Raspberries are one of the most delectable fruits that you can add to desserts. Many desserts and cakes are great on their own but when you add fruit fillings or toppings they can be really amazing!
Before you consider buying premade fruit filling try this Heavenly Raspberry Cake Filling Recipe and you and those you bake for will be hooked for life.
Raspberries complement so many varieties of foods and desserts that the options are endless. Fruit filling helps divide the cake, add more taste between layers as well as complement your cake’s taste and texture.
Type of Raspberries
Should I use Fresh or Frozen?
The answer is both works great. When Raspberries are in season buy them up, especially if there is an abundance of them and/or fairly priced. Frozen raspberries are great because you can find them any time of the year and most importantly off season.
Frozen Raspberries
The benefit of using frozen berries is they don’t spoil as quickly as fresh berries. Frozen fruit is usually less expensive. You can also buy in bulk for a better price and use what you need when you need it.
Fresh Raspberries
Fresh berries have less water than frozen berries so the added water in the recipe may need to be adjusted accordingly. Give or take the water amounts to help find your desired thickness. A chilled, soft, spreadable jam-like consistency is where you want to be.
Raspberry Cake Filling Tools
Baking Tools Needed
- A medium mid-deep pot
- Fine mesh strainer
- Hand-held metal potato masher
- Silicon Spatula
- Lemon juicer – My favorite individual Lemon Juicer measures by the tsp and tablespoon. It’s precise and easy to clean.
- Tiny bowl (for cornstarch and water mixture)
- Wire whisk
- Airtight container
Additional Resources:
You may also want to check out my Top 15 Baking Tools – Must-Have Essentials for Every Baker A short list of what everyone needs in their kitchen when baking.
Fruit Reduction – Steps
Fruit Cake Filling is all about the reduction, cooling, and chilling/thickening process. A fruit reduction is made by reducing the fruit volume to a sauce over heat. As the fruit breaks down to a puree the fruit liquid evaporates, the sauce becomes thicker, and the flavors condense and intensify.
Sifting the seeds is absolutely necessary. Raspberries in particular have a ton of seeds!-more than many other fruits. I feel most people do not prefer so many seeds in their fruit fillings or desserts and the fillings, jams, or glazes taste so much better without them.
Step 1 – Rinse
- Wash fresh raspberries under cold water or simply thaw frozen berries (use frozen berries without sauce) *Take Note-Frozen berries will have extra water in them when cooked down so adjust added water to desired consistency.
Step 2 – Add sugar and cook down
- Add raspberries and sugar. Cook down for a few minutes. Use a potato masher to press down the berries.
Step 3 – Add water and Lemon Juice
- Add the water and lemon juice, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring continuously.
Step 4 – Strain
- Remove from the heat. With a bowl under the strainer scoop the sauce in. Use a silicon spatula to press the sauce through the strainer. This takes several minutes. Be patient as you’ll need all the juice so none is wasted.
- Run the spatula under the strainer and scrape the excess sauce into the bowl. Repeat this a few times. Do this until all the sauce and juice are pushed through and there is nothing left but thick pulp and seeds.
Step 5 – Thicken sauce
- Toss out the seeds/pulp and pour the sauce back into the pot. Under low heat slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture until the sauce thickens. Pour a little at a time to gauge the consistency. You may not need all of it. Continue to whisk over low heat while thickening.
Step 6 – Finishing Touches
- Once you see a soft jam-like consistency take the sauce off the heat and cool. The sauce continues to thicken when cooling and will be thicker after chilling.
- Cool, store in an airtight container, and chill in the frig overnight for the best consistency.
- When ready to spread your Heavenly Raspberry Cake Filling on your cake layers simply take it out of the frig, whisk to loosen the filling, and evenly spread (inside your frosting “dam”) no more than 1/4″ thickness onto each cake layer.
This recipe fills 8-9″ 3-layer stacked cakes or smaller. You can double the recipe for multiple cakes, cakes larger than 8-9″, or multi-tiered cakes. A 1 lb bag of fruit (approx. 4 – 4.5 cups) may look like a lot but it doesn’t make a ton of cake filling.
Remember, you’re making a reduction so all that fruit cooks down to a thin juice that is thickened into a spreadable sauce.
The fruit pulp and seeds are removed. It’s always better to have more than less if you have several cakes to fill. If you have any leftover sauce you can freeze it for up to 2 months very easily.
Heavenly Raspberry Cake Filling Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 4 cups Fresh or Frozen Raspberries (not in sauce) 1 lb.
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 cup Water 1/4 cup for frozen berries. For fresh berries up to a 1/2 cup of water may be needed.
- 1 tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Water Add to cornstarch in separate tiny bowl.
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- Rinse fresh raspberries under cold water or simply thaw frozen berries (use frozen berries without sauce) *Take Note-Frozen berries will have extra water in them when cooked down so adjust added water to desired consistency.
- Add raspberries and sugar in the pot over mediium heat. Cook down for a few minutes. Use a potato masher to press down the berries. This speeds up the reduction process.
- Add the water, and lemon juice, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approx. 15 minutes stirring continuously with a wire whisk.
- Remove from the heat. With a bowl under the strainer scoop the sauce in. Use a silicon spatula to press the sauce through the strainer. This takes several minutes. You'll want to press all the juice down so none is wasted.
- Run the spatula under the strainer and scrape the excess sauce into the bowl. Repeat a few times. Do this until all the sauce and juice are pushed through and there is nothing left but seeds.
- Mix your 3 tbsp of cornstarch with 3 tbsp cold water in a tiny bowl.
- Toss out the seeds/pulp and pour the sauce back into the pot. Under low heat slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture until the sauce thickens. Pour a little at a time to guage the consistency. You many not need all of it. Continue to whisk while thickening.
- Once you see a loose jam-like consistency take the sauce off the heat and cool. The sauce continues to thicken when cooling and will be thicker after chilling.
- Cool, store in an airtight container, and chill in the frig overnight for the best consistency.
- When ready to spread your Heavenly Raspberry Cake Filling on your cake layers simply take it out of the frig, whisk to loosen the filling, and evenly spread (inside your frosting "dam") no more than 1/4" thickness onto each cake layer.
Notes
- This recipe can be doubled.
- Try and make your Raspberry Cake Filling a day or two in advance so the filling can thicken and chill. Then it’s ready when you need to stack your cakes.
- Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Store-bought lemon juice won’t accentuate the tart flavors of the fruit and the cake filling won’t taste as fresh.
- Never add the cornstarch directly into the fruit sauce. It will clump and not incorporate. Always mix the cornstarch with cold water prior to mixing it into the heated fruit sauce.
- Always have a chilled and firm “frosting dam” piped around the cake edges before adding fruit cake filling. This will prevent the filling from oozing out the sides of the cake after it’s fully frosted and decorated. You do not want oozing to happen. It’s also important to not put too much cake filling in-between the cake layers. My rule of thumb is no more than 1/4″ spread thickness.
- Refrigerate all cakes with fruit filling until ready to serve as the filling can spoil inside the cake if not properly stored/chilled.
- Freeze extra fruit cake filling for up to 2 months in an airtight container.
Nutrition
https://cakelovesme.comIf you like this Heavenly Raspberry Fruit Filling Recipe you’ll love my Easy Strawberry Cake Filling Recipe!
Thanks for visiting & Happy Baking!
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