Easy Strawberry Filling For Cake Carve Your Craving

A plain vanilla cake with just frosting is boring!! I prefer filling and I mean a lot of fruit filling in my cakes. It could be just strawberries, mixed berries, or any other seasonal fruit. When cherries are in season I make my own cherry pie filling. And this applies to all berries too. Summer is here baby!!! That means your cakes need a fresh fruity flavor to celebrate the sunshine. As strawberries are a crowd pleaser and loved by everyone it is my go-to fruit as a filling for cake or cupcake. Strawberries are easily available throughout the year and can be frozen for convenience. This recipe makes fantastic filling that won’t be runny or bleed out of the cake. It will stay intact and give you a beautiful red color layer.

Step by step method to make the strawberry filling for cake

Call me lazy, I don’t bother to chop the strawberries and just dump them whole. You can cut them into smaller pieces so that the filling cooks faster.

In a wide pan, add chopped strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and stir well. Switch on the gas and cook the strawberries on a medium flame. Cover the pan with the lid and cook for 4-5 minutes until the mixture comes to a boil. Uncover and smash strawberries roughly with a fork or back of the spoon. Cover and let it cook for a minute. In the meantime, dissolve water with cornstarch to create a liquid paste. You can use the liquid in which strawberries are cooking as well to make a cornstarch slurry. Now slowly add in the slurry with one hand and mixing the filling continuously with another hand. Within a few seconds, the strawberry filling will start to thicken. Cook for a minute and switch off the flame. The consistency should be thick and not runny. Note that mixture thickens more after cooling completely, turning into a thick jam. Store as directed until use.

Useful tips to make the best strawberry filling

Cut strawberries into halves or chop into small chunks for faster cooking. Frozen strawberries work great. It might just take a few minutes extra to cook. If you prefer smooth as jam then puree strawberry and cook as directed. You may flavor the filling with extract of your choice if desired.

The shelf life of a homemade strawberry filling

Store in an airtight container or a glass jar after it is completely cooled. Stays good for a week in the fridge. Freeze any leftover filling up to 3 months. Store in freezer safe o zip lock bags. Once thawed do not re-freeze. Useful tips to make a great strawberry filling