I am making a cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream filling and I am concerned about the whipped cream melting/softening and then leaking out the sides.

Should I use a stabalized whipped cream recipe that uses gelatin? I don't have any powdered whipped cream stabalizer so I need to use what I have on hand, lol. Does anyone have any tips for this? thanks!

btw, I always pipe a dam to hold the filling in but I just wanted to make sure it didn't make the cake soggy.

I just made one yesterday with fresh whipped cream and canned peaches. I added 2 tablespoons of "piping gel" & 1 tablespoon icing sugar to every 2 cups of fresh cream. I noticed the cream becomes a bit thicker and no juices ran through the iced cake. I also piped a well with med. consistency buttercream.

Shoot - I was just at the cake decorating store and didn't get any piping gel....I made a rather thick icing to use as the dam piping but don't know if I should make some sweetened whipping cream and lay a thin layer of strawberries on top or mix it all together?

I haven't made the stabilized Whipped Cream yet, but i made a chocolate mousse filling stabilized with gelatin instead of eggs (because I'm paranoid), and it made it really thick, and it held up well. Same principal. HTH!

I have used strawberries as well but I make sure that I drain them first after you have washed and cut them. You will notice this as you cust them that your hands get all red if they are riped and sweet. You can try to blot them with paper towels. I always spread the cream first and gently place the thin cup up fruit on top. Don't put them too close to the edge and don't press hard once you lay your top layer. Good luck!

Tortitas-Good tip. Do you also add sugar, or does that make them release too much liquid, causing a soggy cake?

I don't add any sugar. If they are ripe and sweet in itself, there's no need You're welcome!

I saw this somewhere and I can't find it now. (I don't think it was on this site, but I could be wrong) I was actually going to post asking if anyone else had seen it, because I would like to make it.

The person making the cake had cut around each layer of the cake, about a half an inch in and the carved out about a half an inch of cake to which she filled with fresh sliced strawberries and covered with some kind of cream filling. It was beautiful when sliced and the strawberries didn't leak because they were "inside" the cake. I think I would put a layer of buttercream or something under the strawberries too so that they don't make a sopping mess of the cake.

HTH! ~Mindy

perhaps you could stiffen up your whipping cream by adding a portion of a jello pudding mix, just enough to make it thicker, then mix in the strawberries. most of us have vanilla pudding inour pantry. saves you having to go out again to get piping gel.

If you have some instant vanilla pudding you can mix some into your whipped cream before you whip it and it stiffens it up and also gives it a nice flavor. Great with the strawberries.

I just did this cake! I used sponge cake as the cake. I cut the washed strawberries and laid them on a towel to dry. I did a thin (think crumb coat) of stabilized whipped cream on the first layer of cake then place strawberries, cut side down (mostly) on that layer, plopped on the whipped cream icing to "fill in the gaps" around the berries, and again with cake. Repeat steps. I actually did 4 layers of cake and it was too high. I frosted it with the whipped cream, but should have used buttercream. I did the sides with sliced almonds (yum).

No sugar in the berries- they will sweat. This was great, not too sweet, and cut beautifully. I think smaller berry pieces worked well, especially when serving the cake.

I did not decorate the top, as this was just to test the recipe...

I'm reviving this thread with more questions! Since you are all mentioning the strawberries softening, how far in advance can you prepare this cake - one day? Also I have used stabilized whipped cream as a topping often, but never on anything that was sitting out for longer than about 1-2 hours. Would any of you estimate a room-temp life span for stabilized whipped cream? I use the Wilton recipe w/the piping gel and sugar. However the question still stands for the pudding variations...

The cake I'm making will definitely sit out at least 3 hours on the day it is served - it won't fit in their fridge. I know I could use Pastry Pride but I prefer the mouth-feel of real whipped cream.

Just tossing this question out there again; I posted pretty late last night considering the time zone a lot of CC'ers are in

I tried adding the vanilla pudding to the whipped cream, but I think that I mixed it too much... Also, it turned my frosting yellow... I have not tried it, but I was just told to stiffen up the whipped cream with powdered sugar... I'm sure hoping that works! I would love to find out the best way to do this... I love the fresh strawberry cakes.

Pat

I've heard about that problem w/vanilla pudding mix. I've seen white chocolate flavor recommended to avoid the discoloration.

I read an entire egullet thread debating the need at ALL for any stabilizer for your whipped cream (other than sugar) and they show how if you whip the cream to the exact stiffness, it stays stable without additives. Pretty cool.

But their stability tests all involve how long it lasts in the fridge. I can't get a grip on how long it can last unrefrigerated - has anyone let a stabilized wc cake sit out for longer than an hour or two???