Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Raspberry Fruit Filling Recipe

When it comes to fruit fillings, you have several options.  You can use canned "pie" filling, but to fill a cake that tends to be a little too runny- so use it sparingly, and would not recommend it for a stacked cake.  Or you could use a sleeve filling, like the ones you can get made by Henry & Henry.  But those tend to be very sweet (and often a bit artificial tasting).  I have used them in the past, but I added quite a bit of chopped fresh fruit to get a flavor I was happy with...

So I have started to make my own fruit fillings, this way I control the sweetness and quality!  Here is my recipe for a great raspberry filling, though you can use just about any fruit in place of the raspberries!

*I should mention, that fruit fillings in general are a bit "slippery" so be sure you don't add a very thick filling layer (this is a great place to torte your cake, it makes it pretty and you get more filling because of the layers) and also use a nice thick icing damn to avoid your cake "bulging".

Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 Cups Raspberries (fresh if available, but frozen work just fine!)
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Tsp Lemon Juice
  • 3 Tbsp Corn Starch

Directions
  1. Add 2 Cups of raspberries to a pot, add 1/4 Cup of water and all of the sugar and lemon juice, Stir to combine...
  2. Cook the mixture on med-low to low until the berries all burst and the mixture looks mostly liquid, about 5-10 minutes
  3. Remove the mixture from the heat and push through a sieve to remove the seeds, I like to really work to get as much pulp through as I can
  4. Add the mixture back to your pot and return to med-low heat.  Simmer another 5 minutes or so to reduce slightly then add reserved berries...
  5. Add the corn starch to the remaining 1/4 Cup of water and whisk with a fork to make a slurry, stir the slurry into your simmering berry mixture and stir constantly for 5-10 minutes.  The mixture will go from runny and opaque to translucent and thick, almost like a melted jam.  When the mixture is thick and all of the berries have burst, remove your mixture from the heat.  (At this point, if you would like a seedless filling, you can push the mixture through a sieve again... I like to leave the few remaining seeds so it has the "look" of a raspberry filling.)
  6. Allow your filling to come to room temperature, and then you can put in a container and refrigerate until ready to use
  7. Makes about 2 Cups of filling

It sounds like a lot of steps, but this filling is really quick and easy to make.  You can add more or less sugar if you prefer a more tart or more sweet filling... It's really delicious and you can feel proud that you made a fruit filling from scratch!  Enjoy!

Happy Caking :)

6 comments:

  1. I too make my own raspberry filling. I have a raspberry hedge, so I have access to fresh berries. However, I do not add any water at all, and as a result, I also do not need cornstarch., This results in a wonderful sauce. However, it does require a considerable longer amount of careful slow cooking time accompanied by very frequent stirring. I use a cast iron cooking plate on top of the burner to distribute the heat as evenly as possible to avoid hot spots and scorching. Your step of straining the berries though is a very good idea, especially with my recipe as the seeds become much more concentrated as the sauce's water cooks out. I will be adding that step next time I make this sauce.

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  2. Do you need to refrigerate the cake that you put the filling in?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, this is a perishable filling and needs to be refrigerated.

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  3. Thank you for this! I used this for a mango fruit filling for my son's birthday cake. Mango worked out well and it tasted great! I will be using this recipe a lot!

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  4. Can you use this recipe in a 3 tiered stacked cake covered in fondant?

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  5. Using this filling to compliment a layered chocolate devils food cake with chocolate icing. Requested by my 9 year old nephew. Happy Birthday Mason! Left over filling will be enjoyed by my family on top of some chocolate ice cream, yum!

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