Hi all,
I'm going to attempt to make two cakes one with a lemon curd filling and the other a strawberry filling. Since I've never used anything other than BC for a filling before, I've got two questions.
1) How long can a cake with a fruit based filling be at room temperature and still be safe to eat?
2) Do you have any suggestions for a lemon filing or a strawberry filling?

Thanks much!

1) depends on what you use as filling. Jams,& sleeved fillings can be safely left unrefrigerated for up to 5 days.....maybe longer.
2) jams or sleeved Also canned pie filling.

Thanks for information. I've got more questions.
Jams can be safely left unrefrigerated for up to 5 days, what about preserves?
Is there a certain brand that you could recommend?

Just use your favorite preserves.

A suggestion thought - to prevent the jam/preserves from soaking into the cake & making everything soggy, especially as it will be sitting for awhile, heat it up & add some unflavored gelatin, stir until dissolved, & refrigerate the layer for a few minutes to firm up the filling before you top w/ the next layer.

Adding the unflavored gelatin sounds like a great tip. Is there a suggested ratio?

I use the sleeve fillings all the time. I usually make my cakes a couple of days in advance and then refrigerate. Even though they don't need to be refrigerated, I do it any way because I like the cake to stay firm. I always get rave reviews on the taste and freshness of the cake. Just make sure you pipe a damn around the outer edge of the cake layer before filling them with the fruit. You can also put a thin layer of buttercream as a base, but it's not necessary.

I usually just play it by ear more or less. Last time was for a lot of cake, I used two 18 oz jars of preserves and one envelope + just a little I had left in an open envelope of gelatin.

I'm sorry to ask what is probably a stupid question...

What does it mean when you say "sleeved" filling? (I did a search on CC but there were no articles or forum posts).

Also, I am making a cake for a friend's daughter's graduation party and she asked if I could do strawberries in the filling (actual sliced strawberries in a whipped, custard, or buttercream filling). I seem to remember reading that the acid could cause problems with the frosting and/or fondant bulging. Is there anything I'd need to be aware of with that?

I think it would be easier to use the jam-type of filling....

Thanks!

Sleeved fillings are pre-packaged fillings. You can find them on many of the cake supply sites.