Cherry filling for tarts and cakes

You'll make a cherry filling for cakes, tarts and sponge cakes in just a few minutes and it'll be really delicious. Cherry filling (or any fruit filling you use) is a very versatile and addictive preparation : the process is the same as if you were making cherry jam, but with a much lower proportion of sugar, so it's healthier and you'll eat it without any regrets.

In this post, you will see:

1. Differences between jam and pie filling
2. How to use pie filling (It's delicious and can do so much more than just decorating!)
3. The recipe for making cherry pie filling (or whatever fruit you choose to make it with).

You should know that just as we prepared cherry filling today, the exact same recipe can be used to make raspberry, strawberry, berry , fig filling... You get a dense sauce, full of fruit that keeps its shape well, but melts in your mouth , while giving flavor and color to any cake you use it on. I'm sure you're already looking forward to decorating your cheesecake with this incredible cherry filling!

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

Differences between cherry jam and cherry filling

• Cherry filling is a very quick preparation to make and lower in calories than jam . To give you an idea, to make jam you need 60% of the fruit's weight of sugar (that is, for each kilo of fruit, you need at least 600 g of sugar), while you can make cake filling to your liking, using even 10 to 15% of the fruit's weight in sugar, if you want (the sweetness will depend on the taste of the person preparing it, although you do need a minimum amount of sugar to give it consistency).
• One consequence of using less sugar in this filling is preservation: the beauty of sugar in a jam is that it helps preserve, apart from sweetening (sugar is a great preservative). So this filling is designed to be prepared and used, or kept for up to 5 days maximum , hermetically sealed in the fridge (whereas a jam will last up to a month, or you can keep it for years, vacuum-sealed).
• To make jam you need pectin (in our case lemon juice ) to react and gelatinize the mixture. In the case of pie filling, we also use lemon juice, but since there is less sugar, we also add corn flour to give it consistency.
• Another consequence of using less sugar in pie fillings is that, in my opinion, the flavour of the fruit comes through much more (and you enjoy the acidic notes of the fruit more and better, since the sugar will not mask them completely), and you enjoy a greater contrast between the real flavour or the more acidic notes of the fruit with the sweetness of the body of the pies and cakes in which you apply the filling.
• Personally, since I reduced the use of sugar in my diet, I love using pie filling more than jams because it is less sweet, and I love enjoying the contrast and appreciating the flavour of the fruit.
• Finally, to prepare 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 to integrate better.

How to use pie filling

The image is your limit here: think of pie filling as jam, and keep in mind that the body of the fruit is more appreciated too. From here, make the most 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 shortcrust tartlets and simply spread this filling in the centre. It couldn't be easier and more delicious.
3. Make a shortcrust pastry or sablée cookie and place the filling in the center.
4. Make a pie, add the filling and close it with the same dough, to keep the filling inside.
5. Prepare a piece of toast with butter and top 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 spoonfuls of cherry filling. Delicious.
7. To decorate and complement your cakes: decorate the plate on which you serve a chocolate coulant with this filling (the combination with chocolate is magnificent), or accompany a brownie or other cakes.
8. For preparing your ice creams, or to accompany them.
9. In mousses
10. As a filling for crepes (use a very small amount, as it will stand out due to its liquid structure), or to decorate or accompany them.

*TIP! If you're going to use it as a frosting for cheesecakes or similar, I recommend that, when the cake has firm consistency and is almost done, you add the frosting on top and finish baking with it on (if you do it before, the frosting will sink to the center of the cake, which is not what you want). When baking the frosting, the fruit will roast and its flavor will be greatly enhanced, being much more intense. It's a great way to turn a cheesecake into a cake of the Gods!

Recipe for pie filling

Ingredients for the cherry filling*:

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

To prepare the cherry filling:

1. If you have fresh fruit, pit the cherries with a pitter and cut the cherries in half (you can also leave them whole, it totally depends on your preference on the size of the fruit in the filling).
2. In a pot over medium heat, add all the ingredients: cherries, water, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch.
3. Allow to heat until boiling, then reduce heat to low and allow to cook, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes.
4. If you are using almond or vanilla extract, add it.
5. Turn off the heat and let it cool down before using it as a topping or filling for your cakes.

Grades

1. The beauty of this filling, at least traditionally, is that you can see the shape of the fruit - that you can tell what fruit it is, despite it being somewhat crumbly and soft. But if you prefer a finer texture, you can leave it on the heat for a longer time so that it crumbles more, or you can blend it with a blender to get a sauce or jam-like 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 and does not contain a lot of sugar (it will not keep for many days).
3. If you follow the recipe for strawberry or fig filling, you will probably want to cut the fruit first, so that the pieces of fruit are not too big in each bite.

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

Claudia