Can anyone give me some advice please. Today I had bought some cake filling in the sleeves. I heard so many good things about them and how delicious they are, I decided to buy some flavors at my local specialty bake shop. The thing is though, the filling is really runny. it's too liquidy (for lack of a better word). i know that i have to put a dam around first, but it still frightens me.
I am afraid that when I use them, my cakes will be sliding off of one another, even with the dowels. i had this nightmare once where i had used real strawberries and mixed them with pudding for a filling and the second tier of the cake was sliding in two different directions. what a disaster that was.

Do I add anything to these fillings to make them thicker and therefore make the cake sturdier? what can I add to it?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have 3 cakes due in July and I need this info asap.

You can mix the fillings with BC to make them a little thicker. But you can still use them "plain" - just be sure to only use a thin layer and of course use a BC dam.

Sorry I don't have advice on your delimma now....but adding the bc to it might work. I LOVE Henry and Henry red raspberry and lemon...the other fruit flavors are very good, too. They are not runny at all.

Jen

Jen, where do you buy the Henry & Henry fillings from? I always make my own from frozen fruit & Corn starch, they are delicious, but I am always looking to find something new. LOL

You know, I've been tempted to try the fillings in the sleeves, but never have. I've used good ol' Smuckers jams and preserves and gotten rave reviews...no one is the wiser, and again, like awolf24 said, use a very thin layer (I too, had a cake slide and icing crack and bulge on the side even with a nice dam around it...I thought the dam would hold a thick layerof filling, but alas, did not). Yeah, a thin layer is the way to go!

I've never used the sleeve fillings myself (I'm a scratch-only girl--it's a personality flaw, I know lol), but I agree that mixing them in with some buttercream would be a great solution.

I use the sleeves all the time ... almost every wedding I do has at least one tier of white cake witih red raspberry filling.

It's not really runny or thin..... you just don't need as much of this filling as you do with regular BC icing filling. Too much makes it slippery and gives you the potential of having a cake slide. Also, there is a difference in the feel if you put it on warm (room temp) or if you take it from the 'frig.

It's also WAY cheaper than buying jars of Smucker's at the grocery.

I've never had a problem with the sleeved pastry fillings being runny.....

Here's a sleeved pastry filling usage chart:

http://tinyurl.com/2gay6n

Indydebi's sleeved pastry usage info:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-562527-.html

I was not pleased with the results when I tried flavoring b/c with pastry filling. By the time the flavor was discernible in the b/c, the b/c was really loose and overly sweet.

I much prefer to layer the pastry filling over a thin layer of b/c. The pastry filling can't leak into the cake layers, and it looks very festive when plated.

If you want to thicken jam here's an easy method using jello:
(I used a large glass measuring cup..didn't heat in the jam jar.)

http://tinyurl.com/2xpxot
(Scroll down to "Jam Fillings".)

HTH

my favorite and easiest way to do fruit fillings, I learned on here but I forgot who told me.

You just get Palmer's all fruit jam and then mix it with some of the corresponding Jello powder. Put it on the cake and let it set up in the fridge for about ten minutes before you put the other layer on. It works great and I've never had a cake slide. I get a lot of raves when I do this.

I, too, used the sleeved fillings all the time and have never encountered a brand that was too runny. There are "glazes" available in the sleeved fillings, could you have gotten that instead?

I use them straight from the bag, no mixing with the buttercream (except for cream cheese). I torte my layers so I can use thinner layers of filling instead of one thick layer, and use a very stiff buttercream dam...haven't had a slider yet (knock on wood!!)

I use the sleeve fillings also and get rave reviews every time. You have to remember that a little goes a long way. I do a layer of buttercream and then a layer of filling with a good buttercream dam around the edge.

I agree with JanH that I don't love the sleeve filling mixed with buttercream. If I want a very faint flavor addition, then it is okay, but for a full-flavor filling, you eventually break the buttercream down to the point where it almost seems runnier than the filling!

FYI, the sleeved pastry fillings will not soak into the cake like jams, jellies, or preserves. No need for a layer of buttercream.

If you don't believe me...try it out for yourself. I purchased different brands of jams, jellies, and preserves and filled a cake as usual.

The next day they had all started soaking into the cake, causing it to be mushy. Not good for wedding cakes since I typically fill & crumb coat on Thursday for a Saturday wedding.

Also, once opened...jams, jellies, and preserves used as fillings require a cake to be refrigerated due to mold issues.

Thanks so much JanH for the answer to my question & the chart. I think you are so great, you always have the answer, your help is appreciated.

I have used the strawberry filling in the sleeve. It was wonderful. I didn't have any problems with it at all. And it goes a long way. My mom did say however, that it reminded her of the glaze she buys at the supermarket for her strawberries.

i recently used both the strawberry glaze (not the one with chunks of strawberry in it) and the chocolate bavarian cream and both are AWESOME. before i opened the sleeves up i kept thinking, OMG this is gonna be sooo runny. the first time i used the strawberry, i did put a thin layer of bc down first, but totally didn't need it. so the 2nd time i used it, i left it out and neither cake slide and both were SOOO freakin' good.. i'd much rather use these (knowing how they taste) than try to make something myself

Ok so this may be a stupid question but, they keep the sleeve filling's out on the shelf so when you put them in the cake do you have to keep the cake in the frige? Or is leaving it on the counter for a day or two ok? How perishable is this filling when cut open?

i asked the owner of my cake shop this VERY same question when i bought some... she said she's left it out for several days and never had a problem. it is shelf stable. she did suggest once you open the sleeve, if you don't use it all, to store it in the fridge, just so it will last longer, but the cake doesn't need to be refridgerated with this type of filling.

Thanks for all the tips guys. I guess I would have to thicken it up with Jello. If I put it into buttercream, the BC would be too runny I think. I will try both variations at home and let you guys know.

Thank you so much for the information. I always hear people talk about perishable fillings and I wondered if this was one of them. I thought only bc was not perishable. thanks again.