becomes the consistency of whipped cream with stiff peaks, 2-3 minutes. Any longer and it may begin to separate, so keep a close eye on it while mixing.
- Use immediately (preferred), or store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days ahead of time.
Prepare the Toppings
- Add the jam and water into a small bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- Add all of the halved and quartered berries into a medium bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
Assembly
- Place the first waffle onto a cake stand (or whatever you’re using to serve the cake). Add the jam mixture into a piping bag and snip off the end. Drizzle ¼ of the jam mixture on top of the waffle.
- Add the mascarpone cream frosting into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 8B and pipe stars all over the surface of the waffle. Alternatively you can add a layer of the mascarpone cream frosting with an icing spatula for an even more rustic look.
- Add about ¼ Cup of the berry mixture on top.
- Repeat layering waffles and fillings 3 more times to make a four-layer waffle cake, only place the whole berries on the very top layer of mascarpone cream frosting.
- Display immediately and serve within three hours. You can technically place the decorated cake in the refrigerator a little ahead of time but note that the waffles will become much softer if you do. I do not recommend storing it in the refrigerator for longer than an hour.
Notes
- You can make and freeze the waffles up to one week ahead of time. To do so, place the waffles on a parchment-lined baking tray and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. They’ll be semi-frozen (and less likely to stick together) at this point and you can add them all into a large Ziplock bag to continue storing in the freezer. When you’re ready to use them, preheat the oven to 350ºF and place the frozen waffles on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until crispy on the edges and no longer frozen. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature before assembling with the frosting and berries.
- The mascarpone cream frosting can be made up to two days in advance and stored in an an airtight container in the refrigerator. For the best frosting consistency, make it right before assembling the waffle cake. It only takes a few minutes and minimal effort.
I hope you love this Belgian waffle cake recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below + be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me cake pics. I love to see what you create!
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