You are going to make a cherry filling for tarts, tartlets and biscuits in just a few minutes and it is really delicious. The filling of cherries (or any fruit you use) is a most versatile and addictive preparation : the process is the same as if you make cherry jam, but with a much lower proportion of sugar, so it is healthier and you you will eat it without remorse.

In this post, you will see:

1. Differences between jam and pie filling
2. How to use the filling for cakes (It is delicious and it serves you for much more than decoration!).
3. The recipe to make the filling for cherry pies (or the fruit you choose to make it).

You should know that just as today we prepare cherry filling, exactly the same recipe is used to make raspberry, strawberry, forest fruit , fig filling... You get a dense sauce, full of fruit that retains its shape well, but that melts in the mouth , at the same time that it gives flavor and color to any cake in which you apply it. Surely you are already looking forward to decorating your cheesecake with this amazing cherry filling!

Something you should keep in mind is that the preparation of the cherry topping is done in just 10 minutes, and that's already how it's delicious (I already use it a lot to accompany yogurts and they taste glorious), but if you apply it to cakes before baking them, the fruit will take on that intense flavor of roasted fruit, and the result is glorious.

Differences between jam and cherry filling

• The filling for cherries is a very quick preparation to make and less caloric than jam . To give you an idea, to make jam you need 60% sugar of the weight of the fruit (that is, for every kilo of fruit, you need at least 600 grams of sugar), while you can make filling for cakes your taste, even using 10 and 15% of the weight of the fruit in sugar, if you want (the sweetness will go to the taste of the person who prepares it, although you do require a minimum of sugar for it to take consistency).
• A consequence of the lower use of sugar in this filling is conservation: the grace of sugar in a jam is that it helps to preserve, apart from sweetening (sugar is a great preservative). So this filling is designed to be prepared and used, or kept hermetically sealed in the fridge for up to a maximum of 5 days (while a jam will last up to a month, or you can store it for years vacuum-packed).
• To make jam you need pectin (in our case lemon juice ) to react and gelatinize the mixture. In the case of the cake filling, we also use lemon juice, but since there is less sugar, what we add to make it thick is also corn flour .
• Another consequence of the less use of sugar in the filling of cakes is that, in my opinion, the flavor of the fruit is appreciated much more (and you enjoy the acid notes of the fruit more and better, since the sugar will not mask them completely ), and you enjoy a greater contrast between the real flavor or the more acid notes of the fruit with the sweetness of the body of the cakes and biscuits in which you apply the filling.
• Personally, since I cut back on sugar in my diet, I love using pie filling more than jams because it's less sweet, and enjoying the contrast and appreciating the flavor of the fruit I love.
• Finally, for the preparation of the filling we will add a little water, which is not necessary in the preparation of the jam, but it helps the whole process to be much faster and everything is better integrated.

How to use the pie filling

The image will be your limit here: think of the cake filling as if it were jam, and keep in mind that the body of the fruit is more appreciated as well. From here, take full advantage of it:

1. Use it to cover your cakes (the most classic use is in cheesecakes* ).
2. Fill your puff pastry tarts or prepare individual puff pastry or shortbread tarts and simply apply this filling to the centre. Easier and more delicious, impossible.
3. Make a shortcrust pastry cookie or sablée, and apply the filling in the center.
4. Make a cake, apply the filling and close it with the same dough, to leave the filling inside.
5. Prepare a toast with butter and crown it with this filling, it will be a delicious breakfast.
6. Use it in your yogurts : serve natural or Greek yogurt in a glass or bowl and add a few tablespoons of cherry filling. a delight
7. To decorate and complement your biscuits: decorate the plate in which you serve a chocolate coulant with this filling (the combination with chocolate is magnificent), or accompany a brownie or other biscuits.
8. For the preparation of your ice creams, or to accompany them.
9. in mousses
10. As a filling for crepes (apply a very small amount, because of its liquid structure it will stand out), or to decorate or accompany them.

*TRICK! If you are going to use it as a topping for cheesecakes or the like, I recommend that, when the cake has consistency and is practically done, add the topping on top and finish baking with it on (if you do it before, the topping would drop to the center of the cake, and it's not what you want). Baking the topping will roast the fruit and greatly enhance its flavor, making it much more intense. It's a great way to turn a cheesecake into a cake of Gods!

Pie filling recipe

Ingredients for the cherry filling*:

• 1 Kg of fresh cherries (or frozen when you are out of season)
• 110 ml of water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 150 g of white sugar (you can use 100 g of white sugar + 50 g of brown sugar)
• 4 tablespoons of corn flour (Maizena)
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional
• One teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

*I'm using cherries, but you can make the same filling with fresh or frozen raspberries, strawberries, berries... Choose your favorite fruits.

For the preparation of the cherry filling:

1. If you have fresh fruit, pit the cherries with a stoner and cut the cherries in half (you can also leave them whole, it totally depends on your preferences for the size of the fruit in the filling).
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, add all the ingredients: the cherries, the water, the lemon juice, the sugar and the cornstarch.
3. Let it heat up until it boils. Then, reduce the heat to a minimum and let it cook, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes.
4. If you are using almond or vanilla extract, add it.
5. Stop the fire and let it lose heat before using it as a cover or filling for your cakes.

Grades

1. The grace of this filling, at least traditionally, is that the shape of the fruit can be appreciated -that it is distinguished what fruit it is, despite being somewhat undone and tender. But if you prefer a finer texture, you can leave it on the heat for a longer time so that it dissolves more, or you can crush it with a blender to get a sauce or jam-type filling.
2. Use it the same day or store in an airtight jar for up to 5 days . Remember that it is not a jam nor does it contain a large amount of sugar (it will not keep for many days).
3. If you follow the recipe to make strawberry or fig filling, you will be interested in cutting the fruit beforehand, so that the pieces of fruit are not too large with each bite.

I hope you enjoy this cherry filling a lot, many times and in many different applications... And tell me about it! Leave your comments to know what you think and where you will use it, we will love to know.

Claudia