Fresh Fruit/ Strawberry Filling
Decorating By johnbailey64 Updated 20 Apr 2017 , 9:30pm by -K8memphis
I don't post often, but I had a cake order this week for a fresh fruit/non chocolate anniversary cake. I realize Chantilly would have been perfect, but I didn't have time to do a Chantilly and just chose a french vanilla cake with a cream cheese buttercream icing.
I searched for advise on fresh fruit filling, I didn't find but a couple of posts so I thought I'd share what I learned from this cake.
I used mostly strawberries for the filling, mixed with blueberries and a few other berries. I put a layer of icing under and over the filling as well as using a dam. I did have one 'leak' but every cake has a back, right? !
I used a lot of strawberries for the filling. (see attached picture) I started with a cake a bit dryer that usual, thinking the berries would weep into the cake, and didn't tort for the same reason. I made the cake less than 24 hours in advance, stored it in the fridge with out the top decorative fruit until just before it was placed on the table. I did 'frost' some of the decorative fruit with egg white wash and sugar/sugar crystals, that I had let dry overnight.
When the cake was cut, there were hardly any strawberries to be found! I was disappointed that my cake wasn't bursting with fresh berry filling! They just dehydrated and shriveled up! It was almost like there were NO strawberries in there. Crazy!
Also the berries did not weep into the cake so it was dryer than usual for me. It was still good, but just not as good as it could have been!
What I learned from this is next time, I would tort the layers and put the strawberries in between, still icing over and under with a dam. I would REALLY use a lot of berries.
Linda
the filling- I just happened to take a picture because someone texed and asked me what I was doing at this point lol
Final cake
It's lovely!!! And thanks for sharing your experience to help others along the way. (((Hugs)))
I actually made the cake and froze it a few days before, I thawed, filled, and iced it the evening before the event.
i have a comment and some thoughts to add to your thoughts --
if you encased your fruit in icing which is what i do also with whipped cream -- it could not weep into the cake -- especially since you kept it all cold --
yes absolutely there's a back to every cake ha! and that reminds me that that's a question i often ask the bride -- will your cake be in a 360 degree setting or up against a wall? some venues put the cake in front of a mirror-- aghhh! but good thing to know in advance for sure :)
i use a super sharp knife to cut my strawberries because it reduces weeping and i cut them in smaller bits so when it's sliced it slices cleanly and every slice gets a nice amount -- i lay them in thick and tight like a mosaic -- yours has different holes -- so that would mean there's a hole in that person's serving kwim --
but i love fresh strawberries in cake -- it never gets old
Thank you.
I thought that about the encasing the fruit... but I know sugar draws out the juice, so I was afraid/thought that would likely happen.. good to know it doesn't I suppose. I probably just had a gap in the dam where it leaked out the edge of the cake.
Thanks for the tip on cutting the strawberries!
and one more thing -- i love that you egg white washed the fruit and sugared it -- just takes me back --
and another stray thought -- this is great to do with possibly yellowed plates and pillars -- or if you just want a great sparkly effect -- say if someone kept all that stuff and for their 25th or 50th anniversary wanted to use them -- egg white wash & sugar them -- it's very pretty --
Oh.. yes! I didn't even think of that. There is a plate and pillars under there.. all hidden because of that reason. I served the cake, so I quickly took the fruit off and stuck the separator plate and pillars under the table!
The event was at my church.
I was totally fearless with those egg whites! Warrior Style! lol... I know there is a lot of controversy over egg whites.
seriously fearless you were/are -- my compliments :)
hey i am part of that "crowd" -- but it is finally maybe becoming more 'right' looking to me -- the ones where the icing is smeared/scraped all off-ish --
i wished for a long time that it's a fad but i think it's here to stay (i'm a genius right? ha!) because it's lasted a loong time so far... unbelievably -- i have seen some cute ones but it has to decorated -- has. to. be. decorated appropriately --
anyhow --
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