Cherry filling for tarts and cakes

You are going to make a cherry filling for tarts, tartlets and biscuits in just a few minutes and it is really delicious. The cherry filling (or whatever fruit you use) is a most 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 gives you you will eat it without regrets.

In this post, you will see:

1. Differences between jam and pie filling
2. How to use the filling for cakes (It's delicious and it serves you for much more than decorating!).
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, the exact same recipe is used to make filling with raspberries, strawberries, berries , 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 incredible cherry filling!

Something you should keep in mind is that you can prepare the cherry topping in just 10 minutes, and it's already delicious (I already use it a lot to accompany yogurt and it tastes heavenly), 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 cherry filling is a very quick preparation to make and less caloric than jam . To give you an idea, to make jam you need 60% sugar by 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 pies at your taste, using even 10 and 15% of the weight of fruit in sugar, if you want (the sweetness will go to the taste of whoever prepares it, although you do require a minimum of sugar for it to take consistency).
• A consequence of the less use of sugar in this filling is preservation: the beauty 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 for a maximum of 5 days, hermetically sealed in the fridge (while a jam will last up to a month, or you can keep it for years in a vacuum).
• To make jam you need pectin (in our case lemon juice ) so that it reacts and gelatinizes the mixture. In the case of the pie filling, we also use lemon juice, but since there is less amount of sugar, what we add to make it firmer is also cornmeal .
• Another consequence of the less use of sugar in the tart filling 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 have reduced the use of sugar in my diet, I love to use pie filling more than jams because it is 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 filling for cakes as if it were jam, and keep in mind that the fruit body is more appreciated as well. From here, get the most out 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 brisa tartlets and simply apply this filling in the center. Easier and more delicious, impossible.
3. Make a shortcrust pastry or sablée cookie , and apply the filling in the center.
4. Make a tart, 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 mousse
10. As a filling for crepes (apply a very small amount, due to its liquid structure it will stand out), or to decorate or accompany them.

*TRICK! If you are going to use it as a cover for cheesecakes or similar ones, I recommend that, when the cake has consistency and is practically done, add the cover on top and finish baking with it on (if you do it before, the cover will drop to the center of the cake). the cake, and it's not what you want). When baking the cover, the fruit will be roasted and its flavor is greatly enhanced, being much more intense. It's a great way to turn a cheesecake into a God cake!

Pie filling recipe

Ingredients for the cherry filling*:

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

*I am 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 pitter and cut the cherries in half (you can also leave them whole, it totally depends on your preferences on the size of the fruit in the filling).
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, introduce all the ingredients: cherries, water, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch.
3. Let it take heat 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 the almond or vanilla extract, add it.
5. For the fire and let it lose heat before using 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 is appreciated -that it is distinguished which fruit it is, despite being somewhat undone and tender. But if you prefer a finer texture, you can leave it on the fire for a longer time so that it melts more, or you can crush 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 nor does it contain a large amount of sugar (it will not keep for many days).
3. If you follow the recipe for filling with strawberries or figs, you will probably be interested in cutting the fruit beforehand, so that the pieces of fruit are not very 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 would love to know.

Claudia