This raspberry cake filling recipe is perfect for cake layers. It's thick enough to stay put but doesn't lose that smooth texture. You can even use it as a cupcake filling, make fresh raspberry macarons, or mix it into Swiss meringue buttercream to make raspberry buttercream.
Did you know you can use this recipe with different fruit puree mixtures to make different flavors? Blackberries, strawberries, marionberries, the list goes on. Just switch up the lemon for other spices that might compliment the mixture. Sometimes I even add in some pure vanilla extract to make a raspberry and cream kind of flavor. You can also swirl the seedless raspberry filling into vanilla cake or bundt cake to make a raspberry swirl cake.
Table of contents
Raspberry Cake Filling Ingredients
Fresh or frozen raspberries will work for this recipe! If you've got a lot of fresh raspberries to use up, make a big batch of this fruit filling and freeze it to use later. If you don't have fresh raspberries then it's really more cost-efficient to buy them frozen. Bonus: frozen berries are picked at the peak of ripeness and are always very sweet and delicious!
Lemon zest and lemon juice will add some brightness and flavor to your raspberry filling that is lost during cooking. Don't worry, your filling won't taste like lemons.
ClearJel is similar to cornstarch but stays clear when it's cooked and keeps a smooth consistency even when cooked at high temperatures. If you don't have ClearJel you can substitute with equal parts corn starch.
Making the Raspberry Cake Filling
- Add your raspberries and sugar to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
- Heat your raspberry puree until it begins to bubble. Increase the heat to medium-high heat if needed.
- Protip - If you would like seedless raspberry cake filling, then strain your mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, and then return the mixture to the saucepan and bring it back to a bubble.
- In a small bowl, combine the water and the ClearJel (or cornstarch) and mix until smooth. Don't just add the ClearJel or cornstarch directly to the hot liquid or you'll end up with lumps of thickener in your filling.
- Add your ClearJel mixture (or cornstarch slurry) to the hot liquid and mix for one more minute to thicken the mixture.
- Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest and continue cooking for one more minute.
- Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof container and cover it with plastic wrap (so that it's touching the surface) and allow it to cool to room temperature or place it into the refrigerator to cool before using it. Pro tip - If you pour the raspberry filling onto a sheet pan or cake pan and place it into the fridge, it will cool faster.
Using the Raspberry Cake Filling
If you're making this raspberry filling for a cake, you'll want to prepare your cake so that your cake layers don't slip around or the filling doesn't ooze out the sides of cakes.
- Make sure your raspberry filling is fully cooled down before you use it.
- Pipe a dam of buttercream around your cake layer and spread a thin layer of your raspberry filling inside. The buttercream keeps the filling from oozing out the sides of the cake.
- Keep your raspberry filling layer thin. No more than ¼" thick.
- If you want more raspberry flavor, you can mix some of the raspberry filling in with buttercream or even whipped cream. Not only does it make a gorgeous pink color but it tastes freaking delicious!
- You can use the leftover raspberry filling for donuts, cupcakes, thumbprint cookies, homemade hand pies, or just freeze the raspberry mixture in an airtight container to use later!
For more information on how to frost and decorate your first cake, you can watch my free tutorial on how to decorate your first cake. In this cake tutorial, I show how to bake perfect cake layers, how to stack, crumb coat, make the perfect final coat of buttercream, and how to decorate.
FAQ
Fresh fruit filling should be refrigerated but because of the high concentration of sugar, the filling can be at room temperature for 6-8 hours with no issue.
If you aren't going to use your raspberry filling within 7 days it should be frozen for up to 6 months.
Yes, you can! Raspberry jam is basically the same as this raspberry filling recipe. Just keep in mind that jam is very sweet and sometimes not as flavorful as homemade raspberry filling so make sure you like the flavor before you use it on your cake.
Yes! This filling is perfect for filling donuts. With a rubber spatula, scoop the cooled filling into a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round tip. Push the tip into the donut and squeeze the filling into the donut.
No time to make your own raspberry filling? You can buy pre-made, shelf-stable filling from places like smart foods service (cash and carry), most cake decorating stores, or even online. These are the same fillings I used to use when I worked at Safeway way back in the day.
Related Recipes
Rose Cake with Raspberry Filling
Pistachio Cake with Raspberry Filling
Recipe
Ingredients
Raspberry Filling Recipe
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
- 5 ounces sugar
- 1 whole lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 ounce water
- 2 tablespoon Clear Jel or cornstarch
Instructions
Making the raspberry filling
- Add the raspberries and sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine and heat until the mixture begins to bubble, increasing to medium-high if needed.
- Optional for seedless filling: strain the hot mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing the solids with a spatula. Return the strained liquid to the saucepan and bring back to a bubble. Note that straining reduces the yield by up to half; double the recipe if making seedless.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and ClearJel or cornstarch until completely smooth. Do not add thickener directly to the hot fruit.
- Pour the slurry into the hot raspberry mixture while stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously. The filling will shift from cloudy and opaque to clear and deeply glossy as the thickener fully cooks. If it still looks milky, cook for another 30 to 60 seconds.
- Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Transfer to a heatproof container. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled before using.Pro tip - If you pour the raspberry filling onto a sheet pan or cake pan and place it into the fridge, it will cool faster.
Notes
- Fresh or frozen raspberries both work. Frozen are more cost-efficient and are picked at peak ripeness. Fresh raspberries can release more liquid; add an extra teaspoon of ClearJel or cornstarch if the filling seems thin.
- ClearJel stays clearer and more stable at high heat than regular cornstarch. Cornstarch is a 1:1 substitute and works well; the filling will be slightly less glossy.
- Lemon juice and zest go in at the end to preserve their brightness and because acid can interfere with thickening at high heat.
- Refrigerator: airtight container with plastic wrap on the surface, up to 2 weeks.
- Freezer: airtight container, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and stir before using.
- Assembled cake with this filling: refrigerator, up to 1 week.
- Filling must be fully chilled before use.
- Pipe a buttercream dam around the edge of each cake layer before spreading filling.
- Keep the filling layer no thicker than ¼ inch.
- To make raspberry buttercream, mix a few tablespoons of cooled filling into your frosting.
- Do not add ClearJel or cornstarch directly to the hot liquid; always make a slurry first.
- Do not use warm or room-temperature filling between cake layers; it must be fully chilled.
- Do not microwave a too-firm filling to soften it; stir at room temperature instead.
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